Chest of Drawers Buying Guide for AU Bedrooms

A chest of drawers is usually the second most expensive piece of furniture in the bedroom after the bed itself, and it is the piece that takes the most daily wear. Drawers get yanked open, slammed shut, and loaded with heavy winter knits for years on end. This guide covers how to size a chest of drawers for a real Australian bedroom, how many drawers you actually need for what you own, and what separates a chest that lasts twenty years from one that starts sagging at year two.

The 30 second answer

For most Aussie master bedrooms, a 6-drawer chest (three rows of two, around 100 cm wide) is the default and covers two people’s folded clothing. For a second bedroom or smaller room, a 4-drawer tallboy around 50 to 70 cm wide uses less floor space. Always check drawer depth (front to back) against what you actually store, and make sure the piece is built from solid timber with dovetail or dowelled joinery and proper drawer runners.

Chest of drawers, tallboy, dresser, or bedside: what each one is for

The category is used loosely, and different stores label the same piece differently. Here is how we use the terms at Oak Furniture Store so you can shop with confidence.

A fully-kitted bedroom usually has two bedsides, one chest of drawers or tallboy, and either a wardrobe or a second storage piece. If you want to build the room up in stages, start with the bedsides and the chest, then add wardrobes or a blanket box later.

How to size a chest of drawers for your bedroom

Measure the wall you intend to place the chest against, then subtract clearance for the bed, the bedsides, and anything else already in the room. A chest of drawers needs around 75 cm of floor clearance in front of it so a full drawer can be pulled open and someone can stand there to fish out a jumper.

Master (12 m²+)

Second bedroom (9 to 12 m²)

Single or kids’ room (under 9 m²)

If you already have a wardrobe, you can size down the chest accordingly. The full bedroom storage equation is hanging space plus drawer space; most Aussies need 4 to 6 drawers in addition to hanging space for a full wardrobe of clothes.

How many drawers do you actually need

A good way to size drawer count is to open the wardrobe you already have and count categories of folded clothing. Most people need drawer space for these five categories:

1. Socks, underwear, and smalls (one shallow drawer)
2. T-shirts and tops (one drawer)
3. Jumpers, hoodies, and heavier knits (one deep drawer)
4. Jeans, trousers, and shorts (one drawer)
5. Pyjamas, gym wear, and seasonal overflow (one drawer)

That is five drawers per person. A 6-drawer chest comfortably handles one adult with room to spare, or two adults sharing if the categories are consolidated. For couples who want separate drawers each, look at a 9-drawer or a pair of tallboys.

Kids add a sixth category (school uniforms) but use less volume per item, so a 4-drawer tallboy usually handles a single child up to early teens.

What makes a chest of drawers actually last

Chests take more daily stress than almost any other bedroom piece. The difference between one that lasts twenty years and one that starts drooping in two comes down to four construction details. Ask about these before you buy.

Drawer joinery

The front, back, and sides of each drawer need to be properly joined or they will loosen over time. Dovetail joints (interlocking wedges) are the gold standard and the sign of a piece built to last. Dowelled joints (wooden pegs in drilled holes) are also strong. Avoid staples or nail-only construction, which works loose within a few years of daily use.

Drawer runners

The runner is what the drawer slides on. Timber-on-timber runners (the traditional method) age beautifully in solid wood chests. Metal ball-bearing runners open more smoothly and support more weight, which is useful for lower drawers loaded with heavy jumpers. Either is fine; avoid plastic tabs masquerading as runners.

Drawer backing and base

Lift out a drawer in the showroom and check the base. A solid or plywood base that sits in a grooved channel will hold up. A thin hardboard base stapled to the bottom of the sides will bow under a winter jumper load.

Material through the whole piece

A chest described as "solid oak" can still have drawer sides and backs made of MDF or chipboard. Ask whether the drawer boxes are solid timber too. At Oak Furniture Store, our chests are 100% solid oak including the drawer sides and bases, which is why they outlast MDF pieces by decades. The reasoning on this is laid out in detail in our guide on particle board versus solid wood furniture.

Solid oak versus painted versus veneered

You will see three common finishes on chests of drawers in AU. Each has a different lifespan and each looks different after five years of wear.

Solid oak with an oil or lacquer finish

Shows the grain, ages with warmth, can be sanded and refinished if the top gets scratched. The most forgiving option over a twenty-year horizon because the timber itself is the finish; there is nothing to chip off.

Painted chest (solid timber base)

Clean and on-trend in white, sage, navy, or dusky pink. Paint chips on corners and drawer edges after a few years of daily use, but the underlying solid timber can be stripped and repainted. Picks up fashion trends; also loses fashion trends.

Oak veneer on MDF

The cheapest of the three. Looks fine on day one. Within five years the veneer lifts on drawer fronts and corners where hands touch it most. Water rings mark permanently. No path to refinish.

For a piece you expect to outlast your current house, solid oak is the right spend. For a staging piece in a rental, painted solid timber is the compromise call. Skip veneer-on-MDF unless the price difference is genuinely significant.

Pairing the chest with the rest of the bedroom

A chest of drawers feels right in a room when at least one other piece picks up the same timber or finish. The usual pairings:

• Matching bedside tables on either side of the bed. Keeps the timber tone consistent across the three main storage pieces and unifies the room.
• A blanket box or ottoman at the end of the bed. Same timber, different silhouette. Adds soft storage for spare bedding and breaks up the vertical lines of the chest.
• A wardrobe in the same finish. If the wardrobe is built-in, echo the timber tone in the bedsides and the chest instead.
• A dressing table or mirror above the chest. Turn a low 6-drawer chest into a dressing station by adding a large mirror directly above it.

You can browse full bedroom pairings in our bedroom collection, or check out matching bedside tables, wardrobes, blanket boxes, and dressing tables individually.

If the dining room is your next project, our dining table and dining chair sizing guide applies the same pairing logic to dining furniture.

Three common chest of drawers buying mistakes

1. Buying too narrow for the wall. A 70 cm tallboy against a 3 m wall looks stranded. Match the chest width to roughly one third of the wall, or bring it into proportion with a second piece of furniture beside it.
2. Ignoring drawer depth. A 35 cm deep drawer will not hold folded jumpers flat. Check drawer depth before committing; 45 to 50 cm is the comfortable minimum for jumpers and jeans.
3. Not checking drawer weight capacity. Cheap chests start sticking when the bottom drawer is loaded with winter knits. Solid timber chests with proper runners handle 15 to 20 kg per drawer without complaint.

Where to buy a chest of drawers in AU

Oak Furniture Store carries 100% solid oak chests of drawers, tallboys, bedside tables, wardrobes, and matching bedroom pieces across a range of finishes from neutral oak through to rustic and painted options. You can see the joinery and pull every drawer at our Auckland showroom, or order nationwide with confidence online. In-stock chests ship free across Australia, and our Lowest Price Guarantee means if you find the same genuine hardwood chest of drawers cheaper elsewhere, we will match the price. Start with our full chest of drawers collection.

Frequently asked questions

What is the standard size of a chest of drawers?

A standard 6-drawer chest in AU is around 100 cm wide, 45 cm deep, and 90 cm tall. Tallboys run narrower (50 to 70 cm wide) and taller (up to 150 cm). Dressers run wider (130 to 180 cm) and lower (around 80 cm).

How many drawers does a couple need?

Most couples sharing a bedroom need 6 to 9 drawers of clothing storage in addition to hanging space. A 6-drawer chest plus two bedsides (each with 2 to 3 drawers) covers this. Couples who want full drawer separation benefit from a 9-drawer chest or a pair of tallboys.

Is a tallboy better than a chest of drawers in a small AU bedroom?

Usually yes. A tallboy uses vertical wall space that would otherwise sit empty and keeps the floor open, which makes a small room feel larger. The trade-off is the top drawer ends up too high for small children to reach; not a problem for adult-only rooms.

How do I tell a solid oak chest from a veneer chest?

Pull a drawer out and look at the inside of the drawer sides, the back of the drawer, and the underside of the top. If the grain continues consistently across all surfaces (including the hidden ones), it is solid timber. If the back or inside surfaces change to a flat, uniform colour or a different material, there is veneer or MDF underneath.

What is dovetail joinery and why does it matter?

Dovetail joinery is where the drawer front and drawer sides interlock like wedges. It is the strongest way to join timber at a right angle and lets a drawer handle decades of daily use without the sides pulling away from the front. It is the single most reliable signal of a well-made chest.

Should I buy a chest of drawers that matches my bed and bedsides exactly?

Matching works, but it is not mandatory. The safer rule is that at least two of the three pieces (bed, bedsides, chest) should share the same timber tone and finish. The third can be a different silhouette or even a different timber for contrast, as long as the undertones line up.