Tall storage is the cheapest square footage in the house. This Balam cabinet goes up instead of out, putting glass-front display space at eye level over closed drawer storage below, all under a translucent black lacquer that lets the grain show through.

IFD builds it from mango and teak with mortise and tenon joinery doing the structural work. The two drawers have English dovetail solid wood fronts on Hafele steel glides, and the fixed interior shelves keep loaded glassware exactly where you put it. Two glass-paneled doors show off barware, books, or collections while keeping dust out. Slim front to back, it fits a narrow dining room wall as a china cabinet, a home office corner as a bookcase, or a landing at the top of the stairs. It matches the rest of the black Balam bedroom, dining, and office pieces.