19th Century French Empire Antique Mahogany, Marble Chest of Drawers
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A dark-brown, antique French single chest of drawers made of hand crafted shellac polished Mahogany, veneered on Oakwood in good condition. The rectangular cupboard is composed with ...
Marble, Metal, Brass
Antique French Empire Walnut Chest of Drawers W/ Black Marble Top
Located in Astoria, NY
Topped with a sleek black marble slab, this commode exudes sophistication. The chest features four spacious drawers adorned with stunning burl walnut veneer, round brass-plated pulls...
Marble
Early 20th Century French Empire Marble Top Carved Walnut Four-Drawer Chest
Located in Dallas, TX
The surface is dressed with the original black marble top. This Empire chest is in excellent condition commensurate with age and use, and adorns a rich walnut patina.
Marble, Bronze
Fine Empire Four Drawer Chest In Flame Mahogany With Gris Marble Top
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A fine diminutive Empire Chest dating to the 1st half of the 19th Century in original condition. The Chest with book matched flame mahogany drawer fronts with great color, refined ro...
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
Empire Chest of Drawers Cherry Wood with Black Colones and Black Marble Top
Located in Schöfflisdorf, CH
EMPIRE chest of drawers cherry wood with black colones and black marble top
Belgian Black Marble
19TH C French Marble Top Commode manner of Henri Dasson
By Paul Somani
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
19TH C French Lois XVI style Commode Attributed to Henri Dasson Antique French Empire Style Marble-Top Commode with Ormolu Mounts Add timeless elegance to your space with this exqui...
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Empire French Chest of Drawers with marble on top
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Empire Chest od Drawers with white marble on top, France, Ca. 1830 Spectacular Commode with original white marble on top and original empire legs.
Walnut
$3,033Sale Price|20% Off
Early 19th Century Empire Walnut Chest of Drawers with Marble on top
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
19th Century Empire Walnut Chest of Drawers with Marble on top France, 1810 Walnut Antique Chest of drawers with black marble on top. Beautiful grain of walnut on front and both sid...
Walnut
$11,277
Empire Chest
By Jonathan Sainsbury
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A selected mahogany four drawer Empire commode chest with marble top. These are often ordered as vanity units.
Mahogany
Empire Period Chest of Drawers, Mahogany and Carrara Marble Top, 19th Century
Located in NAVILLY, FR
Empire period mahogany and mahogany veneer commode with a white Carrara marble top that has been restored previously (visible).
Carrara Marble
Small Empire Chest of Drawers in Mahogany with Marble Columns, Sweden, c. 1790
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A beautiful Empire commode in Cuban mahogany with marble columns flanking two drawers and resting on tapered square feet.
Mahogany
A Pair of Danish Empire Style Mahogany 3-Drawer Marble Topped Bow-Front
Located in San Francisco, CA
A handsome pair of Danish empire style mahogany 3-drawer marble-topped bow-front chests with brass inlay and bronze mounts; each with thick Napoleon machete mable top above a bowed c...
$6,570 / item
Tall Empire Chest of Drawers
Located in Westwood, NJ
Chest of drawers showcases Empire-style grandeur with walnut veneer and solid brass accents. Its classic white marble top adds a luxurious touch, making it a striking focal point. W...
Marble, Brass
Empire Style Mahogany Chest of Drawers, 20th Century
Located in NAVILLY, FR
Empire style chest of drawers in mahogany veneer and Saint Anne grey marble top. Very good condition. Additional information: Period: 20th century Style: Empire - Consulate Condi...
Marble
$15,000 / set
A Pair of French Empire-Style Demilune Cabinets
Located in New York, NY
A pair of French Empire-style demilune cabinets. The white marble tops supported by rosewood bases with two cabinet doors. The bases accented with gilt classical figure heads and sta...
Marble
19th Century French Empire Tall Chest of Drawers
Located in High Point, NC
Early 19th century French tall chest of drawers with a black marble top, made from walnut. The case is lovely and has paneled sides and a single upper projecting drawer over four flu...
Marble
Empire Period Chest of Drawers in Walnut and Walnut Veneer, 19th Century
Located in NAVILLY, FR
Empire period commode with detached columns in walnut and walnut veneer, mounted on a very high-quality solid oak and fir frame.
Marble
Empire Chest of Drawers in Mahogany, Spain, Early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Large Empire mahogany-veneered chest of drawers raised on an exceptionally crafted base supported by chimera figures with swan necks, finished in green and silver patina. The piece c...
Marble
Late Empire French Walnut Chest of Drawers with Bronze Handles
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Frenc...
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Painted French Empire Chest of Drawers with black Stone Top
Located in Wichita, KS
Period antique French Empire painted chest of drawers with beautiful black stone top. Beautiful decorative lion brass hardware and working key. Early and all original. Footed legs in...
Marble, Brass
$6,800Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Swedish Empire Marble Topped Drawer Chest Commode
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A Swedish Empire three-drawer commode chest veneered in burled bird's-eye elm emblematic of Baltic furniture in the 18th-19th centuries, the rectangular side columns mounted with b...
Elm
Flame Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Commode with Rouge Griotte By Molitor
By Molitor
Located in Stamford, CT
A superbly crafted French Empire commode with Rouge Griotte marble top by Molitor.
Mahogany
$1,575Sale Price|30% Off
Drexel Heritage French Empire Style Walnut Burl Marble Top Commode Chest Dresser
By Drexel
Located in Dayton, OH
Vintage Drexel Heritage French Empire Style Commode, Console or Chest of Drawers.
Marble, Brass
French Cherry Wood Marble Top Chest of Drawers
Located in Faversham, GB
A substantial Continental chest of drawers or commode in cherry wood with a gently over sailing original marble top with square corners. The smooth white Carrara marble top with no...
Cherry
Henredon Empire Neoclassical Marble Top Mahogany 4 Drawer Dresser Chest Commode
By Henredon
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Please message us with your zip code to request a more reasonable domestic U.S. shipping quote. Henredon Empire Neoclassical Style Marble Top Mahogany 4 Drawer Dresser Chest Commode.
Marble
American Mahogany Marble Top and Gilt Stenciled Ormolu Console, NY, Circa 1815
Located in Charleston, SC
American mahogany marble top console with gilt stenciling skirt, flanking ormolu mounted mahogany columns, and terminating on the original gilt carved floral melon bulbous feet. Cons...
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Empire Commode, Nightstand or Sewing Table
Located in Berlin, DE
French Empire. Solid mahogany wood. Gilded and chiselled fittings. Two-wise frame base with protruding rectangular marble slab on square columns, joined by an intermediate compartmen...
Marble, Bronze
Spanish Regency / Mallorquín Dresser, Chest of Drawers, Floral Inlay
Located in Madrid, ES
Often referred to as "Mallorquín" or "Catalana" style, this type of commode or dresser evolved in the early to mid 19th century in the Spanish province of Catalonia, taking design in...
Marble
Especially beautiful Side Table, Pillar Commode Trumeau, Empire, ~1810-15, Italy
Located in Wien, AT
Beautiful pillar commode, trumeau - an original of the Empire era, made around 1810-15, in Italy.
Marble
French Empire Bedroom Suite Walnut Nightstands Bed Commode 1870
Located in Potters Bar, GB
This Suite Comprises of a Large Gentleman's Wardrobe, a Ladies Wardrobe, Super King Size Bed, Marble Top Commode and a Pair of Marble Top Bedside Cabinets. The Whole of the Suite Bei...
Marble
$13,585
Paris Chest / Vanity
By Jonathan Sainsbury
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A selected mahogany three drawer Empire commode chest with marble top. These are often ordered as vanity units.
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.