We've always liked Heal's. A few years ago, on one of our rare nights out without the kids, we ended up doing a full lap of the furniture shops on Tottenham Court Road, Heal's included, and mostly remember looking at lovely things rather than whatever we ate that night.
When we moved into this house five and a half years ago, one of our first proper purchases was a Heal's bed, and we've loved the webbing base and the wood on it the whole way through. So when we needed a chest of drawers for the bit of wall left over once the built-in wardrobes went in, Heal's was the obvious place to look.
Following a chest we already trusted
Before this one, we had an IKEA Mandal six drawer chest, and it was genuinely great, simple, well made, and exactly what we wanted at the time. That's part of why the Lars appealed. It's a similar shape and layout to the Mandal, six drawers across two columns, but done in Heal's own Scandinavian-inspired style: a light oak top and frame with olive green drawer fronts. We went back and forth on the colour before ordering, and we're glad we landed on the green.
The oak trim between the olive green fronts, sixteen months in
What it's actually been like, a bit over a year in
It's slightly smaller than we expected once it was actually in the room, but it still holds a proper amount between the two of us. That's turned out to be one of its best features. With six drawers split into two columns, it works brilliantly for a couple, we've naturally got a side each, no negotiating over space or whose socks live where.
It arrived fully assembled, delivered by Heal's own two-person crew, so there was nothing to build or dispose of afterwards. Sixteen months on, the drawers still run smoothly, the finish still looks new, and there's genuinely nothing to report in terms of wear.
In situ, its top quietly doubling as a dressing table
The unexpected benefit
We didn't buy this expecting it to solve anything about how we share space, but it has. The two columns of three drawers split naturally into a side each, no discussion needed, no drawer ever really shared. And it's a really useful area that I use as a kind of dressing table.
Was it worth it?
We paid £1,469 for the chest, plus £79 delivery, making £1,548 in total. Sixteen months in, with no wear and genuinely useful storage, we don't regret the price we paid.
The next chapter
This one's coming with us. It fits the space it's in almost too well to consider moving anywhere else in the house, so it'll be doing the same job, side each, in the next place too.
Still worth keeping?
- Durability
- Excellent so far. Sixteen months in, drawers run smoothly and the finish still looks new.
- Design
- Six drawers across two columns, light oak frame and top, olive green fronts. Works especially well for couples who naturally want a side each.
- Would we buy it again?
- Yes.
- Best for
- Couples who want a clean split of storage without negotiating over space.
