the.com/chiffonier
a tall chest of drawers that climbed the social ladder by adding a mirror.
means A tall, narrow chest of drawers, often topped with a mirror, used for storing clothes or linens.
from From the French chiffonnier, literally a 'rag-picker' or 'rag-gatherer,' built on chiffon, 'rag' (a diminutive of chiffe, 'rag, scrap of cloth'). The same root that names flimsy chiffon fabric also named a humble piece of furniture for tucking away odds and ends — bits of cloth, ribbons, scraps — which the word entered English to describe in the 18th century. So a chiffonier began life, etymologically, as the place where you stashed your rags.
- french roots
- Named for chiffon, French for rags and scraps
- original job
- Stored sewing odds, not fancy lingerie
- mirror upgrade
- Added a swing mirror to outclass plain dressers
- victorian darling
- Bedroom status symbol across 19th-century England
- easily confused
- Often mistaken for the seated chiffonniere desk
chippendale chiffonier — 18th century english furniture style featuring narrow tall chest of drawers with curved legs and ornamental carving
hepplewhite chiffonier — late 18th century english design with tapered legs and inlaid decoration, popularized by furniture maker george hepplewhite