Lingerie Chest

Taller and narrower than anything else in this family, a lingerie chest measures 18 to 24 inches wide, 40 to 50 inches tall and 14 to 18 inches deep, carrying five to seven drawers only 3 to 5 inches deep inside. Seven drawer versions go by semainier, from the French word for week, one drawer for each day. Shallowness is the design here, not a shortcut.

Small garments vanish in deep drawers, and that is the problem being solved. Socks, underwear, scarves and ties laid one layer deep stay visible and stay worn, while the same items at the bottom of an 8 inch drawer go untouched for a year. Capacity is the price. Interior depth of 4 inches takes about two folded sweaters. So a full stack of them holds far less than the height suggests, and this piece supplements a dresser rather than standing in for one. Tipping is the harder price. Roughly three square feet of base under 45 inches of height gives the worst ratio in a bedroom. Pulling out a loaded top drawer at chest level moves weight forward exactly where it does the most damage. Anchor this one before you anchor anything else.

Wider by half again, a tall chest carries drawers deep enough for bulky clothes and far more base to stand on. Drawer inserts fitted inside a closet, covered under Closet Systems, do the same sorting job for less per drawer and stay with the house when you move. Bachelor's chests stay low and hold fewer, deeper drawers. Jewelry cabinets go smaller still and add fitted trays.

Anyone who already owns a dresser and needs somewhere for the small things gains the most, as do wardrobes heavy on scarves, ties, hosiery and folded knitwear. A 24 inch stretch of wall between a closet door and a corner is often the only place this fits, and dead space of exactly that kind is what the format was built for. Buying it as sole storage disappoints. Climbing children make it a poor choice, since nothing in a bedroom goes over more easily.

Weigh the base honestly, because a light case on a narrow footprint is the least stable thing you can put in a bedroom. Check the interior depth of a drawer rather than trusting the count. Fill the lower drawers first, keep the top ones light, and check the anchor strap twice a year rather than once.