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View Full Version : Furniture Advice™ requested.


Banana
2008-05-18, 20:28
I'm a bit frustrated trying to find a right kind of dresser. I've had no problem getting bookcases or table as the requisites are relatively simple: They have to be able to stand and hold up some weights.

But with dressers, it's much more complicated, and my search tend to be fruitless. Few problems I have with dressers:

1) The bottom part of drawers are usually razor thin and not very firmly attached; has a tendency to bottom out.
2) I have no idea what sliding mechanism works best and longer; it tends to fall apart no matter what it may be.
3) It can never quite fit. I have long pants and extra-tall shirts which can't lie flat in the drawer because it's not long enough and thus result in clothing crunch which leads to its own set of problems.
4) I am struck with indecisiveness regarding the depth- if it's too narrow, I would be lucky to fit in one pair of cargo pant and I have several pairs, OTOH, a deep drawer means it may be never found ever again!
5) The act of removing a clothing from dresser, especially if it's compounded with clothing crunch and other problems instantly guarantees that whenever I put my dresser in order, it only takes one removal to destroy the order.

I've wondered about alternatives; I already hang a majority of my shirts, but for some clothing it's much easier if I could just fold it up and put it away tidily and have it easy to get out. But gawd, I have been looking for months and can't find what strikes me as right.

So, does anyone have a brilliant insight they would like to endow upon this poor little soul?

Danke!

ghoti
2008-05-18, 21:00
Hanging is the way to go. I can't imagine folding up my shirts and pants. Hanging, they're easily accessible, they don't wrinkle, and I can always fit a few more in than I thought I could.

Give me a drawer for my socks and underwear, and maybe a shelf or another drawer for t-shirts and a place to hang the rest - or give me death :p

Banana
2008-05-18, 21:14
I take it you have a walk-in closet with oodles of bars to hang your stocks?

Ah, decadent luxury!

Besides, I don't own house so I have no guarantee that I will always have ample space so need some kind of system that I can take along with me. Also, while hanging works great for shirts, it's not as hot for pants and I would rather fold it up and put it away than diving into the closet floor to find the pant that fell off the hanger. :)

JohnnyTheA
2008-05-20, 00:18
For everything but shirts, dressers are very useful. Get one with multiple drawers of different depths so you store pants in the deep ones and socks and underwear in the shallow ones. If you can afford it, get solid wood, preferably a hard wood like oak or maple. Solid hard wood is VERY expensive but will probably last the rest of your life. Make sure it is totally solid wood with no particle boards with cheap plastic veneers.

If you don't have a lot of money, go to Ikea. They have lots of euro "space saving" furniture. Most of what they sell is low to mid quality but is so cheap its worth it.

JTA

k squared
2008-05-20, 22:01
IKEA is actually moving towards a lot of all wood furniture and it appears to be of higher quality than the stuff I remember from a couple years ago.

Banana, have you thought about having something custom made?

Banana
2008-05-20, 22:33
IKEA was my first stop, but didn't quite meet all of my criteria.

I did flirt with that idea, but two main problems: 1) I don't have power tools, and the investment would set me back. Not that I won't ever need it for future projects, but I do not have the money to make this kind of investment just yet whereas the need for a serviceable furniture is quite pressing. 2) I couldn't quite decide on what sliding mechanism would be the best...

Yontsey
2008-05-20, 22:48
Kind of on the topic.

I have a real nice 6 draw dresser that's solid wood. The bad thing is, it makes the clothes you put in their smell a lil weird. I'm assuming it's from the wood.

Is there anything I could do to eliminate that odor it gives off? I was gonna just use it for storage and by another one so I could use it for my clothes.

Any suggestions? I've been meaning to ask for awhile now.

dmegatool
2008-05-20, 23:07
I really don't know the exact word for this but I'll try to explain as it's pretty simple.

You could put some kind of plactic on the bottom of drawers. You know... the ones that you can easily apply/stick. I heard that you got some of them that are parfumed. I guess they are made for that kind of situation. If not, what's the point. Anyway, jJust a suggestion...

Banana
2008-05-20, 23:19
I believe they're called contact sheets, sometime drawer sheets.

k squared
2008-05-21, 21:37
I did flirt with that idea, but two main problems...

Sorry, I meant what about having a wood shop fabricate something for you? To keep costs down, it can be delivered unfinished, with you doing the final painting/staining.

BuonRotto
2008-05-21, 21:55
You might try an unfinished furniture place. Consider better closet organization, where one part may have many smaller shelves to let you fold some stuff, and use the other 1/3-4/5 of the closet for hanging things. A well-organized closet is probably ideal, especially if it's a walk-in.

#1 The problem with #1 is that it's pressboard usually. Wood furniture avoids this by using... wood usually.

#2 The best slides are metal tracks with ball-bearing wheels, preferably with bumpers or springs at the ends to avoid the "thunk" problem.

#3 You need a men's bureau or armoire, not a dresser per se.

#4 hang pants and button-down shirts. pullover shirts and jeans are optional to hang, and go fine on a shelf or in a drawer.

#5 don't use drawers then, use short shelves. You can see what you want to wear and by having several and not so tall, you avoid the pulling-the-fifth-shirt-down-and-messing-up-the-four-above-it problem. Stack three things at most. Again, armoires and men's bureaus are good for this sort of thing, or a custom closet.