Strata Draw - Solid Walnut Dresser

Strata Draw — Solid Walnut Dresser
Eight drawers. Two materials. One piece that works in every room it enters.

The Strata Draw is the storage piece of the Strata collection — a wide, low dresser in FAS-grade North American black walnut with eight drawers arranged across two equal towers, each topped with a European grey glass front that partially reveals the contents within. It sits on a solid carbon steel plinth base that lifts the walnut body off the floor and gives the piece a considered, architectural lightness that contradicts its generous storage volume.

At 120cm wide and 75cm tall, it works as a bedroom dresser, a living room sideboard, or a dining room buffet. The proportions are deliberate: wide enough to anchor a wall, low enough to display above, and deep enough at 40cm to hold what a drawer needs to hold.

The Glass Fronts: European Grey, Top Drawer Each Tower

The signature detail of the Strata Draw is the European grey glass panel on the top drawer of each column — a frosted, smoke-toned glass that catches light differently from the walnut surrounding it and allows a soft, veiled view of the contents within.

It is not a window. It does not expose everything. It suggests — which is the correct approach for a storage piece that sits in a bedroom or living room. The glass introduces a material contrast that connects the Strata Draw to the broader Strata collection's philosophy of putting two materials in honest conversation, and breaks what would otherwise be an uninterrupted wall of walnut drawer fronts into something more visually considered.

The glass is European grey — a cooler, more refined tone than standard clear glass, with a subtle depth that reads as premium without being decorative.

Eight Drawers, Two Depths

The Strata Draw organises its eight drawers across two equal columns of four — a symmetrical layout that is both visually balanced and practically logical.

The top drawer in each column (the glass-fronted one) is shallow at 52 × 27 × 6cm — sized for accessories, folded scarves, jewellery trays, remotes, or the small items that need to be found quickly and kept contained. The glass front makes these the drawers you reach into without fully opening — a glimpse is often enough.

The three lower drawers in each column are deeper at 52 × 27 × 13cm — sized for folded clothing, bed linens, towels, or any bulkier items that need real drawer volume. Six deep drawers across the full width of the piece represents meaningful storage capacity: enough for a complete bedroom's soft furnishings, or a dining room's table linen and serving accessories.

All drawers run on augite wood tracks — the same stable African hardwood used as the structural substrate in the Strata tabletops. Augite runner systems resist humidity-induced binding, carry load evenly, and become smoother with use rather than developing the looseness and rattle of metal-tracked drawers over time.

The Base: Solid Carbon Steel Plinth

The Strata Draw sits on a solid carbon steel plinth base — a flat, low-profile black surround that lifts the walnut body cleanly off the floor and gives the piece its floating quality. The plinth base is the same material and finish as the central pin of the Strata coffee tables: carbon steel in a dark, near-matte finish that recedes visually and lets the walnut read as the dominant material.

It is also structurally correct — a full-perimeter steel plinth distributes the weight of a fully loaded eight-drawer cabinet far more evenly than individual legs would, preventing the floor-level flex and rack that affects tall, heavy storage pieces over time.

The Walnut: FAS-Grade, Finished to Reveal

The primary material across the entire exterior — top surface, side panels, drawer fronts, and the dividing centre column — is FAS-grade North American black walnut. FAS is the top tier of the NHLA grading system, requiring more than 83.3% clear surface per board, producing the consistent, uninterrupted grain and rich chocolate colouring that makes black walnut the reference material for premium furniture globally.

Internal components — drawer boxes, the centre partition, base structure, drawer bottoms, and back panel — are built from augite, a stable African hardwood chosen for its dimensional consistency. Plywood is used where flat-panel engineering outperforms solid wood: drawer bases and back panels that need to remain perfectly flat regardless of humidity cycling.

The finish is eco-friendly clear lacquer combined with natural plant-based wax oil — the same two-stage system used across the Strata collection. The result seals the walnut against daily contact and moisture while remaining low in VOCs and safe for homes with children, and preserves the natural depth and tactility of the grain rather than coating it under a uniform gloss.

Where It Lives

The Strata Draw is proportioned for three distinct placements:

As a bedroom dresser, at 75cm tall it sits below mirror height on most walls, providing eight drawers of clothing storage while keeping the top surface available for a lamp, tray, or personal items. The 120cm width is suited to a master bedroom wall without dominating the space.

As a living room sideboard, the wide, low format and walnut-plus-steel material language make it a natural companion to the Strata dining table — bringing the same material palette into the storage and display function of a dining or living space.

As a home office credenza, the combination of shallow top drawers (accessories, stationery, cables) and deep lower drawers (files, equipment, supplies) handles a working environment's storage requirements within a piece that looks like furniture rather than office equipment.

Specifications

The Strata Collection

The Strata Draw sits alongside the Strata Dining Table, Strata Round Coffee Table, and Strata Side Table as part of Born in Colour's Strata collection — pieces united by FAS-grade North American black walnut, carbon steel detailing, and a material philosophy that puts two honest materials in direct conversation with each other. From dining to living to bedroom, the collection covers every room with a consistent language and an uncompromising build standard.