Vintage Home Furniture

How can you tell if a vintage piece of furniture is a buffet or a dresser?

I have my great great aunt's buffet but my husband thinks it just a dresser. It was prob bought before the 40's.... like I said it's my great great aunt's buffet- and I am 29. It has been passed down through my family as buffet but it does look like a dresser. It's very large- cherry wood finish and it's all drawers. It's all pull out drawers like a dresser. It does NOT have the tall side drawers that open up to a shelf. It's a huge piece of funiture that is very long but also wide. It only has small feet at the botton- like a dresser, my old buffet had long skinny legs before. I know I can make it be a dresser or a buffet if I so choose but I was wondering is there a way to tell the difference? Any buffet information would greatly help! Or I might have a dresser in my dining room!! LOL Thanks!!

Public Comments

1. If it can sub for a china closet, you can use it as a buffet.
2. Contact Bob Brooke's Antiques Almanac website. He has a contact link where you can submit a photo and ask whether it is a buffet or dresser. He probably could tell you a lot of other interesting info, too. Good luck.
3. Are any of the drawers lined with felt or other material? If so, probably a buffet, as a drawer for silverware is usually lined. Any drawers made or lined with cedar? If so, probably a dresser, as sweaters and other woolens were stored in cedar drawers or chests. Hope this helps, good luck!
4. buffets are more short and longer than dressers, but its only furniture it can be used the best way u see fit.