<P> A chifforobe (from chiffonier + wardrobe) is a combination of a wardrobe and a chest of drawers . </P> <P> In late medieval Europe the chest came into widespread use, especially in homes of the nobility . This type, also known as a coffer was more or less a simple joined wooden box with a hinged lid . It may or may not have stood on feet . An early transitional phase was the installation of one drawer beneath this main compartment . A number of early pieces from the seventeenth century are extant of oak manufacture from England, and corresponding seventeenth century pieces of French walnut have survived . Some of the early surviving English specimens are from the Charles I period . Nutting ascribes the earliest piece in his Furniture Treasury to "before 1649". </P> <P> Mule Chest: A chest commonly wider than it is high and deep . A mule chest has drawers in its base and a hinged top, beneath which there are either two short drawers or one long one . This form, introduced in England in the 1600, was popular for 100 years in England and colonial America . </P> <P> The chest of drawers continues to be a popular item for contemporary designers . A notable form was designed by Dutch designer Tejo Remy in 1991 . His "You Can't Lay Down Your Memories" chest of drawers is built up from 20 second hand drawers sourced from local flea markets in Europe tied together with a jute strap . This method means no two productions are the same . The Museum of Modern Art acquired one of the earliest made . </P>

High chest of drawers made in two sections