Empire Chest-of-Drawers

The Empire design movement falls between the more popular Federal and Victorian styles (early to mid-19th century). The design was inspired by the Napolean-era style from France, and the furniture reflects this elegant and luxurious style. Some of the traditional Empire design features can be found in this chest of drawers. This starts with the heavy proportions, and a top drawer that’s larger than the rest of the drawers. As you work down the chest, the drawers are graduated. Another feature indicative of Empire furniture is scrollwork or turnings, often sitting below the top drawer. Here, we’ve featured a pair of split turnings that mirror the feet. Don’t worry, they’re straightforward to make.