Blanket Chest at www.plesums.com/wood

Blanket Chest

©2010 by Charles A. Plesums, Austin, Texas, USA

Economy Blanket Chest

This blanket chest is a simple but sturdy design, using figured cherry plywood with solid cherry lid and corners. The life expectancy is indefinite... this is not a flimsy fiberboard or particle board box, but solid hardwood and furniture grade plywood. A similar chest can be made from most furniture woods - walnut, cherry, mahogany, pecan, oak, and others.

The lid is treated like a toy box... it stays open without slamming closed. This is convenient for adults to use it, as well as safer if kids are playing in the adult area where the blanket chest is used. However, this is NOT A TOY BOX, and should not be used as such. Federal regulations require destructive safety testing of the materials and design of any furniture for kids under 13 years old. Although there are no known problems with this item, it has not been tested, so it is against federal regulations to sell this as kids furniture.

To prove that the chest is sturdy enough for any reasonable load (1/2 inch plywood bottom), this tall guy with knobby knees stood in the box - he weighs over 200 pounds.

Note that the light from this direction makes the figured plywood look different - real wood, and especially figured wood, has chatoyancy - a shimmer and pattern that changes as viewed from different directions. Also, this cherry is "new" and will gradually darken, like a suntan, to a rich reddish brown.

Generally you want a piece to rest on just a few points, in case the floor is slightly uneven. Thus I would typically build 4 or 6 feet on a unit like this. If there is a pet in the house, you might want to consider these low arches above the floor so that toys and pet treats don't disappear under the chest.

$500 in most furniture woods

larger sizes may cost slightly more, depending on efficient use of the plywood

Historic Cedar Chest

This is Jenny's Grandmother's cedar lined blanket chest. The finish was dinged, crazed, and poorly patched, using many different finishing technologies.

We sanded off all of the old finish, and underneath found a decent (not fantastic but nice) walnut blanket chest. We refinished it with clear acryic lacquer to show off the natural wood. We use it proudly in our bedroom, and consider it as a source of ideas.

Premium Blanket Chest - Hope Chest

What is the difference between an economy blanket chest and a premium hope chest? Whatever you want! Some suggestions to consider include

Exotic wood - veneer
Panel construction rather than flat sides
Fancy feet or heavier corners
Cedar lining
Internal trays or special compartments
Handles (I don't know why, but I have seen chests with carrying handles on the ends)
Lock (it might provide some privacy from snoopy visitors, but it will not provide real security, since a burglar could smash the chest or take the whole chest)

Designing your own Blanket Chest

The traditional bedroom furnishings include a tall chest of drawers for the gentleman, 30-36 inches wide, plus a shorter, wide dresser, often 60 inches wide, for the lady. Who knows why? But architects seem to design bedrooms with a space at least 5 feet wide that the dresser logically would go, and another space at least 3 feet wide for the chest of drawers. Where does the blanket chest go? Perhaps at the foot of the bed (a good place to pull back the quilt on the bed) or in a bay window - there is no "standard" or obvious location in most bedrooms.

Width: The blanket chests I have seen are typically 36 to 48 inches wide... the economy unit above is 40 inches wide. Our antique blanket chest is 48 inches wide - as wide as I would want at the foot of a 60 inch queen size bed. If it will be used at the foot of a bed, it probably should be significantly narrower than the bed, so there is less chance of bumping knees as you walk around the foot of the bed.
Height: Typical height is about 22 inches - lower than the typical bed height of 28 inches. However, some people like to use the blanket chest as a place to sit to put on shoes, for example. Typical chair height is 18 inches; 20 inches will probably still be comfortable, but 22 inches feels like an extra tall seat (even for a tall guy like me). The units above are 22 inches high.
Depth: A lot of furniture that goes against a wall is 16-20 inches deep, so this blanket chest is likely to be in a room with 18 inch deep chest of drawers, dresser, and other items. A depth of 18 inches would be a good choice, plus a little extra for the lid to hang over the edge. This economy unit is 19 inches deep, plus extra space for the lid.
Inserts: Many blanket chests have a removable tray that slides from one side to the other, so smaller items are not "lost" in the bottom of the chest. Of course, for the tray to slide, the other side has to be left empty, so a tray actually reduces the total useful storage. We have a tray in the antique blanket chest, but it is never used to advantage... just for more storage... so a tray is not included in the economy chest. It could easily be added if desired.
Feet: I suggest using feet of the same general style as the other bedroom furniture. The economy unit above has a base that comes very close to the floor so kiddie and pet toys don't get lost underneath, with six points of contact to minimize the impact of a floor that isn't perfectly level.

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We primarily serve Austin and the Central Texas area, but travel to the DFW area periodically and are glad to serve the Garland, Plano, Frisco, Dallas, and other North Texas areas, and are willing to ship anywhere.