What Are the Different Types of Bedroom Chests?

The different types of bedroom chests include variations in style, materials, color, size and number of drawers. There are also chests of drawers, or dressers, with mirrors attached. While some chests are sold in a set of matching bedroom furniture, many others are available for purchase separately.

Tall bedroom chests may be narrow with many drawers or they could have a drawer section on the lower part and a storage cupboard on the upper area. Tall chests typically don't have a mirror attached because of their above eye level height. Low chests may come with an attached mirror. The smaller sizes of these often have three or four drawers, while double width bedroom chests may have six or eight.

Some bedroom drawer units have half-size drawers in addition to full-size ones. These are usually located at the top of these types of bedroom chests. Some dressers contain only half-size drawers though. While the full-size drawers are more suited for folded casual pants and sweaters or pajamas, smaller drawers can be more convenient for undergarments. Socks and underwear tend to be easier to organize and find in small drawers, as are jewelry, scarves and pantyhose.

Bedroom chest designs are available in many materials and colors. The wooden versions include light, medium, dark or unfinished. Pine is usually used for unfinished bedroom chests, which may be simply oiled after purchase to show the grain and knots, or stained or painted to coordinate with the rest of the furniture in the buyer's room. Cherry is a fine hardwood sold for bedroom dressers in both dark and light versions. Oak, maple and walnut are other popular hardwoods available in different colors for chests of drawers.

Faux wooden dressers aren't made of real wood and are much less expensive because of this. The materials may not last as long, yet can be tough if covered in a laminate finish. Bedroom chests don't necessarily have to be in wood tones, although many of the more traditional types are. Many modern bureaus may be in laminate materials or metal and white, black or a fashionable color. Some modern chests for bedrooms have drawers that flip upward or slide open or may contain glass fronts rather than be all solid materials.

In addition to modern and traditional chest styles, there are many others. For instance, Oriental bedroom chests may be in black or red lacquer. Bedroom bureaus for tropical themed homes or cottages include lightweight wicker options with slide-out drawers. Antique chests in Colonial styles or Victorian pieces with cabriole, or rounded, furniture legs are often available for sale.