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After climbing up three very long flights of stairs to reach the third floor of the Centre Family Dwelling at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, you see this magnificent array of drawer stacks executed in curly cherry. It’s a powerful moment for any admirer of Shaker furniture.
I’ve lived in an old home that had virtually no closets before, it’s not very fun. Here’s how the shakers solved this problem. Dovetails–45 fully dovetailed drawers complete this amazing storage space. In Kerry Pierce’s book, Storage & Shelving the Shaker Way, he shares detailed drawings and photos of storage projects from Pleasant Hill, KY. You’ll find sets of drawers like the ones pictured above, several styles of floor chests, shelving that works along with peg rails common to shaker buildings, and larger stand-alone pieces of furniture. It’s a remarkable journey through storage solutions that don’t take any shortcuts and eliminate gimmicks. The only real question is, are you ready to build furniture that will last generations?
Check out the Shaker Storage & Shelving Shop Resources Collection for Kerry’s book and several others that will inspire. It’s on sale right now!
– David Lyell
Each of the 45 drawers is custom fit to its opening, and the drawer and matching opening are identified by numbers stamped on each. In this picture you can see a number stamped on the end grain of a dovetail pin.
