Nine Uncommon Pieces of Home Furniture to Consider Buying
Furniture stores offer a wide range of home furnishings to help make your life more comfortable. Sofas and dining room tables are found in most homes, but many other items have become more obscure. Here are nine uncommon pieces of furniture to consider adding to your home.
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Console Table
A console table is a wide, shallow table often placed against a wall in an entranceway or behind a sofa. People would use the console table to set small objects during the day, such as mail or remote controls.
Most console tables include a surface supported by a set of brackets and a base instead of four legs. The design is made for placement against a flat surface and does not typically include drawers or additional shelves.
While a console table is not a common piece of modern furniture, it is a convenient way to add shelving to a home.
Media Chests
Media chests have become less common as more people choose to hang their TVs on the wall or ditch the TV altogether. A media chest resembles a dresser with several rows of drawers but includes an open shelf on top. The open shelf is intended to store your DVD/Blu-Ray player, VCR, and cable boxes.
Using a media chest may create a cleaner look in your living room or bedroom, even if you choose to mount your TV on the wall. You can still use the open shelf to hold any electronics connected to your TV while the top surface remains clutter-free.
Gentleman’s Chest
A gentleman’s chest is a classic piece of furniture that resembles an armoire or a large wardrobe with dresser drawers and a cabinet. The cabinet is tall enough for hanging pants, suit jackets, and other clothing.
The typical gentleman’s chest includes a wardrobe cabinet on the left or right side with a column of small drawers on the opposite side. The bottom half includes two or three drawers spanning the width of the chest.
If you have a small wardrobe and limited space, a gentleman’s chest may make sense. It can hold several changes of outfits that require hanging and includes drawers for the rest of your clothing.
Lingerie Chest
A lingerie chest is a tall dresser with a single column of drawers. Most lingerie chests include five or more drawers. Some may also include a taller cabinet on top for hanging garments.
The small drawers were initially intended for storing lingerie but are useful for a variety of functions. You may use a lingerie chest as a pantry or for extra storage in a living room or bedroom. A lingerie chest also works well as an alternative to a filing cabinet in a home office.
Magazine Racks
Magazine racks were a common sight in most homes throughout the 20th century. Most racks include a tiered design with multiple rows for maximizing storage space and displaying the front of the magazines. As fewer people read physical magazines, these racks became less popular.
A magazine rack is still a great way to display books and magazines. You may also find that it helps keep children’s books and magazines organized in a playroom.
Rolltop Desks
Rolltop desks include multiple compartments and drawers for storing items of varying sizes. These desks typically include several larger drawers below the desktop and a stack of pigeonholes and smaller drawers on top.
Rolltop desks also include a wood cover that you can roll down to cover the desktop and hide the upper compartments. You can leave items out on the desk and quickly cover things up for a clean, tidy appearance.
Rolltop desks were designed for quickly writing correspondence or checking your mail. However, a rolltop desk is still a useful piece of furniture due to the variety of drawers and shelves.
Hutches
A furniture store can sometimes still sell hutches, but these large pieces of furniture are becoming less common. A hutch is a set of shelves or drawers that rests on top of a chest or dresser. The lower half includes dresser drawers, while the upper half includes shelves or drawers.
Daybeds
A daybed is a piece of furniture intended for lounging during the middle of the day. Daybeds were typically included in formal living rooms and parlours. You can think of a daybed as a cross between a bed and a sofa. You can sit on it or stretch out and take a nap.
Curio Cabinets
Curio cabinets are display cabinets for all your curios. A curio is a rare or unusual object, such as your prized knickknacks and baubles.
Most curio cabinets are tall and slim. They also include one or more sets of glass doors. The interior of the cabinet includes multiple shelves for arranging your objects. It is essentially a bookcase with greater spacing between shelves. The shelves may also be made from glass, making it easier for light to penetrate each area of the cabinet.
