Dressers are functional pieces of furniture that store your clothing or other items. There are many different dresser sizes and styles. Some dressers are made specifically for kids’ rooms. Other dressers are small and made from lightweight material so you can move them around easily. Large, wood dressers are made for master bedrooms and harder to move.

Whether you’re moving into a new house or redecorating an old one, you may wonder if you should add one or two dressers to a bedroom, or possibly more.

What Should I Consider Before Deciding on the Number of Dressers I Need?

The number of dressers you need in your bedroom depends on several factors. They include:

• The amount of space in your bedroom
• Whether you are decorating a room from scratch or adding furniture to it
• How many items you need to store
• The design style you want
• Will you need to move the dressers around, or will they stay in place?
• How you will use the room and the amount of time you spend in it

There’s no exact number of recommended dressers for a small, large or medium size bedroom. You’ll find most bedrooms have one large dresser and one or two small ones, but even that varies on a person’s lifestyle and the layout of the room.

Let’s look at when you should use small dressers, short dresser, and tall dressers.

When to Use Small or Short Dressers

Short dressers are great for small bedrooms and can even be placed in a closet to store shirts, socks, and other small clothing items. A low dresser in your closet will give you more walking space in your room, or allow you to add another piece to a small bedroom.

Small dressers also work well with mirrors. If your room is too small for a vanity with matching mirror or dresser with a full-length floor mirror, hang a decorative wall mirror behind the dresser or use a cosmetic dresser mirror on the top of the dresser.

When you’re short on space and want to use the top of a dresser as a TV stand, be sure that the dresser is sturdy enough to hold media. Old-fashioned wood dressers are usually sturdy enough for entertainment consoles, but dressers made of lightweight materials may tip over if you place too much on them.

Chest of Drawers vs. Dresser vs. Vanity

A chest of drawers has drawers and a top without an attached mirror. This piece comes in three, four or six drawers. The terms dressers and chest of drawers are often used interchangeably for storage furniture without mirrors.

Very small dressers with attached mirrors are also called vanities, especially if they’re used in a girl’s or woman’s bedroom or a powder room. A vanity is used for applying make-up or dressing. A vanity may have one or two drawers for storing make-up or small items. Some vanities don’t have any drawers.

Dresser is shorthand for the term dressing table. Dressers and vanities may also be called bureaus. Technically speaking, a dresser is a small table with parallel, horizontal drawers stacked on top of each other. It usually includes an attached mirror. Dressers were called lowboys in the 18th Century when they first came into regular use.

Lowboys were first used as dressing tables, but could also be used as side tables. Classic lowboys or dressers were made of walnut, mahogany or oak and had brass pulls on the front of each drawer. Cabriole legs and claw and ball feet were also common through the first half of the 20th Century.

When to Use Tall Dressers

Tall dressers will save space and can be used between windows, in corners, and near doors. Choose dressers with drawers that cover the length of the dresser face. Horizontal or vertical dividers will reduce the amount of storage space. Tall dressers usually have less storage space than wide dressers, and tall dressers without drawer dividers maximize your storage space.

Use two tall dressers on either side of a small room to give your space visual balance. A tall dresser on either side of the room will help you and your Significant Other get ready for the day more efficiently, as your paths won’t cross when you’re getting dressed.

Maximize Your Dresser’s Decorative Appeal

If you’re short on space, use dresser tops to store small items. Use trays, jewelry boxes or storage carousels to store cosmetics, perfume, jewelry, sewing supplies, or office supplies. Arrange the desktop storage unit to avoid clutter and maintain a pleasant appearance.

Buy custom drawer pulls or hardware to add a personal touch or match design elements elsewhere in your room. Use framed photos, small mirrors or artwork to create an inviting gallery above a low dresser. If your space is limited, a potted plant or small vase of flowers will add appeal. Small lamps provide reading light on bedside dressers and add a decorative element to sparsely furnished rooms.