Which chest of drawers is right for you?
Chests of drawers are an important addition to any bedroom. A focal piece of furniture that helps establish your interior style, a chest of drawers can be a great space-saver, something important for small rooms. However, they are often a bit of an afterthought, with beds, side tables and wall decorations taking center stage. That’s why we’ve put together our guide to buying chests of drawers, to make finding the right chest of drawers as easy as possible.
Vertical chest of drawers
Standard chest of drawers, also known as vertical chest of drawers, are tall and narrow storage pieces. If your bedroom is on the small side, a vertical chest of drawers is an ideal option for storing clothes, although it will usually take up less space than a wide dresser. You can add a dresser to the vertical chest of drawers for additional storage that takes up less space.
Store vertical chest
A tall boy bust is a taller and skinnier version of a standard chest and is traditionally used for smaller garments such as underwear. If you often find that you can’t fit all of your socks and undergarments into an unorganized dresser drawer, a tall boy chest can help you organize these items into separate drawers. A tall boy chest is also useful for other small items such as jewelry, skin care products, makeup, and seasonal items like swimsuits.
A gentleman’s chest
A gentleman’s chest gets its name from its tall cabinet section, which can be used to hang suit jackets, dress pants, ties and more. Some cabinets have rods for hanging clothes, while others have built-in shelves instead. A gentleman’s chest is similar to a combo dresser in that it usually has both drawers and wardrobe doors. However, a gentleman’s chest is long and the combo dresser is narrow.
Bachelor’s chest
A bachelor chest is a small, narrow chest with about three to four drawers and is traditionally intended for a single person with limited clothing storage needs. This furniture piece is considered a chest rather than a dresser because it is narrow and has limited storage space. Bachelor’s chests are sometimes small enough to serve as nightstands.
Media chest
A media chest is a piece of storage furniture similar to a dresser but with an open top shelf for a cable box. Media chests work well in both bedrooms and living rooms as an entertainment center. A media chest is usually as wide as a dresser but taller so you can rest your television at a comfortable viewing height. You can store clothes in drawers and cabinets or use these spaces to store movies, remotes, extra cables and more.
Combi chest of drawers
A combi chest of drawers usually looks like a standard chest with one or two cabinets attached to the side or center. The combi chest’s different sized drawers and shelves make it easy to organize clothes. This chest of drawers includes both dresser drawers and wardrobe doors that open to reveal shelves or hanging space for clothes. A combi model is ideal if you store more than just clothes in a chest of drawers.
Chest of drawers: Things to consider
Location:
Chests of drawers usually work best against a wall, although in very large rooms they can be useful for dividing a space. Measure the length of the wall or walls you are considering placing a chest in to see what will be the largest size you can accommodate. Remember, it’s not just the wall that must be ‘measured’. Consider how much room it can fit without blocking the walkway or feeling like it’s taking up too much space.
Storage:
Once you know the space you’re working with, determine the amount of storage you’ll need. Do you only store a few clothing essentials or do you have everything from bedding to jewelry in your chest of drawers?
Height:
Chest of drawers heights vary widely, especially with modular pieces that allow multiple pieces to be stacked, so you can get the height you want. Two things to keep in mind when deciding the height of your chest of drawers are comfort and accessibility. You want to be able to reach everything in your dresser while putting things away and taking them out.
Ingredients:
From wood to metal, plastic, laminate and almost everything in between, the choice of materials when it comes to chest of drawers is wide. This is great news if you have a design throughout the rest of the room that you want to match.
Unlike bathrooms, kitchens or hallways, bedrooms usually don’t have special environmental conditions or particularly high levels of traffic, so you can let your style run wild when choosing a chest of drawers.
They can get a lot of use, so wood and metals can stand up to constant opening and closing harder than hard-wearing laminate, MDF or more budget-friendly options.
Pronunciation:
From handles and knobs to mirrors, the finishing touches on your chest of drawers can make all the difference in the look of a large piece of furniture in your bedroom. Basic round metal knobs, long bars, rope pulls and hidden handles – there are many ways to open drawers. Match pieces to existing hardware in your home for a unified look. In children’s rooms, remember that some handles are easier to use than others, especially for small hands.
Also Read: Dos and don’ts of choosing a new sofa
Drawer:
The number of drawers in your chest of drawers is only limited by how much you want to store in it. You will often find chests of drawers with different sized drawers within one unit. This range of storage can be handy if you’re storing different items such as jumpers and socks in the same unit.
As a large piece of furniture in your room, it can be satisfying to have a chest of drawers that is comfortable and easy to use, fits well and looks great. While using the advice in this guide, keep all of the above in mind before choosing your next chest of drawers.