Douglas Fir Dresser

This piece radically rethinks what a dresser could be. The drawers become thick boards that express the concept of “sliding” through seemingly sliding in grooves (dadoes) in the supporting frame. Staying within that formal language, dadoes become an organizing theme, being showcased throughout as a way to join wood. Instead of hiding drawers inside of a cabinet, the drawers themselves become the main body, showing the beauty of the dense figure of old growth vertical grain Douglas fir. And rather than hide end grain (as in much traditional joinery), this design celebrates its beauty. The result is a highly original piece of furniture that looks deceptively simple. I love using humble materials and highlighting their beauty in new ways – in this case, a softwood traditionally used in construction combined with dark masonite to form an elegant contrast.

Dresser design by Yana Frank, tall narrow dresser with dark vertical posts supporting 5 stacked drawers of douglas fir with setback dark fronts
Dresser by Yana Frank Design, vertical chest of 5 douglas fir drawers with recessed masonite fronts, held by four vertical posts of dark tropical wood
Dresser by Yana Frank Design, vertical chest of 5 douglas fir drawers with recessed masonite fronts, held by four vertical posts of dark tropical wood
Dresser by Yana Frank with open drawers
Dresser by Yana Frank showing end grain detail of Douglas Fir drawers
Dresser by Yana Frank showing end grain detail of Douglas Fir drawers
Douglas Fir drawer indent detail from dresser by Yana Frank