While leaving the Elle Decor Barclay Butera event last week, I snagged a free copy of the magazine.
There's a great article on a piece of furniture called a "semainer. We've obviously all used one, but we personally did not know it's history. We also didn't know that one Interior Designer says a popular women's undergarment has single-handedly reduced our storage needs, and thus our desire for this hefty piece of storage furniture.
"Before there was day-of-the-week underwear, there was the semainier. Popularized in 18th-century France, these seven-drawer dressers (the name comes from the French word for week, semaine) were intended to separate the copious personal linens of the time into Monday-through-Sunday supplies.
Take note, however: The form has outlived the function. "Gone are the days of bustiers and corsets," says New Jersey-based designers Jennifer Watty with a laugh. "This is the age of the thong. Who needs seven drawers for their underwear?"
Who is Ms. Watty kidding? We need more storage here in America (and in Los Angeles) and not less storage. Do you agree?
- See the Elle Decor slideshow with a professional's commentary
