Utility of a Cedar Lined Chest

Nothing speaks of sentimental style more than a beautiful chest. Made of moth-repellent cedar wood, decorated with intricate carvings or striking finishes, and fitted with secure locks and hardware, the oft-called “hope chest” has long served as a storage piece for valuable keepsakes. Things that are kept inside a wooden chest preserve their character and quality, and also gain the sweet aroma of the unvarnished wood after being kept inside for a long time. These grand boxes have long served as symbols of status, history, and love.

A sturdy wooden chest, like one made of cedar, has always served the function of keeping valuable articles safe. Throughout history, migrating families have always brought these trunks across borders and oceans as they settled in new lands. The requisite locks kept their things safe, and the drawers or miniature boxes held smaller precious items like silverware or jewelry.

In later centuries, and predominantly in American families, wooden chest becomes the gift for a marriage. The traditional practice was to receive the chest from her mother, or another female relative. In it, a girl would collect items that she will need for married and family life (usually referred to as her trousseau, from the French word for “little bundle”): dresses, intimate clothes, bed linens, table linens, towels, quilts, and other things. Back then, marriage is the only path the American women, thus the chest resemble as part of their ritual-filled journey to a proper marriage. Eventually, this will be emptied after the marriage, and the chest will be emptied. Later, the chest will be passed down to the daughter. This ritual will go on and on like a cycle, in the blessing for daughter to have a good marriage.

Most of the chests are not longer made out of cherry or oak any more. Majority are made out of cedar because cedar has the ability to repel moth. Then, they are usually decorated with carvings, paint, or gilding to represent a family’s culture and origins. As mentioned, they were also usually outfitted with a drawer or too, or a miniature box that can go inside the compartment.

After World War 2, all the former ammunition-box manufacturers became the largest producers for cedar chests. They cited it as the a good item to store the memories of the dead ones in fighting for the country. This phenomenon concertized the graceful box’s status as a piece of true Americana.

Nowadays, the cedar chest remains an indispensible component of the American family’s home. Nowadays these chests are used primarily as classic home decorating pieces. A chest adds an air of warmth and personality to a bedroom or living room. Usually regarded as antiques, they lend a lived-in feel to the space.

It often used as display in the lounge or living hall in the modern time now. Moreover, the lasting and roomy chests are good for storing stuffs for a long time. When Heirlooms or mementos that are meant to pass down from generation to generation have no better place to be kept than the cedar chests. If you do notice, as the chest been passed down, the value of the chest will increase, possibly a rival to the Egyptian's treasure boxes.

More than just using for storage or memory purpose, the chest can be used as foot rest in front of the bed. A closed flat-lid chest can also be used as small coffee table, or as a surface for displaying photos or small trinkets. Placed near a window and decorated with pillows, a large chest becomes a peaceful nook for sitting down and relaxing.

The bigger chest can be used to store those rarely-used clothes or linens in it. For instances, those seasonal clothes like sweaters can be stored inside until winter comes around. It can be also good storage place for the children to have their toys stored inside. It can serve as a memory for them when they grow up.

Speaking of the memory box we mentioned earlier on, baby clothes, first items like baseball gloves, dolls, or letters are things which can be regarded for that reason. When children grow up, they will enjoy reliving special moments every time they open the chest. A memory box then becomes a tactile and extraordinary three-dimensional scrapbook of sorts. The contents and value of this chest can change along with the child as they both gain years. Eventually a child can bring a cedar chest along to his or her new home, as a reminder of childhood and history.

It is more than just memories that a hope chest can hold alone. It can contain family history or lessons that the elder has passed down to the younger generations. Swatches from the first knitting or sewing lesson, recipe cards for secret family recipes, and little tools for fishing or fixing the house are just few of the many things that can be kept within a wooden chest. These would be significant objects for passing down a legacy or tradition that can preserve a family’s trade or identity.

Nothing is more curious for the children to find out what is inside of a walnut cedar chest. They often sparked with the amazement and excitement when contents of the chest are revealed to them for the first time. It is a good to have your children to learn how to take care of the chest since they are young. The reason is that, they are more obedient when they are younger.

The world is moving faster than ever. Thanks to technology and advancements in science and exploration, everything happens faster than ever, and people tend to place a premium on getting things quicker, cheaper, and easier. Food can be cooked in seconds, cities can be reached in minutes, messages and news can be received right as they are being sent or happening. And because our tools and machines are also always being updated, the mentality is always to discard the old and traditional to give way to the new and more efficient. Material things have almost ceased to have meaning attached to them, save for the function that they serve.

It is important to discover our own roots and identity. Otherwise, we will be no different from the robots. An individual without soul and past.

The cedar chest is the perfect chest to have all the family valuables to stored it. This could be a good constant reminder of the pasts for the younger generation. It is up to the owner of the chest to define the value of the chest. If the owner just simply utilize it to store some normal items, then it will not be as valuable as a chest contain a family histories and secrets.

When looking for the ideal cedar chest, be sure you select one that is well made. Look at the joints, the hardware and the materials used to determine the quality. The higher the quality of the box, you can have it to store your items for longer period of time. As it needs to pass down the family legacies to the future generations.



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