Posts Tagged: chests of drawers

Buying / Pricing — No Comments
10
Feb 10

Pricing – How Much Are You Willing To Pay

Chest of drawers are usually thought as a bedroom furniture used for the unmentionables and garments that are not easily hung in the closet. Due to the different varieties, their purposes can go beyond the bedroom.  Cost will very depending on the manufacture, age of piece, materials used, style, and now even the purpose it will serve will all be factors on cost.  Pricing is buy one of the questions that we have to ask about our new purchase.

Some manufactures will build to fit certain potential buyers needs, others may build for mass market. One manufacture may build a 7 drawer dresser with mahogany, while another may build a 3 drawer particle board. You may have heard of Ashley, IKEA, Addison and Sonoma which are made by different manufacturers. Each have differences they use that will factor the cost of each piece.

Age of a piece is maybe the biggest player in cost. A well cared for antique is not going come cheap, especially if it has a story to go with. “As antique chests of drawers still exist in large numbers, only the most unusual, or those of the highest quality, command high prices at auction” (Antique Collection, 2010). If your looking for something simple to use in a child’s room age may only be a year and most likely a mass marketed type piece.

Material used to build are pine, oak, mahogany, maple and several other options that will factor in the cost of a piece. Each material has unique qualities that will make it ideal for furniture building. A mahogany’s color and hardness is different from the color of oak or pine.

When looking to buy a new piece styles are preferences that most buyers can not ignore. A Queen Mary piece with its unique curves, carvings, and accessories will fetch a pretty penny. A modern particle board style is not normally made with the lifespan of your chest of drawers in mind can come fairly cheap, especially if you have to piece it together yourself.  And decorating the windows around your chest with redi shade temporary blinds can be fun too.

Purpose may not be the biggest factor in cost but when shopping you may find that a piece that can be used in the kitchen may be priced higher than a piece used in a bedroom. Really take your time in looking, evaluating and finding the piece of furniture that suits your given room.  It all depends on material, style and manufacture. With all the many choices finding the right piece can be daunting, but with research and time the right chest of drawers can be found and fit in your home style perfectly.

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History / Styles & Types — 1 Comment
10
Feb 10

A Brief History of Chest of Drawers

We thought it'd be useful to go over the history of the chest of drawers, before you gather your questions and go looking for the unit that suits you.  A descendant of the original box with a hinged lid known as a coffer or coffers, dressers can be dated back as early as the 16th century. According to an article written by Thomas Hamilton Ormsbe, “the first chest of drawers were made between 1675 and 1700” (The Collectors Weekly, 2010). Taking a look into why, when, how, and even where the beginnings of this unique household item began its journey into what it is known as today.

Before the time of closets or appropriate shelving, a need had to be fulfilled for the storage of certain household items. These items needed storage for privacy, safekeeping, and even organization. As early as the middle ages this need can be seen as a wooden box with a lid, also known as a coffer. Not to be confused with a coffin although it shares similarities. Those of higher ranking in society were most likely to own a coffer. In this time coffers served multiple purposes including moonlighting as seating or for storing items for traveling, and even a crib. With time and change throughout history just like most things, the coffer began getting facelifts and updates.

During the Renaissance, this type of furniture became a very popular wedding gift from the parents of the bride to be placed in the home of the newlyweds. These coffers became known as cassone’s. Cassone’s were decorated to commemorate the marriage with rich colors and designs. Still a far cry from being what we know it as today. Eventually around the late 17th century one single drawer was added to coffers on the bottom. This allowed for more storage space in one piece of furniture. This type of chest was known as a mule chest.

Eventually more drawers were added and the hinged top was became a regular stationary top. This concept looks more like what we know as a dresser. Highboys were usually waste high and lowboys were similar to side tables. Many concepts and changes have been made to these pieces giving a more variety to chose from, bureaus were also concocted from the basic coffer.It's always interesting to come across different types of antique chest furniture when looking around for a dresser or chest.  Still with all the facelifts and updates some modern coffers, cassone’s, and highboys and lowboys can be purchased today as well as the chest of drawers.

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