Dresser

Both our house and both AC's houses are furnished almost entirely with furniture that can, dependig on the item, be described as refurbished junk. second hand or antique.

DGD is following in the family line, she has redorated and repainted the furniture in her bedroom several times and is into vintage clothes as well. She is now 15, which if DD is anything to go b,y means that sometime in the next year she will go out and buy her first piece of secondhand furniture.

Thanks for the furniture education - it makes sense now.

We would call these a china cabinet, and very rarely would you find one with open shelves, here they all have glass door on top. I had a look around our on-line furniture shops and it seems the trend now is side-board or buffet tables with no shelves or cupboards on top.

Grannyrebel, if you end up finding one and refurbishing it, please post again with an update!

Look for used furniture shops in your nearby larger town or city. I sourced a chest of drawers for my daughter when she was just in her first apartment from a used store. They had some junk, but also some good quality older furniture.

I have just seen a big one on my local freecycle - it's repro in this case but worth a look.
Also Gumtree.

If you would like a new one I can recommend oak furniture land. I have a lovely dresser from them with two shelves two cupboards and assorted small drawers which are so useful. They do them in different widths and slightly different colours of oak or oak and cream/grey. Lovely quality and good service. Not super cheap but not hugely expensive either, I feel it was good value for money.

Just remembered that my neighbour many years ago had a dresser that had a space for hot coals in it! It was designed for a fancy dining room. She had been a maid in a great house and was gifted it at some point. It was totally incongruous in her tiny cottage but she really loved it.

Grannyrebel7 I bought two very solid chests of drawers for the bedroom from a BHF furniture shop for about £40 a few years ago, so they may be worth a visit. I stripped them down, took the legs off and restained them.

Sadly most of what they sell in their shops these days is quite modern and not very solid, and a lot of the good stuff is sold online so it might be worth taking a look at their website.

The "Welsh" type dresser was known in the 1600s I believe.
I have a dresser in my sitting room of that age.
In my kitchen (just to be awkward) I have a Scottish linen cupboard and an English school cupboards.

I suppose we put things where we like them these days!

We had a yew wood dresser years ago in the dining room for the sole purpose of storing silverware, crockery, candles, napkins which, I suppose were used to dress the table. This could be where the name came from CanadianGran

Now we have a less formal set up of a dining kitchen with no need for a kitchen dresser. ?

The word 'dresser' is derived from the French word 'dressoir' described in a number of sources as: French Furniture: a cabinet of the 18th century, having a number of shallow shelves for dishes over a base with drawers and closed cupboards.

'In medieval times the dressoir, as it was termed, stood in the grandest halls. Sometimes painted and gilded, sometimes ornately carved and draped in sumptuous textiles, this was an imposing, high-status object on which silver, plate, flagons of wine, spices and food were laid out.'

'In France, the number of shelves a dressoir had reflected the status of the owner. In the most stately houses steps were needed to reach the upper level' www.homesandantiques.com/antiques/the-history-of-the-dresser/

There must be a connection between the dresser, where the meat was dressed for cooking, and the expression "mutton dressed as lamb". It is not that the wrinkly old mutton is wearing clothes more suitable to a slim and beautiful young woman, but that the tough stringy meat has been made to look and (hopefully) taste like tender spring lamb flesh. The diners won't be fooled for long.

I think a dresser was originally furniture for the kitchen, not for the dining-room. After the meat was cooked, it would be brought into the diningroom to sit on the shelf to the side of the table (the sideboard) to be carved and served up onto plates.

There is a cooking expresion, to "dress" meat or poultry to get it ready for cooking. Perhaps a dresser was where you stood to do this?

Why would you have dining furniture called a dresser? It is not used for dressing, is it? Curious.

The word 'dresser' for table is an old French word I think from C15 or thereabouts, for a place to prepare food. Although it's a long time since they were used for anything except display (as in Welsh dresser). I think the 'dresser' meaning to dress is later.

Try Facebook market place seen a few for sale

They aren't cheap but they are extremely well made

www.cotswoldco.com/dining-room-furniture/dressers/

I wish i hadn't logged on there though as I now want to buy one of their bedspreads

If you want new the cotswold company do some really nice stuff and you can pay extra for someone to assemble it and put it in its correct place.

I’d look for 2nd hand, either online or in charity or junk/antique shops.

Canadiangran, they’re often put in kitchens, too.
There’s a Kitchen Dresser company here - beautiful ones in a choice of painted colours/woods - pricey though!

Etsy, ebay or if looking to upcycle yourself gumtree, Facebook market place, pre loved..... all our furniture is from these sites lately as I love mid century furniture

Dressing the table?

I had a look at the link provided B9Exchange, and have discovered another word used differently in Uk than Canada.

What you call a dresser we would call a china hutch or cabinet (although cabinets usually have glass doors). A dresser to us is a bedroom furniture to store clothing (a chest of drawers I think you would call it.

Why would you have dining furniture called a dresser? It is not used for dressing, is it? Curious.

Some larger charity shops stock furniture. It's always worth it to have a quick look if you're passing! From Ebay I have had a bureau, a small coffee table and a nest of tables. In total, only about £50.

Old furniture is by far the best - if you look at the way it is put together, there is no comparison with today's glued and stapled offerings. Most of my furniture is second hand, bought from ebay, small ads, or antique shops. The grain and patina of the wood are a pleasure to behold. Good luck with your search!

Thanks everyone. I hadn't thought of ebay or Etsy. Will take a look.

ebay or your local auction house.

Antique shop/ centre or antique fair. Brown furniture has dropped in price, so you may not have to pay too much now.