Bespoke Kitchen Dressers

A dresser sits apart from the rest of the kitchen cabinetry in one important way: some or all of its contents are meant to be seen. That single fact shapes almost every decision that follows, from the glazing pattern on the upper doors to the depth of the shelving and the lighting used to show the display off rather than leave it in shadow.

Glazed doors are the most common way to display crockery and glassware while still keeping dust and grease at bay, and the choice of glazing bar pattern, or a single unbroken pane, has a real effect on how formal or relaxed the piece feels. We design the glazing to suit the rest of the kitchen's door style, so a dresser built alongside a Shaker kitchen carries a related frame detail rather than looking like an unrelated addition.

Shelving depth and spacing need to be set to what will actually sit on them. A shelf built for dinner plates needs different spacing to one intended for glassware or serving platters, and adjustable shelving is often worth building in so the dresser can adapt as the contents change over time. Open shelves without glazing are equally valid where a more relaxed, everyday display is wanted rather than a formally glazed cabinet.

Below the display section, closed cupboards and drawers usually carry the less decorative, more frequently used items — table linen, serving dishes not on permanent display, or simply extra kitchen storage. This lower section is built to the same standard as the rest of the kitchen's cabinetry, since it earns its keep functionally even though the upper section is doing the visual work.

A worktop surface across the dresser, at the same height as the rest of the kitchen or set slightly differently depending on its role, gives a useful landing spot for serving food or laying out crockery before it goes to the table, and ties the piece into the working rhythm of the kitchen rather than treating it purely as furniture.

Lighting inside a glazed cabinet, whether a simple warm LED strip or something more considered, is what actually makes a display read well after dark, and it is worth planning during design rather than adding once the cabinetry is built, since cable routes need to be hidden within the carcass from the outset. A dresser built into the wider run of kitchen cabinetry, rather than standing as a separate piece, tends to feel most settled in the room, carrying the same worktop, skirting and cornice details through from the working cabinetry either side of it.

Part of our bespoke kitchens collection