Maison Jansen Black Lacquered Commode with Marble Top, France, 1940s
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A fine and rare Maison Jansen ormolu-mounted and brass inlaid marble top commode in the Regence style, circa 1940s. The shaped marble top with a subtle double-moulded edge, sitting ...
Marble, Ormolu
French Louis XVI Style Mahogany Commode, Maison Jansen
By Maison Jansen
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique French mahogany marble-top Louis XVI style commode has been ebonized and finished with a museum quality. This lovely piece features pink and grey veined marble-top. The chest...
Marble, Brass
French Louis XVI Style Commode Dresser with Marble Top and Gilt Bronze Accents
Located in Montreal, Quebec
French Louis XVI Style Commode dresser with marble top and gilt bronze mounts. Rare "Roi Soleil" bronze details on sides. Bronze Neoclassical references in bronze handles and base of...
Bronze
$28,300
Scagliola Inlaid Commode
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A dramatic, hand-carved, four drawer, ebonized Italian commode. The entire front inlaid with repeating bands of alternating, rouge and yellow scagliola (faux marble).
Bronze
Italian Empire Commode in Walnut with Black Columns Mirror White Carrara Marble
Located in Prato, IT
Italia, 1810 Walnut veneer Top in white Carrara marble Columns in ebonized wood Bases, capitals and paw carvings gilded in pure gold Good conditions Chest of drawers W126 x D56...
Carrara Marble
Miniature 19th Century Indonesian Amboyna Burl Chest
Located in Middleburg, VA
A richly figured miniature chest of drawers, hand-carved in Indonesia around 1890 from rare Amboyna burl wood.
Wood, Burl, Amboyna
19th C. Napoleon III Tortoiseshell Boulle Marquetry Commode, Gilt Bronze Details
By André-Charles Boulle, Nicolas Sageot
Located in Madrid, ES
An opulent 19th century French Napoleon III (nephew of Bonaparte I) style commode, with Boulle style red-orange tortoiseshell and brass marquetry, ormolu detailing and marble top. Th...
Marble, Ormolu
French Consulat Mahogany Period Commode with Paw Feet and Fossil Marble Top
Located in Pembroke, MA
French Consulat period mahogany commode with three-drawers, ebonized griffin feet and pilasters, and black fossil marble top. Gilt bronze escutcheons in the form of winged angels and...
Ormolu, Bronze
Pair of Large Early 19th Century Chinoiserie Decorated Lacquer Chests from Paris
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Never in the 35+ years that we’ve been in business have we ever had anything like these rare matched chests. From Paris, this incredible pair of early 19th Century (C.1800) are in ex...
Brass
Napoleon III Commode in Ebonized Wood, Marquetry, France, Circa 1870
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Elegant Napoleon III miniature master chest of drawers crafted from polished ebonized wood, featuring three drawers arranged in three tiers.
Wood
$9,488Sale Price|39% Off
Biedermeier Commode
Located in Pompano Beach, FL
Biedermeier Commode made of cherry commode with ebonized wood. Three large exterior drawers. Austria circa 1850.
Wood
$5,106Sale Price|20% Off
Biedermeier Style Chest of Drawers With Four Drawers in Maple.
By Biedermeier
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This very elegant chest of drawers with four drawers is made of maple with ebonized columns. This is a German work in the style of Biedermeier. Circa 1950
Maple, Wood
Large Black Desk Files Drawers, Wood Metal, Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Style
By Atelier BAM
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Marajoara desk with drawers and files (optional) is a study on Mid-Century Modern utilitarian furniture, with Brazilian Native Arte Reference. In tribute to Lina Bo Bardi's design, ...
Steel
$11,200 / item
Low KABOT Sideboard in Walnut with 6 Drawers
By Chris Earl
Located in North Hollywood, CA
It details 6 push-to-open, soft-close drawers in two columns of three. There are custom configurations available, including hand loomed cane cabinet doors, solid wood cabinet doors, ...
Wood, Hardwood, Ash, Ebony, Oak, Walnut
$9,400 / item
High KABOT Sideboard in Oak with 5 Drawers
By Chris Earl
Located in North Hollywood, CA
It details 5 push-to-open, soft-close drawers. There are custom configurations available, including hand loomed cane cabinet doors, solid wood cabinet doors, differing amounts of dra...
Wood, Hardwood, Ash, Ebony, Oak, Walnut
Flemish Coin Cabinet 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Flemish casket-bin, 17th century In walnut wood and ebonized. Nine drawers with painted mirror fronts. 38 x 73.5 x 30 cm.
Wood
An elegant 1940s desk covered in parchment
Located in Milano, IT
Very elegant desk entirely covered in parchment. Four side drawers with ebonized wood handles. Italian manufacture, 1940s 165x65xh78
Parchment
In the manner of Maison Jansen, Ebonized, Mirrored, and Parcel-gilt Console
By Maison Jansen
Located in New York, NY
This capacious art deco cabinet has two doors, edged with mirrored panels and gilt trim, that open to reveal four interior shelves. Four drawers are arranged just beneath its white m...
Marble
Shopping for a commode or a chest of drawers?
Commode is the French term for a low chest of drawers, but it is also sometimes used to denote any case piece with a particularly intricate design. The commode dates to circa 1700 France, where it was used as an alternative to a taller cabinet piece so as to not obscure paneled, mirrored or tapestried walls. Coffers, or chests, which were large wooden boxes with hinged lids and sometimes stood on ball feet, preceded chests of drawers, a fashionable cabinet furnishing that garnered acclaim for its obvious storage potential and versatility. The term commode was also used to refer to a piece of bedroom furniture — a washstand or nightstand that contained a chamber pot.
As time passed, French and British furniture makers led the way in the production of chests of drawers, and features like the integration of bronze and ornamental pulls became commonplace. Antique French commodes in the Louis XV style were sometimes crafted in mahogany or walnut, while an Italian marble top added a sophisticated decorative flourish. This specific type of case piece grew in popularity in the years that followed.
So, what makes a chest of drawers different from a common dresser? Dressers are short, and chests of drawers are overall taller pieces of furniture that typically do not have room on the top for a mirror as most dressers do. Tallboys and highboys are variations of the dresser form. Some chests of drawers have one column of four to six long drawers or three long drawers in their bottom section that are topped by a cluster of small side-by-side drawers on the top. To further complicate things, we sometimes refer to particularly short chests of drawers as nightstands.
Even though chests of drawers are commonly thought of as bedroom furniture to store clothing, these are adaptable pieces. A chest of drawers can house important documents — think of your walnut Art Deco commode as an upgrade to your filing cabinet. Nestle your chest near your home’s front door to store coats and other outerwear, while the top can be a place to drop your handbag. Add some flair to your kitchen, where this lovable case piece can hold pots, pans and even cookbooks.
When shopping for the right chest of drawers for your home, there are a few key things to consider: What will you be storing in it? How big a chest will you need?
Speaking of size, don’t dream too big. If your space is on the smaller side, a more streamlined vintage mid-century modern chest of drawers, perhaps one designed by Paul McCobb or T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, may best suit your needs.
At 1stDibs, we make it easy to add style and storage to your home. Browse our collection of antique and vintage commodes and chests of drawers today.
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