1920s American Furniture Company Art Deco Red Poplar Bachelor’s Chest

We discovered this early Art Deco chest of drawers at a used furniture store quite by accident when we were looking for something entirely different. It wasn’t in very wonderful condition when we first saw it. Nonetheless, the size was nice, and the design was a fine example of the early transition from Art Nouveau into Art Deco. Most important, we saw that the chest was solid wood and that all the problems were cosmetic. After a tedious rehabilitation, we think the chest turned out to be well worth the work! We were shocked to find the original label still intact on the back side of the chest. It showed that the chest was manufactured in Danville, Virginia — where we discovered it — never having travelled far from its origin. The chest is solid poplar. It is sturdy. but relatively light in weight. (Poplar is one of the lightest native North American hardwoods.) We finished the piece in Florentine red, and we gave it new pulls to replace the various and sundry random, rusty pulls that most certainly were not original to the piece and definitely not Art Deco. It has three drawers and a relatively compact footprint. The piece is 28 inches wide and 17 inches deep. The drawers measure 13 inches by 23 inches. The height at the top of the “backsplash” is 46 inches, and at the top surface is 42 inches.