$770Sale Price|30% Off
H 40.5 in W 31 in D 17 in
English Chippendale Style Painted Goddard Chest Secretary Writing Desk
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique circa 1930s Goddard chest / writing desk featuring a drop front door that opens to multiple
Hardwood, Paint
$1,925Sale Price|30% Off
H 34 in W 36.5 in D 20.5 in
Vintage Harden Georgian Style Solid Cherry Goddard Block Front Chest of Drawers
By Harden Furniture 1
Located in Dayton, OH
Harden Georgian style block front chest of drawers. Features a solid cherry frame with four
Brass
DREXEL Chippendale Cherry Block Front Goddard Bachelor Chest
By Drexel
Located in Charlotte, NC
A Chippendale Goddard style block front bachelor chest by Drexel. Solid cherry with brass hardware
Brass
Unavailable
H 32 in W 36.5 in D 20 in
LINK-TAYLOR Pine Chippendale Four-Drawer Block Front Goddard Bachelor Chest
By Lexington Furniture 1
Located in Charlotte, NC
A rare find, a Chippendale Goddard style block front bachelor chest by Link-A Chippendale Goddard
Brass
Sold
H 32 in W 34.5 in D 18.5 in
1987 Lane Furniture Chippendale Pine Goddard Block Front Bachelors Chest Dresser
By Lane Furniture
Located in Dayton, OH
1987 Lane Furniture Chippendale pine goddard block front bachelors chest dresser Lane Altavista
Pine
Sold
H 32 in W 39.75 in D 18.25 in
Chippendale Pine Goddard Block Front Bachelors Chest of Drawer Dresser Colonial
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid-20th century pine block front chest. Features 4 dovetailed drawers, colonial hardware and
Pine
Sold
H 23.25 in W 15 in D 24.5 in
Lexington Cherry Chippendale Goddard Block Front Chest of Drawers Nightstand
By Lexington Furniture 1
Located in Dayton, OH
Vintage Lexington Furniture Goddard or block front chest. Made from cherry featuring Chippendale
Maple
Sold
H 32.5 in W 36.75 in D 20.25 in
LINK-TAYLOR Solid Heirloom Mahogany Chippendale Block Front Goddard Chest (Rare)
By Lexington Furniture 1
Located in Charlotte, NC
A rare find, a Chippendale Goddard style block front bachelor chest by Link-Taylor. Solid heirloom
Brass
$419Sale Price|30% Off
W 30 in L 96 in
Handmade Cotton Area Flat Weave Runner, 2.5x8 Blue Shooting Star Indian Dhurrie
Located in Jaipur, IN
Cotton Natural Vegetable Dyed, Indigo Blue And White Shooting Star Indian Dhurrie Runner-2.5'x8' (75cm Wide x240cm Long) These special flat-weave dhurries are hand-woven with 15 ply...
Cotton
Sold|$1,295
H 43.5 in W 40.5 in D 19 in
Antique Victorian Arts & Crafts Walnut Stepback Dresser Chest of Drawers
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Victorian stepback dresser / chest of drawers. Made of walnut featuring Arts & Crafts styling with five hand dovetailed drawers framed by long spool style beads and lowe...
Walnut
$3,329Sale Price|38% Off
H 29.93 in W 24.41 in D 13.59 in
French 18th Century Marble-Top Louis XVI Console Table
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful marble-top Louis XVI console table. Wonderful carvings and great patina. Original marble top. France, circa 1770-1889. Weathered and small losses. More photo's are availab...
Marble
$1,575Sale Price|30% Off
H 34.5 in W 42 in D 16 in
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. Features a rectangular form made from walnut with lacquered and gilt columns and a marble top. The...
Marble, Brass
$1,743Sale Price|40% Off
W 66.15 in L 90.16 in
Vintage Chinese Hand-knotted Wool Rug with Cherry Blossoms and Bamboo Decor
Located in Bochum, NRW
Vintage Chinese Wool Rug, China 90 Line, 1990s. This is a handwoven rug made of wool pile on cotton warp, with rich cherry flowers and bamboo designs. This model is sometimes called ...
Wool
Sold|$3,290
H 90 in W 82 in D 18 in
Union National Lacquered Chinoiserie Breakfront China Display Curio Cabinet 90"
By Union National
Located in Dayton, OH
Vintage Union National breakfront china cabinet featuring black lacquer with four hand painted Chinoiserie scenes. One with a two gardners under a flowering tree; Another showing a...
Glass, Maple, Lacquer
$9,500
H 30.25 in W 37.5 in D 19.25 in
Restored Pair of 20th Century Swedish Gustavian Pinewood Commodes
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
Sold|$1,155
H 69 in W 40.5 in D 22 in
Vintage Late Art Deco Waterfall Walnut Chifferobe Secretary Desk Dresser Armoire
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid century Art Deco Waterfall style mirrored chifferobe cabinet / secretary / vanity desk / clothing armoire. Made of walnut featuring a dome top mirrored cabinet, four drawers, an...
Mirror, Oak, Walnut
$980Sale Price|30% Off
H 38.5 in W 21 in D 16 in
Rare Antique Edwardian Mahogany Drop Front Secretary Filing Cabinet Console 39"
Located in Dayton, OH
Rare Antique Edwardian filing cabinet secretary desk / console / music stand. Made of mahogany featuring a unique stacked design with upper secretary and lower filing cabinets. Pat...
Mahogany
Sold|$564
W 43.31 in L 77.56 in
3.7x6.5 Ft Vintage Green Rug with Chinese Art Deco Design. Handknotted in Turkey
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Our overdyed rugs are all hand-knotted vintage Turkish rugs, carefully restored and reimagined in our workshop to suit a wide range of interior design styles — from modern and minima...
Wool, Cotton
French Late 19th Century Oak Corner Bookcase
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A breathtaking late 19th century Louis XV-style corner bookcase from France once part of a grand library, all hand-crafted in oak offering both open shelving and closed storage. The ...
Metal
Sold|$1,050
H 54.5 in W 35 in D 21 in
French Art Nouveau Style Tiger Oak Dressing Desk, Sculpted Cabriole Legs & Heart
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition Materials: Tiger Oak, Original Mirror, Brass Pulls Dimensions: Dimensions: 54.50”H x 35”W x 21”D Table Height: 30.25" This French Art Nouveau...
Brass
$1,083Sale Price|54% Off
H 25.6 in W 10.83 in D 4.14 in
17th Century French Carved Oak Baroque Altar Niche with Angel Head
Located in Buisson, FR
Unique carved oak Baroque altar niche with its original color and gilding. France, circa 1650-1700. Weathered, small losses Measurement includes the wooden base. H:65cm W:27,5cm D...
Wood
$52,000
H 121.66 in W 149.81 in D 14.18 in
Mogens Koch for Rud Radmussen Substantial Modular Library in Pine
By Mogens Koch, Rud Rasmussen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mogens Koch for Rud Rasmussen, modular bookcase or library, pine, Denmark, design 1928 Intriguing and substantial modular library by Danish designer Mogens Koch. This piece is cons...
Pine
Alvar Aalto ‘Tank’ Armchair in Honey Sheepskin, 1940s
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Prague, New Town
‘Tank’ armchair, model ’37/400′, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1936. Manufactured by Artek in Finland, 1940s. Made from laminated steam-bent birch plywood, recently reupholstered in hon...
Sheepskin, Birch
$4,297Sale Price|28% Off
H 27.56 in W 45.28 in D 17.33 in
Dutch 19th Century Folk Art Architectural Mansion Pigeon / Birdcage
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful and unique Dutch Folk art Pigeon/birdcage in the form of a manor . This type of birdcages were made in the North of he Netherlands . They were miniature versions of the ori...
Wood
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.