Given the importance of your living room, it’s one of the spaces in your home that you put the most decorating thought into. You’re looking for a centerpiece to really tie the room together, and you think to add a dresser. Can you really put a dresser in the living room?
You can indeed add a dresser to the living room. Not only does it add a unique look to the room, it's also very useful. Placing a dresser in the living room can serve a few purposes:
- Act as a TV stand or a part of an entertainment center
- Store living room items
- Replace an end table
You may have more questions about putting your dresser in the living room, such as how to display it and what to put on it. In this post, we’ll answer those questions and more. Just keep reading!
How To Incorporate A Dresser Into The Living Room Design
If you think a dresser would suit your living room, then you should absolutely add one to the room! You wouldn’t be the first homeowner to do this. Many homeowners have found creative ways to incorporate this piece of furniture into their living room design.
The following reasons are common among homeowners and may appeal to you, too.
TV Stand Or Part Of An Entertainment Center
If you own a big-screen TV, then you know the quest for a TV stand that fits your new purchase can be a long and arduous one. You want to find a TV stand that’s big and long enough, and it’d be nice if it matched the rest of the decor already in your living room.
That dresser in your bedroom could be just what you’re looking for. It meets the requirements size-wise, and you don’t have to worry about the dresser not being sturdy enough for your large TV. Plus, it’s already in a complementery color that you quite like.
Reusing your dresser like this saves you money and lets you appreciate this piece of furniture all over again. You could even make the dresser a focal point in your new living room entertainment center.
Store Living Room Clutter
It doesn’t matter if it’s the entertainment room, the home office, or the kids’ bedrooms, clutter has a way of accumulating all over the house. In the living room especially, you might not have much of anywhere to put the stuff that gathers in here.
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By putting a dresser in the living room, now you have storage space for all the living room odds and ends that otherwise don’t have a home. From video game controllers and charging cords, kids’ toys, spare blankets and pillows, board games, and anything else in your living room, it can all be tucked neatly away in the drawers of your dresser.
Replacement End Table
No need to go out and buy a new end table. Simply use one (or more) of your dressers. It’s ideal if you have at least two dressers of the same size to pull off cohesion in the living room, but if you like to mix and match, that’s okay too. It’s your house, after all!
Most end tables are lacking in the storage department. Perhaps you bought a slim-lined drawer that doesn’t really allow you to store much. With your dresser-turned-end-table, you can stash a variety of items, including extra remotes, DVDs and Blu-Ray movies and TV shows, or even some magazines or books.
Before you move your dresser to your living room, don’t miss this post: Should You Empty Dresser Drawers When Moving? [How to Move a Dresser Safely]
Can You Use a Dresser As A Buffet?
Perhaps your buffet table is on its last leg, quite literally. Also known as a sideboard table, the unique profile of a buffet table makes it appealing to many homeowners. Its legs are low and the table itself is quite wide.
Luckily for you, a dresser can be used as a buffet. To create the look that you love so much in your sideboard, you want a dresser in a similar style. The legs probably won’t be as thin and streamlined, but with a keen eye, you should be able to track down a dresser that’s wider and lower to the floor.
For instance, this dresser could very easily double as a buffet table. It’s wide and square enough, and the dresser’s legs aren’t tall either.
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This dresser also perfectly replicates the look of a buffet table.
Using a dresser instead of a buffet table could increase your storage capacity, making this switch a very incentivizing one.
As you decorate your living room with your dresser, don’t forget the rug! Check out this post: What’s the Best Area Rug Color for the Living Room?
What Should You Display On A Dresser?
You probably decorated your dresser a certain way when it was in your bedroom. Now that it’s in your living room instead, you want this furniture to have a different decor style.
The freedom is ultimately yours, but here are some ideas for how to decorate your living room dresser.
Jars Or Other Small Containers
For both decoration and function, mason jars and containers make an impactful statement atop your dresser. In this photo, the homeowner uses a geometric container for perfume and a dramatically strewn necklace on her dresser.
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Vases
Sometimes the simple solution is best. A few of your favorite vases would look great atop the living room dresser. You can arrange vases by color family, going matchy-matchy or mixing up the colors. You can also organize your vases by size or randomly assort them for a fun result.
Small White Vase Set
This set of three ceramic vases in varying sizes are made of ceramic. You can choose from all white, all red, two-tone gray, or multi-colored.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Coffee Table Books
Yes, okay, coffee table books typically go on the coffee table, but you can put them elsewhere. This photo shows how a single, well-placed coffee table on the dresser can be quite a difference-maker. You’ll have all your guests asking you lots of questions about your latest reading habits when you decorate your living room dresser this way!
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Potted Plants
Liven up your dresser with a few small plants. Real or fake, it doesn’t matter, the greenery will reinvigorate your living room either way. You can organize your plants on shelving above the dresser or put the plants squarely on the dresser.
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Candles
The sweet aroma of candles and the soft glow they emit makes them a wonderful choice for the living room, especially atop your dresser. Just make sure not to light candles around potted plants, as the two don’t mix well.
Chesapeake Bay Scented Candle
This Chesapeake Bay candle smells like water lily pear for more harmony and balance in your life.
Click here to see more on Amazon.
Small Lamps
Let there be light! A table lamp or two should fit on most dressers. If your living room could use better lighting, this is a great solution, not to mention lamps make for a lovely decorative touch.
Can You Mix And Match Living Room Furniture?
Now that you’re incorporating your dresser into the living room, this gives you a chance to breathe new life into the space. If you feel like your living room decor has grown stale, you might want to start over from the ground up.
Does all your new furniture have to match exactly or can you choose varying shades and hues and go wild? You’re free to mix and match, but to keep your decor from looking hapless, follow these tips:
Make A Plan
Having a game plan makes it easier for you to figure out what to incorporate in your living room and where. This plan need not be set in stone and may evolve as your decorating progresses.
Have At Least One Central Thread
Whether it’s a recurring color, a pattern, or a style, no matter how subtle, this central thread creates a sense of unity to your living room that you really need when mixing and matching.
Know When To Stop
There’s such a thing as a room being too overdecorated, and that goes for matchy-matchy living rooms and mixed and matched ones alike. This is where having a plan really comes in handy, as you can ensure you’re not overdoing it.
In Closing
A bedroom dresser can be a fantastic living room accent or even your focal piece. The dresser adds an interesting visual element, plus it’s great for storing all those living room odds and ends you have. Hopefully, you choose a dresser as part of your living room furniture!