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The step tansu (kaidan tansu) is the most popular form of tansu in the modern home. They are excellent for storing a wide variety of items, displaying art, and hiding home entertainment equipment. The step tansu is a powerful visual element in any home.
All of our dansu (plural for tansu) are custom made to your specifications. Many people have their step tansu constructed with drawers that open from either side, thus making them excellent room dividers. The price listed above is for the standard configuration, custom specification may vary the price.
The wonderful combination of utility, mobility, beauty, and efficient use of space make the tansu a perfect addition for the modern home. The clean, simple, zen lines of the tansu help to calm our modern overstimulated senses and allow the tansu to be easily incorporated into homes of any design. The many drawers and storage areas of the Japanese tansu help us bring order to our cluttered lives in a stylish way. The step tansu (kaidan tansu) is modular, allowing the pieces to be used separately and arranged in the home with limitless possibilities. The tansu is extremely flexible in function.
• Custom design available: size, color, & configuration
• Standard configuration: 53"W x 15"D x 53"H
• Available in ash, teak or elm wood
• Available in a variety of stains & finishes
History of the Step (Kaidan) Tansu
The step tansu has always been the most popular Japanese tansu design. It uniquely provided both storage space and access to a second story or loft. In the crowded urban centers of the Edo period, the only way to expand a home was to build upwards. However, during this period it was generally forbidden to have a second story. The step tansu provided a mobile staircase to a second level, that was easily moved when the tax collector came by, since it is constructed of three separate pieces. The step tansu was also a very powerful visual architectural element in the Japanese home, which is otherwise sparsely furnished.
Definition of Tansu
The Japanese word tansu translates roughly to "box", "cabinet", "chest", or "chest of drawers." Mobility and utility are the key design elements of the tansu making them simple, beautiful, and highly practical pieces of furniture that are perfect for today's modern homes. The Japanese have been acutely aware of how the arrangement of the home living space influences our ideas, behavior, and moods. The Japanese aesthetic is characterized by simple beauty (shibui), subtlety, resonance, and harmony. The belief is that our souls resonate with a simple calming harmony when we feel connected to our living environment. The tansu was designed to fulfill the highest aim of Japanese style.
• click here for a full history of the tansu - printable version |
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