Chest Of Drawers vs Dresser (Comparison & Uses)

Choosing bedroom furniture is a very personal decision; however, there are pieces commonly associated with a bedroom, such as chaise lounges, armoires, loveseats, and a chest of drawers or dressers. Shoppers tend to confuse a chest of drawers with a dresser when they aren’t familiar with their differences and use, making it a difficult decision. These are both standard bedroom furniture pieces, but they come with differences found in the design, sizes, features, and how they’re each used.

A chest of drawers and a dresser are standards for storing clothing and other belongings and can enhance any bedroom’s style and design. Choosing furniture for your bedroom starts with deciding which model will work in your space.

Difference Between A Dresser And Chest Of Drawers

Both pieces of furniture are used to store clothing and other personal belongings in their built-in drawers. However, a chest of drawers is usually narrow and tall, whereas a dresser is wider and shorter.

Dressers are traditionally used in a bedroom to provide a place to get dressed and include a mirror that sits on or is attached to its top. The shorter height, usually waist-high, allows a place to keep and display hairbrushes, combs, makeup, perfumes, accessories, and other items needed to get dressed. Even though shorter, they tend to have a larger capacity.

A chest of drawers, not reserved for bedrooms only, can be used to keep a range of items and, because of its smaller footprint, allows for extra storage in a smaller or crowded space. There’s no limit to this versatile piece of furniture’s usefulness.

Comparison of the Different Furniture Types

Feature	Chest of Drawers	Dresser	Bureau
Shape	Tall & narrow	Wide & shorter	Desk style similar to a dresser with different drawer compartments
Drawers	Same-sized compartments	2 or 3 side-by-side rows	It depends on the design
Capacity	High capacity	Typically, the largest capacity	The least amount due to the desk surface
Top Surface	Limited due to height	Can be used for mirrors, TV, or decorations	Can have a large surface area
Best For	Small rooms with limited space	Bedrooms that want more storage	Combination of storage and work space

Comparing costs, drawer chests typically cost a bit less than dressers. Still, the cost difference is minor, considering the size of the piece. The factors that influence the price are more dependent on the materials it’s made from, its finish, and any hardware or additional design features.

Below are some samples of pricing based on type, material, size, and features.

TYPE	MATERIAL	SIZE	HARDWARE/FEATURES	SAMPLE PRICE
8 Drawer Dresser	Engineered Wood	32.17″ H 55.12″ W 15.85″ D	Foil Surface Metal Drawer Runners Plastic Handles	$508.99
6 Drawer Dresser	Natural Pine	62″ W 34″ H 23″ D	Amish Handmade Stained Lacquer Finish	$3,523.99
8 Drawer Chests	Engineered Wood	36″ W 44″ H 15″ D	Laminate Finish Beveled-edge Drawers Metal Legs	$440.54
5 Drawer Chests	Oak/Walnut	35″ W 53″ H 22″ D	Handmade Hickory Log Bark Accents	$2,651.99

Dressers typically include more compartments than a chest of drawers, and dressers are made to accommodate a mirror mounted at the top. Pieces with more drawers made from high-quality materials will cost more.

Dressers may have anywhere from two to four long draws the width of the frame, two or three rows of shorter drawers, or a combination of short and long drawers, depending on the design. A chest of drawers is usually a vertical piece with one drawer in each row.

Uses For A Dresser vs. Drawer Chest

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The term dresser is a shortened version of ‘dressing table’ and, as the name implies, it’s made to store clothing and personal effects for getting dressed. The shorter height versus a chest of drawers allows a waist-high view and a place to attach or hang a mirror.

The top of the dresser makes a perfect place to put on makeup, style hair or put on jewelry and accessories before going out. A dresser makes getting ready in the morning more convenient and quicker, especially when on a schedule to get to work.

A drawer chest can be used to store clothing but is typically used for general bedroom storage. Items such as clothes, extra sheets, pillows, and blankets can be hidden away for guests or for a day lounging around and watching movies in bed.

They also make a place to keep jewelry boxes, extra makeup, hats, scarves, mittens for the winter, and additional items you need to keep in your bedroom.

If you have a media room or family room with a media center, a chest of drawers is great for storing DVDs, media devices, cables, remote controls, and even older VHS tapes you don’t want to keep.

Use it also for game cartridges, controllers, and storage for board and card games, keeping kids and teens organized and making clean up fast and easy.

What Holds More A Dresser Or Chest?

Both dressers and chests are available in many different sizes and configurations. Height, width and depth are offered in numerous dimensions and capacity choices, and drawers are often configured in standard or differing layouts.

Some pieces may have three same-width drawers and two or three smaller compartments on the top row, split up to keep items such as socks, stockings, and undergarments separated.

A dresser is also known as a ‘low boy’ and is designed to be larger than a drawer chest in storage only, as it sits much lower than a chest and offers more room.

Generally, dressers hold more than a chest of drawers; however, the vast selections and designs of both essential bedroom pieces mean just as many variations in storage capacity. 

A chest of drawers often called a ‘high boy,’ is perfect when floor space is limited. The narrow and tall dimensions allow for storage in bedrooms, kids’ rooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and even entryways where space is at a premium.

It’s a practical piece of furniture not limited to bedroom use and helps tremendously for storing items you don’t want to have sitting around, creating a messy environment.

As with all furniture, each piece boasts a well-established function in your home, but each may be used anywhere you need storage. It all depends on your interior design, décor, and the room’s purpose.

An older, well-used drawer chest, with its taller height and narrow width, makes an excellent solution for a shop, greenhouse, or garage to store tools, flower and vegetable seeds, catalogs, and many other items common to an outdoor building.

Use your imagination, and you’ll always find a way to make a chest of drawers a convenient and organized storage solution.  

Bureau vs. Dresser vs. Chest

Bureaus are designed more like a combination between a dresser and a desk than a chest of drawers and are often placed in different rooms than the bedroom. They may be found in bedrooms but more often work as an efficient storage option for a closet, office, library, media room, or dining room.

Older bureaus can be hard to distinguish from a dresser but are easier to identify when compared to a chest of drawers. It’s a shorter and wider piece than a chest of drawers. The best way to tell the difference between a dresser and a bureau is by where the piece is placed in a home and if it has a middle section without drawers for sitting comfortably.

A bureau is often used as a writing or secretary desk and may include a hinged writing shelf that opens when needed. Bureaus may also have pigeonholes that, when opened, are used to store pens, pencils, mail, writing paper and other office supplies.

Other storage options are small compartment and, at times, a cupboard. What’s known as a vanity is actually a bureau with a kneehole in the middle for sitting that usually has one drawer above it, making it easier to sit and do makeup or hair. A mirror is often included for the top and vanities are the ornate version of a bureau.

For more related content visit our 29 dresser alternatives on this page.