As much as we value a spacious closet, having a high-quality dresser is equally helpful. Whether your closet’s overflowing with jeans and sweaters and you need a new storage solution, or you’re looking for a designated home for your socks and undergarments, a dresser is a smart piece of furniture to invest in. Though finding the perfect design for you ultimately depends on your space, interiors style, and budget, there are some factors that’ll help guide your search. For starters, it’s important to consider what type of clothing, accessories, or items you want to store, says Justin McMahon, the home furnishing business leader for bedrooms at Ikea. This should give you a rough idea of how many drawers you’ll need so you can start your search with a plan.
To help you find the perfect dresser for your space, we rounded up our favorite picks from Target, Amazon, West Elm, and Wayfair, among others, and detailed why we love them. Whether you’re looking for a dresser that’s affordable, stylish, space-saving, or all the above, we’ve found your match. But first, we compiled more need-to-know details to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a dresser, per McMahon, to help make finding one that checks all your boxes a breeze. Read the tips below before diving into our top 14 styles of 2023.
What to Look For When Shopping For a Dresser
First figure out exactly how much space you’re working with, says McMahon. Though it sounds obvious, it’s important to have specific measurements in mind when shopping for a dresser, which will ultimately save you the headache of it being too big or small. This is a great time to consider whether to get a wide or tall dresser, the former of which is more traditional and the latter of which is more space-saving.
Once you zero in on your desired dimensions, there are a few details that might affect whether you dislike or love a dresser. McMahon advises looking for a piece with “smooth-running drawers,” AKA great hardware. Without this, you run the risk of it being noisy or difficult to open, which you’re bound to become frustrated with in the future. (Pro tip: If you’re shopping online and not in real life, search the reviews section for feedback on this detail.)
Two other features to look for: drawers that close softly rather than slam shut and drawers that are practical. Some food for thought regarding the latter? “A deep drawer is great, but if it’s hard to reach the folded clothing in the back, that can be very annoying,” McMahon says. It might be hard to visualize this if you’re shopping for a dresser IRL, but this is an example of where you can use shopper reviews to your benefit. Lucky for you, the dressers we’ve selected have a ton of ’em.
McMahon suggests scooping up drawer dividers to help organize your socks, underwear, and other essentials in a way that’d made Marie Kondo proud. And lastly, battery-operated drawer lights are a must. “They’re motion activated, so you can get items out of your drawers without turning on room lights and disturbing your sleeping partner,” says McMahon. As you might guess, you can purchase both recommendations at McMahon’s place of employment and affordable home goods paradise, Ikea.
What Makes a Quality Dresser?
The word “quality” is highly subjective based on your budget and preferences, but solid wood dressers are universally considered some of the most long lasting. Many are an investment but are likely to last longer than less-expensive wood veneer, though McMahon deems it a “great alternative” nonetheless. “You get the look and feel of solid wood without the full price tag,” he says.
Ready to see our favorite dressers? Keep reading to see the choices we gathered based on McMahon’s advice and extensive market research.