If you have been shopping for bedroom storage, you have probably run into both words — armoire and chifferobe — sometimes describing what looks like the same piece of furniture. They are close cousins, but they are not the same thing, and knowing the difference helps you buy the right mix of hanging space and drawers the first time. This guide covers what each term actually means, where the odd word "chifferobe" came from, and how to decide which layout fits the way you store your clothes. If you would rather browse first and read later, our wardrobe closets collection includes both styles in sizes made to fit your wall.
What Is a Chifferobe?
A chifferobe (you will also see it spelled chifforobe or chiffarobe) is a single cabinet that combines a chiffonier — a tall, narrow chest of drawers — with a wardrobe, which is a closed cabinet for hanging clothes. The word is an American invention: it first appeared in the 1908 Sears, Roebuck catalog, which advertised the new combination piece to households that did not have closets. The name stuck, especially in the American South, and literature fans may remember it from To Kill a Mockingbird. The defining feature is the split layout: one side or level of the cabinet is a column of drawers, and the other is hanging space behind a door. That combination made the chifferobe the original all-in-one bedroom storage solution — a complete clothes system in a single freestanding cabinet.
What Is an Armoire?
An armoire is the broader, older category: a tall, freestanding cabinet with doors, originally French, that has been used for storage since the days when it held armor and weapons rather than sweaters. Today the word usually means a full-height clothing cabinet with doors — inside there may be a hanging rod, shelves, drawers, or any mix of the three. In other words, every chifferobe is a kind of armoire, but not every armoire is a chifferobe: an armoire closet might be all hanging space, all shelves, or fully configurable. We cover the related question of armoires versus wardrobes in detail in our Armoire vs. Wardrobe guide, and you can see the range of layouts in our modern armoires collection.
Chifferobe vs. Armoire: The Real Differences
The practical difference comes down to layout and flexibility. A chifferobe always pairs drawers with hanging space in a fixed split — that is what makes it a chifferobe. An armoire is the umbrella term, and its interior can be anything: a full-width rod for coats and dresses, a wall of shelves for folded clothes, or a combination with drawers exactly where you want them. Antique chifferobes tend to be narrow — often under 4 feet wide — because they were built as single-cabinet solutions for closetless bedrooms. Armoires run the full range from just 16.5 inches wide up to double-door pieces. In modern furniture catalogs the words blur together, and most manufacturers, including us, simply describe the layout: how many doors, how many drawers, how much hanging space. That is the honest way to shop — by what is inside, not by the label.
Which Layout Fits the Way You Store Clothes?
Start with a simple audit: what fraction of your clothes hangs, and what fraction folds? If most of your wardrobe folds — jeans, knits, workout clothes — a chifferobe-style layout with exterior drawers earns its keep, because drawers hold folded clothes far more densely than shelves. If most of it hangs, prioritize rod space and skip drawers you will not fill; a tall wardrobe with a full-height rod or double hang holds more. Tight on floor space? A narrow armoire from just 16.5 inches wide gives you the combination layout in a slim footprint. And if the piece will double as your dressing spot, mirror doors add a full-length mirror without hanging anything on the wall. Our pieces take up to three exterior drawers per section, so you can weight the mix toward drawers or hanging as your closet audit dictates.
The Modern Chifferobe, Made to Fit
The reason the chifferobe was invented — homes without enough (or any) closet space — is the same reason people shop for one today, and the modern version simply does it better. Nearly every Contempo Space piece is freestanding furniture: factory-built in New Jersey, delivered and set up in your room, with nothing to build. You choose the width (standard sizes from 16.5 inches, or any width made to order), the door style (wood grain finishes, solid colors such as white, or mirrored and colored glass), and exactly how the inside is configured — drawers, shelves, hanging, or the classic chifferobe split. Qualifying orders in the NYC metro area and northeastern New Jersey include free delivery with in-home setup. Browse the full wardrobe closets collection to see every layout side by side, or start with the drawers-plus-hanging combinations below.
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