Closets and Wardrobes

[Donna]

Donna:
I was raised to call a low bureau with a mirror a "dresser".  I have 2
antique "dressers", 1 with 2 full width drawers (with the skeleton key
holes) and 2  1/2 width drawers and large mirror on top, and the other one
is like a desk with a table top, 3 drawers on each side, an opening for a
stool or chair, a "lap drawer", and a large oval mirror on top.  If you go
to a furniture store and ask for a "dresser" that is what you will be shown.
 

My chest of drawers is as Geoff described.

My "wardrobe" is a tall cabinet with double doors, a shelf on the bottom,
and a wooden bar for hanging clothing on.  



Geoff:

Hm. A chest of drawers is a very common piece of furniture here. 
Sometimes on short legs, sometimes down to floor level and most 
often three levels of drawers, one level possibly having two 
half-width drawers.

Snow:

I have one of those and it has skeleton key holes in each drawer. The 
matching piece is taller with two half drawers on top and four 
drawers underneath. 

Geoff: 

If you've got a dresser in your bedroom, we will probably have a 
dressing table.

A dresser is an older piece of kitchen or dining-room furniture. the 
lower half will probably have a couple of wide cupboards to store 
bottles or glassware with a flat top for placing items on but backed 
by open shelving on which plates etc. will be stacked in such a way 
that they can be seen and may be the best crockery or even a family 
dining service on display.

Snow:

Thirty plus years ago I lived in an older house (apartment for me) 
that had a room, straight off the kitchen, with a built-in china 
cupboard (at least that's what I took it as). There were three 
dresser drawers on the bottom and what looked like a china cupboard 
on top without the glass and doors but the same room and style (to 
place your dishes [actual wooden slots to place the dishware]). 

Geoff:

A Welsh dresser is just a particular style which is popular for folk 
who 
have decided to have a"period" style kitchen.

A bureau to us is a high desk with a drop-down leaf which acts as a 
writing area and which, when closed, covers shelving with writing 
paper, 
pens, stamps und so weiter.

Snow:

I also have a bureau according to your description, which is over 100 
years old, although I would call it an old fashioned writing desk. 
The desk, I have, has four thin legs, the desktop is slanted but 
lifts up (almost like an old fashioned kids school desk, but not as 
deep) for supplies. It also has a very large skinny drawer 
underneath. You could not, however, sit at this desk with a common 
place chair because the desk would be too high. 


 
 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]