So the room in my London apartment is 8′ x 9′, roughly the same size as a small closet. Yet I had to find space for a bed, a dresser, and some type of storage for my far-too-large collection of jumpers. Do you ever experience that moment when you’re standing in a furniture showroom and everything seems proportionate to your needs, yet once you get the item back home, your “cozy” bedroom feels more like a storage unit? Yes, that was my Tuesday morning three months ago.
I’d been sleeping out of a suitcase for three weeks because my old chest of drawers finally gave up the ghost. One drawer fell out entirely when I tried to shut it and it took half my socks with it. I’m pretty sure it’s older than me. It smelled like old wood, mixed with . . . I don’t want to think about it. Clearly, it was time for an upgrade. However, where were you supposed to place a dresser when you can hardly walk around your bed?
This is what I learned about small-space furniture shopping: most retailers have absolutely no idea what compact means. I went to four different retailers and the sales people all very happily showed me “space-saving” products that would have made it necessary for me to climb over them to get to my window. A woman actually told me I should “just position it at an angle in the corner.” Sure. Like that’s how corners function.
Then I ran across this little gem at a second hand furniture shop in Islington. I guess technically it’s called a “narrow chest of drawers”, however I simply refer to it as my miracle worker. It is 24 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 48 inches tall. Essentially it is the footprint of a large suitcase standing upright, but it holds more clothing than my prior dresser that took up twice the square footage of the floor.
The secret? It goes upwards. Instead of outwards. Six drawers stack vertically, each one deeper than they appear from the outside. The bottom two drawers are approximately 8 inches deep. These are perfect for bulging items such as my collection of oversized sweaters (don’t judge, they are comfortable clothes). The next set of drawers are 6 inches deep. Ideal for folded T-shirts, pajamas, and undergarments. The upper two are thinner at 4 inches. However, this is precisely correct for accessories, belts, etc. All of those random things that used to live in a mess on my bedside table.
The main reason I purchased this product and not another similar product was the thoughtful details that make it functional within a small space. The top has a slight lip on the outer edges, allowing me to use it as a work surface for my jewelry box and a small potted plant without everything falling off of it when I accidentally run into it (which occurs on a regular basis, if you ask me). The drawers themselves have beautiful vintage style brass handles that extend sufficiently to grab with ease but will not snag on your clothing when you squeeze by.
One of the best features of the product is the design of the bottom drawer. It has a slight indent. Sounds bizarre, I know. What it does is allows you to pull the entire product closer to the wall without having to worry about the baseboard. When I installed it, I was able to gain nearly two inches of walking space. While two inches may seem insignificant, in a room where every inch matters, it makes all the difference in whether you feel confined or merely not as restricted.
The ultimate test came after I began organizing all of my belongings. As a non-tidy person my definition of folding is more akin to aggressive bundling this dresser has a strange effect on me. Perhaps it’s because each drawer serves a distinct purpose now, or perhaps it’s because the proportions of the dresser simply feel correct. The shallow top drawers forced me to organize my accessories in a meaningful manner rather than throw everything together in a single jumbled mess. Watches go in the left side, earrings in small compartments on the right, and scarves rolled up like mini sleeping bags in between.
The middle drawers have become my essential supplies area. Left drawer is for business attire; right drawer is for casual attire. It may sound ridiculously organized, but when you are trying to dress in a space that is roughly the width of your wingspan, being able to grab the exact article of clothing you need without having to dig through mounds of clothing is truly life changing.
I did make one modification that wasn’t strictly necessary but has been great. I covered each drawer with a thin sheet of cork (the kind you purchase in roll form from a craft store) costing me approximately £15.00. This prevents everything from moving around inside the drawers whenever I open and close them. Additionally, it provides a faintly pleasant scent reminiscent of wine corks, which is strangely comforting on Mondays.
The greatest challenge in terms of styling was determining how to make this tall, narrow item appear intentional as opposed to awkward. In a small room, any object that is vertical can quickly resemble a tower of boxes that someone failed to unpack. I resolved this problem by establishing visual weight at the base of the item a small round rug below it, and a wooden storage box next to it that also functions as additional seating. The rug trick is something my mother has taught me for years: it anchors the height of a tall item, making it appear as if it is meant to be there as opposed to simply landing there.
At six months, I am certain that I could not picture my bedroom without it. Friends who visit always comment on how neatly everything appears to be organized and I simply smile and fail to mention that this is largely due to the fact that I literally cannot fit anything else anywhere. However, that is the magic of effective small-space furniture it doesn’t merely hold your items, it encourages you to be more mindful regarding the items you choose to keep.
My only complaint thus far? Occasionally I’ll forget which drawer contains what, and I’ll end up spending a full minute opening random drawers attempting to locate a particular sweater. However, that is likely a result of my poor memory as opposed to the dresser itself.
Would I purchase it again? Without question. At times, the best furniture purchases are those that function so well that you forget they’re there.
