This project began with a chance find — a large collection of vintage industrial stacking drawers, each carrying the marks, numbers, labels and patina of years of use.
Rather than restoring the drawers to look new, we wanted to preserve everything that made them interesting. We carefully selected and configured the individual drawers to create three distinct cabinets, balancing the different sizes, colours and original details across each piece.
New carcasses were designed and handcrafted from reclaimed Iroko, providing a simple, understated framework for the drawers and allowing their character to remain the focus. The warm tone and natural variation of the Iroko also provided a sympathetic contrast to the more industrial nature of the original pieces.
Each drawer front was carefully cleaned and sympathetically restored, retaining the worn finishes, original numbering, labels and variations in colour that had developed throughout their previous life.
The result is a collection of three completely unique pieces — bringing order to an eclectic mix of found elements while preserving the history and individuality that made them worth saving.