When a made-to-measure chest of drawers makes sense
Shops sell plenty of chests of drawers and bedside tables, and for a standard size they are hard to beat on price. Made to measure earns its place in the awkward spots: the 70 cm between the wardrobe and the window, a long low chest under a window sill, a chest that has to clear the AC pipe, or a bedroom set where the wardrobe, chest and bedside tables are one colour and one handle.
Typical sizes
Chest of four drawers
Usual size: 80 cm wide, 85 cm high, 45 cm deep
Long low chest
Usual size: 120–180 cm wide, 60–80 cm high
Tall narrow chest
Usual size: 50–60 cm wide, 110–130 cm high, fixed to the wall
Bedside table
Usual size: 45 cm wide, 55 cm high, 40 cm deep, on legs
| Piece | Usual size |
|---|---|
| Chest of four drawers | 80 cm wide, 85 cm high, 45 cm deep |
| Long low chest | 120–180 cm wide, 60–80 cm high |
| Tall narrow chest | 50–60 cm wide, 110–130 cm high, fixed to the wall |
| Bedside table | 45 cm wide, 55 cm high, 40 cm deep, on legs |
Drawers
Every drawer runs on soft-close runners and has a 3 mm bottom. You choose how many drawers go in each column and how high each one is: shallow ones at the top for small things, deep ones lower down for jumpers and bedding. Very wide drawers get heavy when full, so a long chest usually works better split into two or three columns.
A chest that is tall for its depth can tip forward when all the drawers are pulled out at once, which children love to do. The designer marks such pieces, and the workshop fixes them to the wall.
Bedside tables
A good bedside table sits about level with the top of the mattress, so measure your bed before you set the height. The usual start is a drawer and an open shelf on legs. In a small bedroom it can be narrower than any shop model, or hung on the wall to keep the floor clear for cleaning. Draw both sides in one design and they come out identical.
Materials
Carcass and drawer fronts are 18 mm melamine-faced chipboard, backs and drawer bottoms 3 mm board, visible edges banded in ABS. Colours and woodgrains are the same range as the wardrobes, so a whole bedroom can match.
How ordering works
- Measure the space and start from the chest template, or describe it: “chest of six drawers, 1.2 m wide, under the window”.
- Set the width, height, number of drawers, legs or plinth, colour and handles. The estimated price follows.
- Send the design. A partner workshop checks it, comes to measure, confirms the final price and makes it — delivered and assembled, delivered flat, or collected. You pay the workshop directly.
What to measure
The free width, the height of the window sill if the chest goes under it, the depth you can spare without blocking the door or the wardrobe doors, and for bedside tables the height of the mattress top.
Made to measure or ready-made
If a shop chest fits the space, it will usually cost less, and a bedside table is the piece where made to measure gains least. Order them made to measure when the size is odd, when you want them to match a wardrobe from the same workshop, or when you want more drawers than any ready-made model has.