Roma 4 Drawer Dresser: 90 x 45 x 85cm and the space in front of it

The Roma 4 Drawer Dresser is listed at 90 x 45 x 85cm. The size and the drawer count in its name are all the listing records, so this post covers what actually catches people out with a chest of drawers: not the footprint, but the space in front of it.

The figures, exactly as listed

The dimensions are unlabelled. Read as a chest of drawers they are 90cm wide, 45cm deep and 85cm tall. If your alcove is tight, ask us to confirm which figure is which.

Measure the room in front, not just the wall

The listing does not give the drawer travel. On a 45cm deep carcase allow roughly 40cm for it, and you have to stand clear while a drawer is open. So the real floor requirement is the 45cm of depth plus about 40cm of drawer plus somewhere to stand, which comes to around 110 to 120cm from the wall before the piece works properly.

That is the figure to check against:

• The side of a bed. A standard walkway beside a bed is often only 60 to 70cm. A chest of drawers facing into that gap means opening a drawer onto the mattress.
• A door swing. Open the bedroom door fully and mark where it stops. A dresser whose drawers meet the door is a dresser you will dislike.
• A wardrobe opposite. Two sets of doors or drawers facing each other across a narrow room will not both open at once.

At 90cm wide it suits the wall between a window and a corner where a 120cm piece would not go.

85cm is a standing height

85cm is just below a kitchen worktop and taller than a dining table, which makes the top a comfortable surface to use without bending. If you want a mirror above it, allow a gap of roughly 15 to 25cm between the top and the frame, which puts the frame at about 105cm from the floor and means hanging the glass high enough to see into standing up. Nothing in the listing mentions stability or an anti-tip fixing, so ask us if that matters in your house.

Four drawers, and what is not recorded

The name tells us there are four. The listing does not say whether they are equal depths or graded, whether they run on soft-closing runners, how far they open, or what weight they will take. It also records no material, no finish, no weight and nothing about assembly. It is filed in Mirrored Furniture, so judge the finish from the five photographs and put any question that matters to us directly. A short answer from the shop beats a confident guess in a blog post.

What it works with

Beside the bed, Roma Bedside Table - 3 Drawers is listed at 46 x 37 x 67cm and repeats the drawer front at a smaller scale. For a seated surface rather than a standing one, the Roma Dressing Table is the piece in the same family for that job, with the Roma Mirrored Stool as the matching seat, though neither listing gives dimensions, so ask us if the stool has to tuck underneath. If you need more length than 90cm and want cupboard space as well as drawers, compare the Roma 2 Door 2 Drawer Small Sideboard at 100 x 40 x 80cm.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Measure the floor space in front of the wall first, then see the Roma 4 Drawer Dresser page for the photographs and to order.