Sinfonier, sifonier, or chiffonier. Whatever you call this piece of furniture, if you have it at home, you are aware of its benefits: functional, with storage, and perfect for any wasted corner. And no, it is not the same as a dresser!
WHAT IS CHIFFONIER?
Although there are some who defend that, in reality, they are comfortable with what we call in a more elegant way, they are not exactly the same. According to Wikipedia, a sinfonier (in his Castilian voice) “is a tall and narrow dresser that has drawers from top to bottom .” In fact, the first data on this piece of furniture dates back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And in recent years it has regained its predominant position, especially in bedrooms, due to its slim and narrow image, perfect for small spaces.
1. CHEST OF DRAWERS AND CHIFFONIER, HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
The first and most prominent difference is that the dresser is lower and has a lot more width and depth. It can even be used as a dressing table. Which is impossible with a chiffonier. First because of its height and then because of its narrowness, which means that the envelope can be used to put a couple of decorations at most. Also noteworthy is the large number of drawers they have, more than a chest of drawers, although narrower. Of course, many times one cannot live without the other and there are many bedrooms in which both pieces of furniture make up for the lack of closet space.
The term chiffonier is the Spanish voice of the French ‘chiffonnier’ and this word comes from chiffon, which means rags. Taking this into account, it is easy to think that, originally, it was conceived as a piece of furniture in which to store rags, scraps, and small objects that had no other place to store.
It is true that the chiffonier (chiffonier for the most purists) is a piece of furniture designed for the bedroom. Either to give use to a wasted corner or because you have to give up placing a more voluminous chest of drawers.
Now that the chiffoniers have been reinstalled in the deco world and, in addition, taking full advantage of them, there are new designs that unite concepts. Like this chiffonier that wants to be a closet. Or is it a closet that wants to be a chiffonier? In any case, it is a functional cabinet with drawers with many possibilities. For this reason, it has also been installed in other rooms, as we see in the image. Its narrow drawers are perfect for storing table linens, for example.
Although the history of the chiffonier is long, there are currently many models that adapt to new trends and styles. In fact, it is common to find this piece of furniture with the upper drawers somewhat narrower than the rest, like this chest from IKEA. They are well suited for storing lingerie, jewelry, or some small items.
