Furniture Matters: The Kitchen Dresser

I remember the kitchen dresser at the back of the dining room in one of my father s many homes throughout my childhood. This heavy piece of dark wood followed us everywhere. We never ate with the china that was displayed there, except maybe at Christmas. When the children played treasure hunt, we would often hide objects with the silverware or under the kitchen linen kept in the drawers. It was a fascinating piece full of memories and secrets, but it was also somewhat out of bounds, only to be touched and opened on special occasions.

There is no place more suitable for heirloom china than the kitchen dresser. Where there is no such thing, a couple s wedding china will often take its place. Many family memories linked to food and the dinner table  will also have links to the dresser. When the formal china comes out, the family knows it s a special occasion. Formal family dinners, holiday celebrations, weddings, funerals and baptisms all require the use of formal china (or at least should for more traditional families).

The kitchen dresser is often our only link to familial and cultural traditions. A family s quality is often inscribed in its china and cutlery, displaying in no uncertain terms that good families stay attached to their past and traditions. Who wouldn t boast of owning the china that grandma or the great-grandmother received as a wedding gift?

Ultimately, the kitchen dresser is a source of pride. Is this your case? What is in your dresser? Share your dresser memories with us in the comments!