Chests in a modern interior +75 photo examples

Great-grandfather of the modern dresser was a regular chest. This piece of furniture was considered universal: it can be put at home or transported with belongings. But in the chest things had to be laid in layers, and the bigger and taller it was, the more difficult it became to get to the bottom. To get something "at the bottom" we had to install a special step, on which we climbed, so that it was more convenient to bend over the wall. At first they began to adjust the legs to the chest.

The furniture began to look nobler, it was easier to move and cleaning under the heavy “storage of things” no longer caused difficulties. Unfortunately, it was still difficult to get to the “lower layers” in such a high “box”, therefore the package bundle experienced dramatic changes: drawers were installed in it, and the lid was removed altogether. The chest of drawers first appeared in the 17th century and has not changed much since then. The name comes from the French "commodite", which translates as "convenience."

It really was convenient, as it allowed to organize things and properly organize storage space. Chests began to make everywhere. The only material in those days was wood. The piece of furniture was no longer considered solely as a container for storing clothes. In it began to put small things, jewelry and cosmetics. Gradually, the dressers became more graceful: the twisted legs were in harmony with the thread covered with varnish.

In the "Napoleonic" era, they began to produce a folding option that was compactly assembled, which allowed them to carry things with them. Such dressers differed modest design and ideal for harsh military people. In the Soviet Union, this piece of furniture was popular in the form of a combined model called a wardrobe. A standard niche for hanging things has been added to the standard drawers. Now popular as a model of conventional configuration, and combined with other items of furniture.

The role of the dresser in the modern interior

A few decades ago, a chest of drawers was considered an outdated model, which is a thing of the past and can only appear in a classic interior. But fashion is a capricious lady, and as it usually happens, the forgotten old was accepted with stormy ovations as new. Chests in the interior are used everywhere. Here, their versatility comes to the fore. The subject will be appropriate in any room: it can be put in the bedroom, bathroom, hallway, nursery, hall and even the kitchen.

At observance of unity of style the dresser will only decorate with itself an interior. A "friendly" this piece of furniture with a variety of design directions from high-tech modern style to the ancient classics. It does not matter if the dresser is a stylish decoration from an expensive furniture boutique or old-fashioned “grandmother's” furniture, which is decorated with your own hands. The main thing is that it overlaps with the overall picture of the interior and does not look alien in the room. In small apartments, they still prefer high wardrobes, but in spacious premises they long ago abandoned outdated “walls”, relying on small and original furniture.

Functionality and design

The dresser unites in itself two functional platforms: a table-top (the top cover) and shelves for storage of things. TVs, other household appliances, mirrors, lamps, potted plants or decorative objects are put on top. In total, there are four main types of dressers:

Designers offer interesting ideas for furniture design: the abundance of shelves and their varieties allow you to experiment in any way.

Manufacturing materials

At the moment, the most popular is chipboard. A furniture case is made of it, and the facade is made of more expensive MDF. The latter can be matte, glossy, smooth or embossed. The tree is used in more expensive models, quite often to order for a ready-made design. Plastic chest of drawers is the most economical option that costs a penny, but durability does not differ in operation.

Such models are popular for the bathroom or pantry, where they will not be very noticeable. If the whole structure is made of wood or chipboard, they often experiment on the doors using non-standard materials. This could include all the same plastic and glass. There are variants with combined materials: one group of doors is made of chipboard or MDF, and the other (for example, hinged facades) of frosted glass with a pattern or pattern.

Colors and shades

The preference is given to all the same natural "woody" tones:

• Brown;
• The black;
• Gray;
• Beige;
• Red.

Indeed, in the classic version of the chest of drawers - the product of natural wood. True, this does not prevent designers from retreating from the old canons and experimenting not only with dimensions, texture and functional "stuffing", but also with color. Bright lacquered blue, green and yellow dressers fit well into eclecticism, fusion or retro 80s. They can become not only the original part of the interior, but also the decorative center of the room.

How to use a dresser

A chest of drawers is used as a storage of necessary things: clothes, kitchen utensils, detergents or even products. Use directly depends on the location. For example, in the kitchen you can put dishes and pans in it, if you pre-install special holders for these items. The bathroom in the dresser is well located towels or a set of washing powders, fabric softeners, stocks of soap, shampoos, sponges, sponges and other small things. Let's try to figure out what can be packed in this storage, and what functional load it carries in each of the premises.

In the living room

A chest of drawers in the living room is installed not only against the wall, but also behind the back of the sofa or under a high rack. It can act as a delimiter of space, a dividing strip in spacious halls or in combined rooms. It is important not only to choose a chest of drawers for the overall style and place it correctly, but also to correctly design the top cover. If it becomes behind the sofa, then the free tabletop can be used as a working or dining area.

When there are already special platforms for these purposes, it is not bad to put a lamp on the surface, a bulky vase with flowers or “mixed-sized” figurines. Under the wall, the chest of drawers is necessarily complemented by some element of the decor on top, so that the space above it does not look lonely and empty. It can be a picture, a collage of photos, a set of non-standard lighting devices or a simple mirror.

Long dressers in small living rooms should be avoided. This piece of furniture will fit well only in large spaces where it will look appropriate. If you really want to put a dresser, but the space does not allow, then choose a narrow model for yourself. Storage space will be less, but no one will cling to the corners or constantly wade under the “wall” between the furniture.

In the bedroom

The bedroom is a place of solitude and rest, which does not recognize unnecessary details. The comfort here is achieved with the help of neat furniture, which uses a minimum, and a few decorative strokes. Commodes in the room for sleeping, as a rule, are used to store cosmetic items and bedding. A mirror is traditionally installed above them. Depending on the style, it can be oval with a carved frame or a strict rectangular shape with a metal frame. The colors are often chosen from the pastel range:

• Beige;
• Delicate pink;
• Light blue;
• Soft gray.

Often a special hollow niche is installed under the dresser, which allows you to sit comfortably on a high chair and “spin” in front of a mirror, performing nightly cosmetic procedures. On the top cover often put a lamp, photos or fresh flowers to "domesticate" the situation.

In our country, dressers in the bedrooms are installed against the wall; the bedside version was rarely seen before. For these purposes, special miniature bedside tables with lamps on the covers are used, but in the West, this kind of placement is still popular. And dressers are installed in a pair: two twins on either side of the bed.

In the nursery

In the children's room, dressers are combined with a changing table or cot. This option is convenient and practical. The combination allows you to save space, which is suitable for small and cramped spaces. If the children are older, then it is used to store numerous toys and things. The colors emphasize the bright shades of blue, green, yellow. It is better to refuse red and black, since an extra “load” on the eyes in this room is useless.

Chest of drawers for the kitchen

Quite often, a chest of drawers is already included in the set of kitchen set, but we will consider independent furniture, which additionally decorates the room. High constructions can perform the function of a bar counter, so the table top is usually not loaded with foreign objects, but leave space for a comfortable pastime for guests. Special popularity gained kitchen dressers with add-ins in the form of open shelves.

If all the cooking utensils can be hidden in the lower drawers, then jars of spices and other containers of cooking products are placed at the top. The “grandfathers” of such chests stood in almost every village house of the mid-fifties. Such old models can be found now. Given the fashion for such antiques, just refreshing their appearance and in the kitchen retro they fit perfectly.

Surprisingly, dressers are used even for storing products that do not need cold. Onions, carrots or potatoes are placed in special shelves, which are equipped with partitions. Interesting models with wicker boxes that mimic baskets. Beautiful look such options in a rustic style or provence.

In the hall

In the hallway dresser is not a luxury, but a necessity. If the owners decided to abandon the standard headsets with a hanger and a closet in the kit, then they will come to the aid of special models for storing shoes. Some of their shelves have the usual appearance, while the other half is equipped with a special inclined mechanism that rotates when opened and allows you to place shoes and sneakers comfortably.

Above the chest hang mirrors, paintings, miniature "hangers" for keys. The original hanging model "without legs" will look beautiful in a modern hallway with a clear geometry and a strict color scheme. Unusual options with a seat in the middle or side, which combine in themselves two functions: storage of gloves, bags, shoes and support for shoes.

In the bathroom

The dimensions of the bathroom usually leave much to be desired, so it is quite difficult to “tamp down” the necessary minimum in them. The chests are set apart from the sink by the free wall, and open or closed shelves are hung above them. In the storehouse they fold up all the domestic small things, for which special shelves with metal holders are created inside. In modern combined versions, the sink is embedded in the lid of the dresser, or “placed” on it, if it has the shape of a deep plate. Ultra-slim models are set up even in cramped toilet rooms. They hold stocks of paper and air fresheners.

How to choose a dresser

When choosing a dresser, be guided by three aspects:

• The size;
• Style;
• Material.

The price-quality ratio remains an indisputable truth, but modern practical materials allow saving without significant damage to the service life. Naturally, in a bedroom with expensive antique furniture in a classic style, a chest of drawers made of chipboard will look ridiculous and cheap, but for less sophisticated options it is quite suitable.

By the way, between the chipboard and MDF, make a choice in the direction of the second. Glue, which is used in the first embodiment, can be toxic and harmful to health. As for the size, then make the appropriate measurements before purchasing. The location of the piece of furniture is determined in advance at the design stage. The style determines the dimensions, equipment of the shelves, color, texture and decorative elements. A simple brown chest of drawers with wooden handles on the drawers will “sink” in a cold atmosphere of modern or minimalism. Combining styles in detail is only suitable for whimsical eclecticism or a motley fusion. In other areas, the rules are more demanding, so you have to choose a chest of drawers under the rest of the furniture.

Chest of drawers decor options

New life old chest of drawers is quite possible to give their own hands. Ideas for decorating annoying furniture weight. One of the simplest is painting, varnishing or applying self-adhesive paper with a pattern. With the first two everything is extremely clear: it is enough to take a varnish, paint, brush and proceed with the update.

If you have a talent for the art of painting, the application of several layers of paint can not be limited and reproduce the original pattern or drawing. The ornament is duplicated using a stencil. For high models, a gradient effect will do: a smooth transition from white on the top box to dark blue on the bottom with a blue middle. In lowered models, it makes sense to decorate the tabletop, which is paid attention to because of the height. It is pasted over with gift paper or resorted to decoupage technique. The method of wrapping furniture raises many questions. There are two ways:

• Buy special wallpapers for the size of the dresser.
• Find the picture of high quality on your own and contact a special company that is engaged in printing pictures on sticky “carriers”.

When pasting watch for air bubbles that form, you need to get rid of them. In the building stores are sold outlets of polyurethane foam or foam (the first is preferable), which mimic the old stucco. They are painted in the desired color and attached to the dresser. The doors can be pasted bright fabric with a beautiful pattern. It is attached to a double-sided tape. Looks like a chest of drawers like a real designer product.

Conclusion

Chests can be large, small and narrow, coarse, neat, elegant, bright, elegant or pretentious. This furniture, like any other, knows how to adapt to the atmosphere of the interior. In some rooms it is vital, and in others it will be rather an extraordinary design move. It is impossible to imagine a dressing room, a large repository of things without one or even several dressers, which will help to systematize the whole mess.

Similarly, it is difficult to find another place in the bathroom for storing towels and bulky bags of powder and detergents. But the kitchen has long experienced this piece of furniture, replacing it with a one-piece set, in which there seems to be a chest of drawers, but only as part of a multifunctional furniture "array."

In the living room there is also no urgent need for it. This is a convenient TV shelf, but it also found a replacement in the form of a special niche in the wall. Anyway, the chests are not lost in the modern furniture variety. They did not repeat the fate of their “ancestor” - the chest, from which only “decorative memories” remained. Designers tenaciously seized on this furniture unit and develop models that fit not only into the classics, but also keep up with the times, reflecting new fashion trends.