Chest of Drawers or a Wardrobe? How to Decide What Your Bedroom Actually Ne

Most people assume they need both a wardrobe and a chest of drawers in their bedroom. It is the default assumption, reinforced by decades of seeing the two pieces sold together. But in many bedrooms, and particularly in smaller ones, having both creates more problems than it solves. The room ends up feeling full and slightly oppressive, with limited space to move and no clear breathing room.

The better question to ask is not "which should I get?" but "what does my clothing and storage situation actually require?" The answer to that question almost always points clearly in one direction.
 

What a wardrobe does well

A wardrobe is the right choice when you have a significant amount of hanging clothing. Suits, dresses, coats, shirts on hangers. Clothes that crease if they are folded require hanging space, and a wardrobe is the only freestanding furniture piece that provides it at scale.

Modern wardrobes do far more than hang clothes. Most include a combination of internal shelving, short-hang and long-hang rails, and built-in drawers. A well-specified double wardrobe can handle the entire storage needs of a bedroom on its own, including the folded items that would otherwise go in a chest of drawers. If your wardrobe has two internal drawers and three shelves, you may not need a chest of drawers at all.

The key question with a wardrobe is whether the internal configuration matches how you actually store things. A wardrobe with only hanging rails is not much help if half your clothing is folded. When choosing, look carefully at what is inside the doors, not just at the external dimensions.

What a chest of drawers does well

A chest of drawers  is the right choice for folded clothing, bedding, accessories, and the kind of miscellaneous items that accumulate in a bedroom but do not need to be hung.

It also has a visual and practical advantage over a wardrobe in certain rooms. A chest of drawers sits lower, which keeps the room feeling more open. In a bedroom with a low ceiling or limited floor space, a wide chest of four or five drawers can provide significant storage capacity without the visual bulk of a tall wardrobe. It also leaves the wall above it free for artwork, a mirror, or simply breathing room.

If you rely primarily on built-in wardrobes for hanging storage, a well-chosen chest of drawers may genuinely be all the additional freestanding bedroom furniture you need.

The room size question

Room size is the most practical constraint. In a larger bedroom, having both a wardrobe and a chest of drawers is straightforward. There is enough floor space and wall length to accommodate both without the room feeling overwhelmed.

In a smaller bedroom, the same combination creates a room that functions as a corridor between pieces of furniture. The bed is in the middle, the wardrobe takes one wall, the chest of drawers takes another, and you are left with barely enough space to open the drawers fully.

The better approach in a smaller room is to choose one well-specified piece that handles as much of your storage as possible, and resist the impulse to fill every wall. A good-quality wardrobe with internal shelving and drawers will likely handle everything. If hanging clothing is minimal or you use a separate dressing room, a large chest of drawers may be sufficient on its own.

Reynolds carries both wardrobes and chest of drawers in a range of sizes and finishes at reynoldsfurniture.co.uk/storage/c22, including freestanding pieces and coordinated bedroom ranges.

Sliding doors versus hinged doors

If you have settled on a wardrobe, the door style is a practical consideration worth addressing early. Hinged doors require clear floor space in front of the wardrobe to open fully. In a room where the wardrobe sits opposite the bed or close to a window, hinged doors can be awkward to open without shuffling around them.

Sliding doors eliminate this problem entirely. The doors move laterally rather than swinging outward, which means you can place the wardrobe wherever the wall space is available without worrying about clearance. The trade-off is that sliding doors only ever reveal half the internal space at a time, which can make it slightly less convenient to see everything at once.

In a small bedroom, sliding door wardrobes are almost always the more practical option.

When both pieces make sense

There are situations where both a wardrobe and a chest of drawers are genuinely the right answer. A large bedroom with generous wall space and a household that has significant quantities of both hanging clothing and folded items will often benefit from both pieces. A family bedroom, where two people are sharing storage, typically needs more capacity than a single wardrobe can provide.

If you are buying both, consider buying from the same bedroom range at reynoldsfurniture.co.uk/storage/bedroom-ranges/c40 so the pieces coordinate properly. Matching the finish and hardware across pieces that sit in the same room makes the room feel more considered without any additional effort.

 

Come and look at the options in person

Reynolds Furniture carries wardrobes, chest of drawers, and full bedroom ranges in the showroom on Bognor Regis High Street. Seeing the internal configurations of a wardrobe in person, and comparing the proportions of different chest sizes against each other, makes the decision considerably easier than working from online descriptions. The team can also help you work through your room dimensions and what will actually fit.

FAQs

Do I need both a wardrobe and a chest of drawers?

Not necessarily. In a smaller bedroom, a well-specified wardrobe with internal shelving and drawers can handle everything. The question is whether your wardrobe has enough internal storage to make a separate chest of drawers redundant.

What is better for a small bedroom: a wardrobe or a chest of drawers?

It depends on what you need to store. If you have significant hanging clothing, a wardrobe is essential and the right one may replace the chest of drawers entirely. If most of your clothing is folded and you have built-in or fitted hanging space, a good chest of drawers may be all you need.

Should I get sliding or hinged doors on a wardrobe in a small room?

Sliding doors are usually more practical in smaller rooms because they do not require floor space in front of the wardrobe to open. Hinged doors need clear space to swing out, which can be restrictive in a compact room.

How many drawers do I actually need in a chest of drawers?

A four-drawer chest is enough for most people. A five or six-drawer chest provides significantly more capacity and suits a shared bedroom or a household with more clothing. Measure the height carefully and check that the piece fits under any windows or alongside other furniture before buying.

Can I buy a wardrobe and chest of drawers from the same range?

Yes. Reynolds carries several coordinated bedroom ranges where the wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside tables, and other pieces are designed to match. Browse the bedroom ranges at reynoldsfurniture.co.uk/storage/bedroom-ranges/c40.

 

 

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1st October 2026

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