Accent chests serve double duty in the home. They can put the final touch on your décor and elevate the style in any room, but they also provide storage space and flat surfaces to hold pictures and other items. When you look around and just know that a room needs a little something, that something is often an accent chest or cabinet.
There are multiple types of accent chests with traditional designs. Your choice should reflect your intended use for the furniture beyond adding a bit of style to your home. Functional use is important as well.
Some of the more popular types of traditional accent chests include:
Chairside chests are typically smaller and shorter, allowing you to reach the tabletop easily from an armchair or recliner. Serving chests have larger doors that open to ample storage space, so you can use them for things besides serving tea or wine. Console, hobby, and colonial cabinets tend to have the most drawers to hold smaller items.
Don’t allow the name of an accent chest to determine how you might use it in your home. Think about the placement of the chest or cabinet, and then come up with functional ways you could use a piece of furniture in that location. If you want to hide stacks of magazines or books while keeping them within easy reach, you may find the large open compartment of a serving cabinet just right.
If you want something small that you can tuck into a corner, you have many options. Small accent chests and cabinets come in a variety of colors and tend to have a couple drawers and small tabletop. They’re designed more for style than functional use, but you can find many ways to make them useful.
