There are several different ways to spell the word "chifferobe," but they all refer to the same thing. The alternate spellings change the letter in the middle: it may be "chifforobe" or "chiffarobe." However it's spelled, the word refers to a simple piece of bedroom furniture that is a hybrid of two standard types of clothing storage furniture. Does this Spark an idea?
Chiffonier
A chiffonier is a French word for chest of drawers.
Half of the word chifforobe comes from the French word for a tall, narrow chest of drawers, the word "chiffonier." In the native tongue, this means "rag gatherer" or something to that effect. They're used in a variety of places, and are perfect for placing storage in spaces where there's not a lot of room.The chifforobe takes these tall and thin drawers from that particular item of furniture, and attaches them to another piece of bedroom furniture.
Wardrobe
A wardrobe or armoire is a free-standing closet used to hang garments. They're useful in rooms that don't have built-in closets. They have to be at least as tall as a pair of pants folded over, or a shirt. There's a wide, open space covered by a pair of doors. Inside, a horizontal wooden rod hangs creating space for hangers, holding clothes.
Chifforobe
By taking the drawers of a chiffonier, and attaching it to half of a wardrobe, you have a chifforobe. They usually have a one-door wardrobe section on the one side, and several drawers on the other. In the same way, you take half of the word "chiffonier" and half of the word "wardrobe" to make the correct spelling of the word "chifforobe."
The major benefit is having twice the furniture in one. Chifforobes may be configured so the wardrobe is on one side of the piece of the furniture and the drawers on the other half or third of the piece, or so the wardrobe is on the top and the drawers beneath, both components running the full width of the piece.
Function
The function of such an object is storage, predominantly of clothes. The wardrobe gives you a place to store pants and nicer shirts, while you'll have drawers for your socks, underwear, undershirts, or other garments and valuables. Some chifforobes will also have locking mechanisms that let you keep some valuables under lock and key.
History
The first chifforobe was advertised in Sears Roebuck catalog in 1908. They became fairly widespread, although predominantly in the South, because their small size and convenient storage space made them ideal for small and older homes, many of which were built without closets. Chifforobes popped up in a handful classics of Southern literature, including "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Tags: bedroom furniture, chest drawers, drawers other, French word, piece bedroom, piece bedroom furniture, word chiffonier