Bye bye bland, hello character – these are the 9 chest of drawer units we’re eyeing up

Browsing for the best chest of drawers or, perhaps, the best dressers (a USA-ism that seems to have travelled across the pond) certainly feels an adult task of an afternoon. Buying a bed frame is a no-brainer, picking out one of the best mattresses to go with it seems equally justified but, a chest of drawers? Buying a chest of drawers is the official first foray into adulthood. Scary stuff. Alas, the late twenties have crept up on me despite my Joey-from-Friends protests (“Why God, why!?”) and it’s time to swap out that single clothes rail for something more substantial. Let the drawer search begin. 

Entering phase one of research, it dawned on me that different buyers, homeowners and renters will have different dresser requirements. While you, Jess from Fulham, might have lucked out with the master bedroom in the Spare Room housemate draw (you lucky gal), Samira from Manchester might very well be dealing with a 7×7 metre box room. I, myself, fall into the latter category and so finding a storage solution for all my many (many) Uniqlo obsessions – mini shoulder bags x 5 included – is a task and a half. Reader, when space is of a premium you have to get creative and, when it comes to a chest of drawers, that means looking upwards rather than outwards. Enter the tall boy dresser. 

Indeed, my curated list of dressers covers both said tall and narrow dressers and, if you’ve more living and bedroom space, I’ve sought out large pieces and wider chest of drawer units, too. While some are so wishlist worthy and design-led – so much so you’ll want to use them as display cabinets and nothing more – others are more practical and less personalised to your home decor. See this Jonathan Adler beauty; with six drawers and a choice of two colours, it’s like something straight out of one of the Soho Houses. By contrast, this Pappas unit from Wayfair is more pared back for busier bedrooms with less floor space; nonetheless, it’d look just as at home in an AD Open Door video (and we’d be none the wiser about its reasonable price point). Kick your feet up on the footstool, lay back and get scrolling – it’s time for a serious step into adulthood with the leg work taken care of, courtesy of team GLAMOUR. But first, some FAQs.

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What material is best for dressers?

Most dressers on the market are made from a wood base, be it MDF or solid oak. There are exceptions, such as steel, but wood makes up the majority of the market. Within that category there are choices upon choices, and knowing which wood is a high-quality pick can be tricky. Naturally, a solid oak chest of drawers will stand the test of time, as will pine, ash, cedar, walnut, mahogany and mango wood…to name a few. On the flip side, chipboard and MDF – reconstituted and engineered woods, respectively – will not provide as aesthetic and smooth a finish to your furniture, but MDF is still a top pick for durability and is used in pieces from many household-name brands – think M&S, John Lewis etc. The woods to avoid? Keep balsa and bamboo at the front of your mind as you browse for the the best dressers. While balsa is soft, bamboo is said not to last as long in furniture, so you’ll want to avoid these as best you can. 

What is the best chest of drawers that you can buy?

Best chest of drawers – The GLAMOUR top three

1. Best overall – Franco 5 Drawer Chest, Black, £265.30, Dunelm
2. Best tall and narrow chest of drawers – Bow 5 Drawer Tall Boy Chest, Oak, £549, John Lewis
3. Best wide chest of drawers – Larsen Six-Drawer Dresser, £1698, Anthropologie