This blanket chest takes inspiration from the original Thorsen House Blanket Chest and was designed in collaboration with Greene & Greene expert Darrell Peart. We are calling it a "blanket chest," but this piece could also be a toy chest or perhaps downsized as an elegant tool chest for the shop.
The max dimensions are roughly 43"W x 20"H x 24 3/8" D
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Charles and Henry Greene designed a series of “ultimate bungalows” in the early 1900’s and filled the houses with masterfully-designed furniture. Each house has it’s own special features and furniture. The Thorsen House in Berkeley, Ca. was built in 1909 and is currently owned by the Sigma Phi fraternity. Much of the original furniture is either missing or in private collections. One piece that has yet to be reproduced is the blanket chest.
G&G expert and furniture maker Darrell Peart helped us design this chest with modern sensibilities in mind. So build yourself a piece of history by making a modern interpretation of the Thorsen House Blanket Chest. The project features numerous Greene & Greene techniques including finger joints, ebony plugs, arched handles, and breadboard ends. If you’re not a fan of the Greene & Greene style, you can simply leave the Greene & Greene details out and you’ll still have a serviceable blanket chest.
Marc nails the instruction on this blanket case. I could not have done it without his excellent tutorials and well put together plans. I love being able to rewatch a video to pick up important pieces of information I would have missed if I was taking a physical woodworking class. This was my first TWW Guild project but it will definitely not be my last. Thank you Marc! My son loved his toy chest.
This was a fantastic project! I completed this as my first guild project and only woodworking for about 9 months. Marc absolutely makes this entire project accessible to any level, trust me. I am so satisfied with the end goal and cannot wait for my next build!
Marc really made this easy with the great videos. It still takes some time to complete, but you are never wondering what the next step is.
Marc is a podcaster, video producer, woodworking enthusiast, and author of Hybrid Woodworking and Essential Joinery. He has contributed articles and video content to FineWoodworking.com, Popular Woodworking Magazine, WOOD Magazine, and Woodcraft Magazine. He is also the host of The Wood Whisperer, an instructional woodworking video series that’s been going strong since 2006. He is also one of the hosts of the Wood Talk podcast. He has taught classes at the William Ng School, Marc Adams School, Weekend with Wood, Fine Woodworking Live, as well as at various Rockler and Woodcraft stores. He also speaks periodically at woodworking events like AWFS and IWF.