This form of dresser was made for farmhouse use in the North Cornwall and South Devon regions. Its regional design is characterised by the use of a complex cornice with projecting capitals over fluted pilasters each side of the shelves. The rack has wide shelves to display large plates and even larger meat plates on the top shelf which were typically displayed as signs of prosperity. The base has two cupboards and two drawers above, all of which were designed with the considerable storage requirements of a farmhouse in mind. The painted surface shows signs of an initial coat of green paint and a later coat of black paint over this. Green paint was commonly used for chairs and other furniture in this region during the late 18th and into the 19th century, until paint which simulated mahogany and then black paint became fashionable. These were often applied over the original surface paint.