Rare Vladimir Kagan Three-Drawer Dresser for Grosfeld House, circa 1955

An exceptional and highly sculptural three-drawer dresser designed by Vladimir Kagan for Grosfeld House, circa 1955. The piece beautifully captures Kagan’s early approach to furniture design, combining the functionality of traditional case furniture with the sweeping, organic forms that would become hallmarks of his career.

The chest features three generously proportioned drawers set within a beautifully framed case. Rather than conventional applied hardware, the drawer fronts are shaped to create dramatic, elongated recessed pulls. The dark negative space between the drawers emphasizes their gentle curves and gives the otherwise restrained façade a distinctly architectural quality.

The wood itself is particularly beautiful, displaying warm reddish-brown tones and expressive grain across the broad drawer fronts. Subtle vertical detailing along the sides provides another layer of craftsmanship while visually contrasting with the horizontal composition of the façade.

The defining feature, however, is the extraordinary sculptural base. The rectangular cabinet appears almost suspended above four dramatically splayed legs, joined through a flowing central structure that reads more like sculpture than conventional furniture construction. Viewed from different angles, the base continually changes character—an early expression of Kagan’s fascination with movement, asymmetry, and biomorphic form.

Designed for Grosfeld House, one of the important American manufacturers and retailers of sophisticated modern furniture during the mid-20th century, this circa-1955 chest belongs to an especially interesting period in Kagan’s career. It predates many of the sweeping upholstered forms for which he later became internationally recognized and demonstrates that his sculptural vocabulary was already fully developing in his early case pieces.

Compact in scale but visually commanding, this rare Vladimir Kagan chest works beautifully as a bedroom dresser, oversized nightstand, entry cabinet, or statement storage piece. Its combination of exceptional woodworking, expressive grain, integrated drawer pulls, and unmistakably Kagan sculptural base makes it an outstanding example of 1950s American modern design.

Designer: Vladimir Kagan
Manufacturer: Grosfeld House
Origin: United States
Date: circa 1955
Materials: Cherrywood
Configuration: Three drawers
Dimensions: 40L x 19 W x 32 H
Period: Mid-Century Modern, 1950s