The Quest For A Dresser

In the quest for a dresser, I’ve spent years looking for a good one that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. This week I finally ordered two.

So let’s play a guessing game. Try to choose which style dresser I ordered for my bedroom without looking at the selection at the bottom.

My Green Dresser:

The green dresser next to my bed holds all my linens, because there is no linen closet. My towels are stored in my closet, because there’s no room in my bathroom to put them.

I found the aforementioned green one at a garage sale on my way to see Andrew and Kasi in 2015. I paid $60 for it and hauled it home in my SUV.

Later I painted it the shade of green it is now. And then went on to paint other pieces of furniture that same shade of green.

The only other dresser I have, which is white, has three drawers that are around 24-30 inches across by about 10 inches deep. But one won’t open.

It was one of those you assemble yourself that I’d found at Wayfair about 6-7 years ago.

In the Quest for a Dresser: Is it Dresser #1?

I store my gowns and pajamas in one of those cheap plastic drawers on wheels from Walmart. It’s in my closet.

I’ve been biding my time, waiting to find a used dresser that I can afford and/or be able to transport. Or hoping to find one online that looks promising.

These days it’s hard to find and buy solid wood furniture. Even at the high end stores. Believe me, I’ve spend an inordinate amount of time online searching at every store imaginable.

Is it Dresser #2?

Lordy Pete, why on earth is it so hard to locate a dresser that is wood instead of that laminated and engineered stuff?

Unfortunately, one of the most common and toxic chemicals used in engineered wood is formaldehyde. And it is a known carcinogen that can affect the respiratory system.

What is Formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, even at low levels. It has a distinct odor that you can smell at very low concentrations.

It’s a volatile organic compound (VOC) that means that it vaporizes gases at room temperature. Which can cause harmful health effects.

Most people think of formaldehyde as what mortuaries use for embalming.

But this colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical is used in building multiple materials. And in producing many household products.

Formaldehyde is present in nail polishes, hair-smoothing products, body wash, and various makeup products. It won’t say formaldehyde is in the ingredients.

Common formaldehyde releasers that you are likely to see in a product will be listed as DMDM hydantoin, methylene glycol, quaternium 15, and 3 dioxane. Formaldehyde gives makeup a longer shelf life. In other words, it’s used as a preservative.

So if you wear makeup, look for makeup that says it’s formaldehyde-free.

Where is Formaldehyde Found?

• Pressed-wood products (plywood, particle board, paneling)
• Foam insulation
• Wallpaper and paints
• Some synthetic fabrics (example: permanent press)
• Some cosmetics and personal products

Other Sources of Formaldehyde:

Automobile exhaust is a major source of formaldehyde in outdoor air.

Using un-vented fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, wood-burning stoves, and kerosene heaters can raise formaldehyde levels indoors.

Formaldehyde is a component of tobacco smoke. Both people who smoke and those breathing secondhand smoke are exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde.

Now Back To Looking For A Dresser:

For the last few weeks I’ve really been on the hunt in the quest for a dresser. I’m tired of storing my things here, there, and everywhere. And then forgetting

I’ve sat for hours and hours looking at Amazon and Wayfair and Overstock and many, many more sites.

When I see something I halfway like, I scroll down to see what it’s made out of. And then I go to the reviews.

Is it Dresser #3?

There’s hardly a piece of furniture out there that you don’t have to put together. And I suck at putting furniture together. I really do.

In the quest for a dresser, I found a couple of small dressers on Amazon and ordered them. Then I got cold feet and cancelled the order.

Two would have been around $500, and then I would have had to put them together.

Finally I found a couple of smallish dressers at a company I’d never heard of. It’s called Living Spaces, and there is a store in Oklahoma City.

It was a bit more than I wanted to spend. But I also didn’t want to buy something that lasted a few years and then fell apart.

As happened with the chest of drawers where only two drawers will open.

Is it Dresser #4 in the Quest for a Dresser?

After seeing where neighbor Lisa put her dresser in her new downstairs apartment, I decided to try her bedroom arrangement.

I put the green dresser along the wall where the doorway to the bedroom is located.

Is it Dresser #5?

Well, I had no idea it was going to be so hard to buy a dresser.

And yes, I checked in town, and much of the stuff in furniture stores is made out of particle board or engineered wood, etc. No matter how high end the stores are.

So unless I just got lucky and randomly ran across a pair of dressers, I didn’t think I was ever going to find them.

The dressers will arrive on August 9th, already assembled. And the shipping is free.

They’re made of pine and pine veneers. I wish they were solid wood with no veneer. But alas, I could not find any at a price point I could afford.

In the Quest for a Dresser: The Nate Berkus & Jeremiah Brent Collection:

What I found and ordered is from the Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent collection, and the item was being discontinued. Each dresser was $200 off the regular price. Still, the dressers were $450 a piece.

Is it Dresser #6?

But I finally bit the bullet. I read the reviews and was satisfied with the fact that they were already fully assembled. And the dressers had four and a half stars. So I ordered them and didn’t change my mind that time.

Having them already assembled is a huge plus. However the delivery people will have to take them out of the box outside because the box is 39 inches and my door is less than 36 inches.

In the Quest for a Dress: It is Dresser #3!

So now you know which dressers I ordered. And when they get here and I do a bit of fluffing in my bedroom, I’ll show them to you.

Oh my, I’ll finally have more drawer space! I’ve always lacked adequate drawer space. And I don’t buy a lot of clothing, so it isn’t that.

I’ve made no real changes to my bedroom since I moved in, so it will look a little different. There’s only one way you can place the bed in the bedroom, so that won’t change.

I’ve done next to nothing in my bathroom. So there will be styling of some variety in these two areas.

There’s not a whole lot that can be done with the rental bathroom. Even the bathroom sink was sprayed with that stuff they used to cover the countertops. That ugly speckled stuff.

I don’t even have a white sink to work with. So I don’t know what I can do in there that would make much difference. I do have a new shower curtain to put up, however.

So we’ll see what I can manage to come up with.