Pair Of Italian Bleached Empire Chest Of Drawers With Walnut Bookmatched Veneer
Located in Viterbo, VT
Pair of Empire dressers hand-crafted in Italy in the early 1800s using book-matched walnut veneer as decoration. The pair follows the general lines of the empire style, with the top ...
Walnut
French 19th Century Empire Bleach Solid Mahogany Chest of Drawers / Commode
Located in Carmine, TX
19th Century French Empire Bleached Commode from France. Made of Mahogany, the wood was professionally sanded and bleached. with a beautiful blue hand painted top, it has three drawe...
Bronze
$2,600Sale Price|20% Off
Art Deco Four-Drawer Bleached Mahogany Serpentine Front Commode
By Empire Furniture
Located in Chicago, IL
Bleached and toned mahogany four-drawer commode by the fine furniture maker, Empire Furniture Company of Rockford, Illinois. Serpentine front is set off by canted front legs and brus...
Brass
19th Century French Bleached Oak Empire Style Chest of Drawers
Located in Dallas, TX
Handsome 19th century French bleached oak Empire style chest of drawers. The piece has nice clean lines and 4 drawers for storage.
Oak
19th Century French Empire Bleached Mahogany Chest with Brass Inlay
Located in Dallas, TX
Lovely 19th century French Empire bleached mahogany chest with brass inlay. Very nice black marble top as well.
Marble
1820s Empire Style Bleached Oak Drawer Chest
Located in High Point, NC
This oak chest of drawers was made in France, circa 1820. It houses four drawers, each with a carved wreath between decorative brass ring pulls. The drawers are slightly elevated, st...
Brass
19th Century Italian Empire Chest of Drawers in Bleached Walnut
Located in Carmine, TX
Chest of drawers hand-made in Italy in the early 1800s using cherry and pegged construction. The dresser is very straight in lines and shows beautiful wood grain and color. The chest...
Walnut
Sold
H 36.61 in W 48.82 in D 24.41 in
19th Century Italian Empire Chest of Drawers / Dresser in Bleached Walnut
Located in Carmine, TX
Empire chest of drawers hand-made in Italy in the early 1800s using walnut.
Walnut
Pair of Vintage Bleached Mahogany Empire Style Chests, circa 1940
Located in North York, ON
Pair of Vintage Bleached Mahogany Empire Style Chests Circa 1940. Restored by our craftsmen with a bleached hand rubbed finish.
Bronze
Four Drawer Bleached Mahogany Serpentine Front Commode
By Empire Furniture
Located in Chicago, IL
Bleached and toned mahogany four drawer commode by the fine furniture maker, Empire Furniture Company of Rockford, Illinois. Serpentine front is set off by canted front legs and brus...
Brass
Sold
H 29.94 in W 37.19 in D 18.82 in
Pair of Petite Bleached French Empire Style Four-Drawer Commodes
Located in Richmond, VA
Great pair of petite bleached French Empire style four-drawer commodes, early 20th century. Height is perfect to use as side tables or nightstands.
Walnut
19th Century Bleached Italian Empire Walnut Commode
Located in Carmine, TX
Bleached Italian Empire commode handmade using walnut and pegged construction.
Cherry
19th Century French Bleached Walnut Chest of Drawers
Located in Carmine, TX
Chest of drawers hand-made in France in the mid 1800s using walnut. This is a very interesting piece because it does not really fall into any particular style and looks like the buil...
Walnut
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H 35.5 in W 45 in D 23.25 in
19th Century French Empire Period Bleached Walnut Commode with Marble Top
Located in Birmingham, AL
Having a bleached finish, this handsome antique French chest of drawers features a bookmatched burled walnut front with a gray fossil marble top resting above a hidden apron drawer a...
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Sold
H 36.5 in W 51 in D 24.5 in
Early 19th Century French Empire Period Bleached Walnut Lyonnaise Commode with B
Located in Birmingham, AL
Having a bookmatched flame walnut front, this antique Lyonnaise chest of drawers has a bleached or washed finish and features a black fossil marble top that rests above a hidden apro...
Brass, Bronze
Sold
H 35.5 in W 50.75 in D 23.13 in
18th Century Bleached Mahogany French Empire Commode with Black Marble Top
Located in Carmine, TX
Empire chest of drawers hand-made in France in the early 1800s using oak and decorated with mahogany veneer.
Mahogany
Kindel Bleached Walnut & Brass Empire Style Dresser
Located in Chicago, IL
Bleached walnut nine drawer dresser from revered Grand Rapids, Michigan furniture maker, Kindel. Pictured framed and recessed drawer fronts with round escutcheons backing heavy cast ...
Brass
French Bleached Oak Commode
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Early 19th C French bleached oak commode in the Empire Style. 1820. Dimensions 48.5 inches (123 cms) Wide 22.5 inches (57 cms) Deep 38.5 inches (98 cms) High.
Oak
18th Century French Oak Chest of Drawers
Located in High Point, NC
Simple yet majestic, this beautiful antique chest of drawers showcases the solemn grandeur of Empire style furniture. Built in France in the 1700s, the oak has been carefully restore...
Brass
19th Century, French Country Chest of Drawers
Located in High Point, NC
Rational and harmonious, this antique oak chest of drawers is a covetable find. Made in France in the 19th century, the neoclassical design reflects the restrained yet opulent tastes...
Brass
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H 36 in W 51.25 in D 25.25 in
French Empire Mahogany Commode with Bluestone Top and Gilt Bronze Hardware
Located in Dallas, TX
This French Empire commode is a perfect example of the type of chest of drawers that became popular in the early 1800s. This was a time when Napoleon preferred to do away with styles...
Stone, Bronze
Sold
H 35 in W 51.5 in D 23 in
French Empire Style Bleached Walnut Marble Top Chest with Ebonized Feet.
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
French Empire Style Bleached Walnut Marble Top Chest with Ebonized Paw Feet.
Belgian Black Marble
Sold
H 35.75 in W 49 in D 22.25 in
19th Century French Empire Period Bleached Walnut Commode with Bookmatched Front
Located in Birmingham, AL
Having a bookmatched walnut front, this handsome bleached chest of drawers has a hidden apron drawer above two full size drawers with columns featuring decorative brass capitals and ...
Bronze
Sold
H 33 in W 47 in D 20 in
Pair of Antique Italian Empire Style Bleached Commodes with Carrara Marble
Located in Dallas, TX
Exceptional pair of antique Italian Empire style bleached commodes with Carrara marble. A very stylish pair that mixes well with a variety of decors.
Carrara Marble
Sold
H 33.5 in W 44.5 in D 22.75 in
French 1870s Empire Style Bleached Wood Commode with Columns and Frieze Drawer
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French bleached wood Empire style four-drawer commode from the late 19th century, with columns and frieze drawer. Born at the end of the reign of France's last emperor Napoleon III...
Brass
Sold
H 38.75 in W 48 in D 22.25 in
19th Century French Mahogany Empire Chest/Commode with Black Marble Top
Located in Carmine, TX
French Empire chest built in the early 1800s using bookmatched crotch magohany veneer and oak secondary. This is a beautifully simple chest, built to last and to provide a lot of spa...
Marble
Antique French Empire Chest in Bleached Oak
Located in Houston, TX
Antique French oak chest featuring three drawers in the French Empire style that is solidly built and imported recently from Europe.
Brass
19th Century Bleached Empire Chest with Paw Feet
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th century bleached Empire chest with paw feet.
19th Century French Empire Commode in Bleached Walnut
Located in Fairhope, AL
This 19th century French Empire commode is bleached walnut and has a beautiful black marble-top. There four long drawers with the top drawer having no hardware. Original hardware and...
Walnut
Pair of 19th Century Italian Walnut Commodes
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A pair of mid-19th century Italian commodes in bleached walnut, with Empire style columns of good proportions. Replacement handles. Italy, circa 1860-1880.
Walnut
Classic Empire Center Table, Oatmeal
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Classic Empire style grey cerused oak oatmeal stained center table with a carved ogee edge, raised on an octagonal pedestal base. Dimensions: 42" W x 42" D x 30" H. Clearance: 27"
Wood
Pair of Regency Style Side Tables
Located in Westwood, NJ
Regency style side table with a wooden gallery top, molded edge, with a pull-out slide about a lower shelf with drawer and turned legs all in a warm country wood tone and hand rubbed...
Wood
LUdown Cylinder Flush Mount
By Lumfardo Luminaires
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The LUdown cylinder flush mount fixture by Lumfardo Luminaires is part of our contemporary collection. Available In patinated unlacquerd brass or aged silver and steel with (1) E26 m...
Steel, Brass, Gold, Silver
"Marchand" Scalloped Walnut Oak Dresser by Christiane Lemieux
Located in New York, NY
The Marchand 6-drawer dresser showcases elegantly scalloped edge detailing and textural drawer fronts, making it a distinctive piece in any bedroom. It sits on minimal turned legs, b...
Oak
$9,500
H 30.25 in W 37.5 in D 19.25 in
Restored Swedish Gustavian Commodes, Painted Pinewood, Circa 1920-1940
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A beautifully restored pair of early to mid-20th Century Swedish Gustavian commodes, meticulously hand-crafted in painted Pinewood. These refined Scandinavian chests are characterist...
Pine
Bronze and Leather Daybed or Bench by Nicos Zographos
By Nicos Zographos
Located in Atlanta, GA
Bronze and caramel color leather daybed or bench, designed by Nicos Zographos, American, circa 1960s. Retains warm original patina to the bronze.
Metal, Bronze
$1,815Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 43.31 in D 19.69 in
20th Century Art Deco Sweden Commode or Chest of Drawers
Located in Madrid, ES
An Art Deco chest of drawers in birch wood, marquetry, with three drawers and handles in copper and brass, the birch wood has been painted with floral motifs and lacquered, the key i...
Birch
Dunbar Credenza
By Dunbar Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This vintage modern Dunbar credenza features a lacquered hard wood base, spacious interior cabinets, and unique metal pulls. This beautiful Mid-Century piece is perfect for use as a ...
Wood
Pair of Venetian Neoclassical Hand Painted Commodes
Located in London, Park Royal
A pair of Venetian commodes, hand painted in the Neoclassical style featuring fine scroll work in hues of brick pinks, yellow ochres, olive greens and blues on an old white naturally...
Wood
$28,800 / set
H 38 in W 50.75 in D 22.75 in
Pair of Italian 18th Century Walnut Four-Drawer Commodes with Bookmatched Veneer
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of Italian 18th century walnut commodes with bookmatched veneer, four drawers and petite carved feet. Immerse yourself in the historical grandeur of this pair of Italian 18th-...
Brass
Pair of painted 19th century Swedish chest of drawers
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Pair of painted 19th century Swedish chest of drawers circa 1890. Good quality pair of commodes which are painted in a light grey scheme. Slightly wider than the normal, rectangula...
Pine, Paint
Pair of Italian Venetian Style Painted Pine Commodes or Chests
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Grand pair of Italian commodes or chest of drawers featuring a Venetian style painted finish. The large pine cases measure over 4 feet wide fronted by three storage drawers with pati...
Bronze
Pair of French Louis XVI Commodes
Located in Westwood, NJ
A late 18th-century style Neo Classic dresser. With three long soft closing drawers in a natural oak veneer finish, with paneled sides, polished brass accents and hardware, fluted st...
Wood
$11,053 / set
H 38 in W 50.01 in D 23.63 in
19th Century Italian Bleached Walnut Louis Philippe Chest Of Drawers Pair
Located in Viterbo, VT
Pair of Italian Carlo X, Louis Philippe, chest of drawers hand-made using walnut and decorated with walnut flamed veneer. The two chests are the same size and were originally made to...
Marble
$48,000 / set
H 35 in W 48 in D 22.5 in
Pair of Antique, Walnut and Fruitwood Veneered Commodes From the Lombardy Region
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautifully finished, hand-carved, veneered and inlaid, two drawer, c. 1800 Northern Italian, Neoclassical commodes in book-matched walnut and fruitwood. The molded brass drawer pull...
Brass
From 1804–15, Napoléon I reigned as the emperor of France, bringing the country into a new era of opulence after the fall of the monarchy and the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. He declared, “We must have very solid things, made to last 100 years.” Empire-style furniture followed suit, with imposing pieces constructed from mahogany and adorned with gilded ornaments. Expanding on the neoclassicism popularized in the previous century — such as in Louis XVI style — Empire style borrowed from the great civilizations of antiquity, from Egypt to Greece and Rome, to connect this nascent empire to the power of the past.
Napoléon I believed the production of fine furniture would reflect the stature of the republic, with his official architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine leading the way with their work on his residences.
Luxurious materials, symmetrical shapes and bold colors characterize antique Empire-style bedroom furniture, armchairs, cabinets and other structures, with frequent motifs including mythological creatures, geometric designs, acanthus leaves, eagles, bees (the imperial emblem) and swans, a favorite of Empress Joséphine.
Flat surfaces, like marble tabletops, were accented with decadent details, such as the bronze furniture mounts made by sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire for the French palaces. Martin-Guillaume Biennais, who worked as the imperial goldsmith, crafted intricate luxury objects that mixed wood, fine metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
The style became popular abroad, influencing the American Empire style. Stately pieces carved with sprigs of olives by cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellange were acquired by American President James Monroe for the White House in 1817.
Find a collection of antique Empire tables, lighting, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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.