A Guide To Buying A Chest Of Drawers

So you are in the market for buying a brand new chest of drawers. That’s fantastic, and you are probably very excited about doing so and having the new item in your bedroom at home.

But before you do so, there are some considerations you should bear in mind first. If you spend a little bit of time thinking about certain aspects of your purchase, you will stand much more chance of getting just the right unit that you need.

So let’s take a look at some things that you need to be thinking about.

What kind of design are you after?

As you will see when you start looking for some chests of drawers, there are plenty of different designs that you can choose from. So think about what you would like to have in your bedroom.

This is as much about choosing a style that will match your current decor as it is about choosing something that you really like. For example, if your bedroom is full of natural tones and woods, you will want a chest of drawers that fits in with that. You wouldn’t be happy with one finished in metal or Mother of Pearl!

In contrast though, you may be looking for something that will stand out and be a real talking point. In that case you might want to search through the stock at a store that is known for its designer and unusual chests of drawers.

One thing you should bear in mind though is that if you get the latest must have design, you might have to replace it sooner than you would if you got a traditional or classic design.

How many drawers would you need to have?

This is an important question to ask yourself. It might be a good idea to look at your current chest of drawers to see how many drawers that has. Is it adequate for your needs? Do you have problems trying to fit everything in? Would you prefer to have some smaller drawers, some larger ones or perhaps a mixture of both?

Once you have an idea of what you would like, make a note of it and start looking for something with that combination of drawers in it.

What size are you looking for?

There are as many different sizes of chests of drawers as there are styles and colours. That means you need to think carefully about which size would be right for you and your needs.

There are two main things to think about here. Firstly you need to consider what space you have available to accommodate the chest of drawers. This will obviously limit the size you might be able to buy in some circumstances.

You also need to consider how much space you will need to have practically speaking, in order to fit everything into the chest of drawers that needs to go there. If you haven’t got enough room at the moment, then there is little point buying another chest of drawers that is exactly the same size. So think about whether you want something wider or taller to solve your storage problem.

The size will also affect the size of the drawers you’ve got in the unit. If you need somewhere to put away all your T-shirts or similar sized items, then you will need a unit big enough to do that. If you don’t have that much to put away in it, then a smaller and cheaper chest of drawers would probably suffice.

Where will the chest of drawers go in your bedroom?

This is another important point to think about. Is there one particular area you want the chest of drawers to stand in, or is there more than one place you could use for it?

You can buy your new unit and then decide where to put it when it arrives, but you will need to limit the size of it to a certain extent if you do this. In addition, if you are buying one to fit in a recess, make sure you measure the size of the recess at its widest point. This is usually from skirting board to skirting board, and not wall to wall. Doing this will avoid any nasty surprises when you finally come to put the unit in position!

How much are you willing to spend?

You can get a chest of drawers very cheaply if you want something fairly basic, but some of the more expensive ones made from solid wood or some other expensive material can be worth hundreds of pounds.

Set a budget before you start looking and make sure you stick to it. It will help you to avoid anything really expensive which you cannot afford.

Make sure you take a look at it before you buy

Buying your chest of drawers online is ideal because it means you don’t have to worry about trying to get it home yourself. But even if you do buy like this you should still visit the store you are planning to buy the unit from beforehand.

This is because you can then see what it looks like in reality. Sometimes the picture on your computer may look very different from what you see in the shop. The colour reproduction in particular can be out to a certain degree, so checking beforehand can help you to ensure that you have bought the right chest of drawers for your bedroom.

Keep an eye on the quality of the item

Quality is of course one of the most important points you need to think about. And once again this is something you can only really check on if you see the item in real life and not on a computer screen.

It is usually fairly easy to see how well made (or not) a chest of drawers really is. Look at the joints more than anything else and see how well done they are. You will also want to see if the drawers are on runners, or whether they would simply pull out all the way if you pulled them too hard. The latter may not be such a good idea if you have children.

You should also gently try to wobble the unit by putting your hands on top of it. It shouldn’t move at all if it has been built sturdily enough; if it does then you know it isn’t perhaps the best solution for your needs.

Once again, you can only find out these kinds of things by actually visiting the store to take a look at the item itself.

Is it a flat pack chest of drawers or does it come ready assembled?

Some of the more expensive chests of drawers do come ready assembled. They are carefully packed up for transit to your home, and experienced delivery people will then bring it into the room you want it in and unpack it before moving it into position.

If you order flat packed furniture on the other hand, it is then your responsibility to take delivery of it and then make it yourself. Many chests of drawers will come in flat pack format, so if you don’t want to make it up yourself or you don’t feel qualified enough to do so, then you will have to think about a solution. You would either have to buy a ready assembled one for more money, or get someone you know to build the flat pack for you.

There are certain manufacturers of chests of drawers that always build their own units and deliver them to you ready made. This is normally a sign that you are buying a good quality unit, because you simply wouldn’t be able to construct one yourself from all the pieces.

In conclusion

As you can see, there is a lot more to think about than you might at first realise when you are thinking about buying a new chest of drawers. If you go shopping and you haven’t thought about any of these points, your shopping trip might last a lot longer than you thought it would!

There is also the danger that you will end up buying something online and being disappointed with it when it finally arrives. You can of course return things, but this isn’t the best way to do it. The best way is undoubtedly to spend a little time assessing your needs and requirements before you spend any money. That way you will almost certainly buy just the right thing very easily indeed.

So have you decided what your needs are when it comes to your new chest of drawers? You might well be making some notes now to help you when you are online and visiting some of the links we have provided for you in the Shop Now section.

And remember, if you see anything you really like, make sure you compare it to your notes before you buy. Happy shopping!