Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Furniture for Storage: The Step Tansu

step tansu

In my smallish house, there's no room for a step tansu. But I've always thought they were some of the prettiest storage pieces around. I've just learned that the real term is Kaidan Dansu, and other people call them staircase chests - but by any name, they can be marvelous pieces. And while they can be very expensive, some are quite reasonably priced.

The tansu above comes from Gumps, a lovely store in San Francisco.


step tansu

Some companies make a number of different step tansu pieces; one of them is McKinnon, which makes tansu modules you can combine to fit your specific needs. This tansu gives you an idea of McKinnon's style.


step tansu

My blog sponsor, Greentea Design, says, "Our step chests are funky updates of the traditional Japanese design." I'm not sure "funky" is the adjective I'd use!


small step tansu

Another source for various step tansu pieces is Tansu, a store in Houston, Texas. This one is the small step.


step tansu

This step chest comes from woodworker Rich Soborowicz.


step tansu in room

And this photo shows you a custom-made step tansu by furniture maker Robert Spangler.

Related Post:
Celebrating Fine Furniture, with a step tansu by Berkeley Mills

2 comments:

Jacki Hollywood Brown said...

Just LOVE these pieces. They would be great for a cottage as stairs to a loft.

Jeri Dansky said...

I love them, too, Jacki. I have no place for one, and no real need for one - but they sure are gorgeous.