Dressers: Buying the Right One for Your Bedroom

March 14, 2021

If you’re in the process of designing your bedroom, you’ll surely want to pick out the perfect dresser for your space. Dressers are functional pieces of furniture that hold our clothing when not in use. They typically have multiple drawers that can be pulled in and out as needed by knobs or bar pulls. Most importantly, they protect our clothes against dust that settles when we’re not at home.

We’ve written quite a bit about different dressers for the bedroom, so today I’d like to share our best advice for purchasing the perfect dresser for your home.

Types of Dressers

Let’s start with the main types of dressers available. It’s important to measure the space you have available to work with before settling on one piece. The last thing you want is to find your dream dresser only to realize that it does not fit in your bedroom!

Horizontal Dressers

These are the most common types of bedroom dressers you will find for sale. They are typically waist high and offer 6 drawers (3 on each side). Sometimes, they are also called wide dressers because they are more wide than they are tall. This type of furniture requires ample space to prevent the bedroom from feeling to crowded or cluttered.

Tall Dressers

On the opposite end, tall dressers are another common choice for bedroom dressers. As the name implies, tall dressers are taller than they are wider. They are sometimes called “chests.” Tall dressers usually offer at least 4 drawers of storage. They are great for smaller spaces as they make use of vertical free space!

Dresser Designs

Dressers are often made of wood, whether natural or synthetic. The higher quality the wood, the more expensive the dresser will be. Dressers can come with as few as 3 drawers and as many as 10 or more!

Dressers can also come in a variety of styles to suit your existing decor theme or aesthetic. From modern styles to vintage, and everything in between, you are sure to find a dresser that suits your personal decorative style and taste.

Dresser hardware is just as varied as the surface material. What’s great about dressers is that even if you do not like the handles or pulls on your dresser drawers, you can often just unscrew them and purchase other hardware you like better! This is a quick way to update your dresser without spending a lot of money to buy a new one.

Decorating a Dresser

Short and wide dressers will often leave a large surface area for you to decorate as you wish. The most popular way to decorate a dresser is to place a large mirror on top of it to help you get dressed in the morning. This is where the name “dresser” comes from, actually!

A quick rule of thumb for a top mirror on a dresser is to ensure that the mirror you choose is no more than 75% as wide as the dresser itself.

Aside from a mirror, you can place a tray with perfume or jewelry boxes on top of a dresser. You can display family photos or keep your favorite books there. Some people like to have a scented candle or display a favorite handbag. Decorating the top of your dresser is entirely up to you!

Other Bedroom Storage Options

Looking for a dresser alternative? You aren’t required to buy a dresser to keep clothing in your bedroom by any means. There are a few other storage furniture options when it comes to organizing your belongings. Consider tall and thin lingerie chests as well as large and wide armoires for more extensive bedroom storage. You can also opt to store most of your clothes by hanging them in your closet.

I hope this post helped you narrow down your bedroom furniture search. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! How do you store your clothes in your bedroom?