Ardèche Shop Counter

In the Ardèche, where chestnut forests climb the hills and the villages sit small and far apart, a shop counter had to hold a little of everything. Found in Le Mans and dating to the early 20th century, it holds nine deep drawers in three rows, each with a simple wooden pull, set into a solid plank-topped case on a plinth. In a mountain village that far from the nearest town, the shop was grocer and hardware and all the rest at once, its drawers keeping the whole stock sorted, and this one has been meticulously restored, ready to keep yours. Sylvie uses it as a sideboard or along a wall, the deep drawers swallowing linens, tools, and everything a room would rather not show.