I think you can definitely use a dresser/chest as a buffet the only problem is that you loose a certain kind of storage (but gain another).

Anele-- are you on the east coast? I swear I saw that dresser on CL earlier today.

When I made one of the bedrooms into an office, we moved the dresser into the dining room "temporarily." It ended up staying there for two years and looked very nice IMO.

When my aunt decided not to marry her fiance, my grandmother kept the antique mahagony dresser that she was going to give my aunt in her DR for the next 50 years. She kept her linens and silverware in it, and it looked lovely there.

But I will say, in both cases there wasn't a mirror above them, That might have made them both a little bit too "dressery."

I think a vintage dresser with a vintage dinning set can look great. One without a mirror would almost always "go" with a dining set. With a mirror it might be trickier to pull off if you want it to look like a buffet, but in an eclectic setting one with a mirror would look fabulous no matter what.

I did, and it worked great. Lots of storage plus a nice long serving top.

This is the only pic I have. When my dd moved, I gave the dresser to her. Now I'm on the lookout for another.

Yes, definitely, as other posters have pointed out. I am using a console type dresser as a bedroom dresser currently! It is a versatile piece.

anele, I think dressers are one of the most versitile pieces of furniture you can buy. I have one in my entry that you may have seen in other threads, but if not here it is. In fact I'm not so sure this isn't a buffet because of the divider inside a couple drawers.
{{!gwi}}

If you find something the right size, you like it and it's work for your needs, I'd say go for it.

Thank you everyone! I had not thought about the mirror making it look TOO bedroom-y. I thought it would work since I'd have a mirror over the buffet anyway, but that could be true. I don't mind going for the eclectic look, but I don't know if I could pull it off!

marti and justgota: Thank you for the fabulous inspiration pictures!!

Anele, I love different kind of pieces in a dining room.

I think you could still get away with a mirror, if it's one that isn't too bedroomy. Something like a starburst or any other decorative kind.

I'd skip the mirror, otherwise it's a wonderful, creative idea.

Get rid of the mirror, and like justgottobeme I think dressers are just so versatile.

I'm going to have to differ on dresser with mirrors not working. I'm thinking "some" of them just might work if you were to remove the mirror and/or hang it on the wall above the dresser instead of leaving it attached.
Here's the one Anele posted in such a way. It's not the greatest example since the mirror has the wood trim at the bottom. Though I think if it were in a dining room with a table it wouldn't still look as bedroomy.
{{!gwi}}

Love that dresser, and yes, I feel one can be used as a buffet. However, in this particular example, that mirror, even seperated, still looks too dresser-y. A smaller mirror, oval laid on it's side would be better I think. But that piece is GORGEOUS and perfectly vintage.

This dresser if used as a buffet would have to have a vintage table from the Art Deco era (scroll down please) to work as a buffet in my opinion. The mirror would most likely have to go as you can see below even upside down it's still bedroomy. Funky, but bedroomy none the less.
{{!gwi}}
WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE STRAIGHTEN THAT MIRROR? IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!
{{!gwi}}
Not the right woodtones, but the right era...
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{{!gwi}}

I'm using TWO mahogany dressers from the Thirties or Forties right now in my dining room, Anele, and I think they look fantastic in there. I think that it's all in how the dresser looks with the rest of your furniture and style of your room . . . and what you put on it, that makes it work or not work.

I use the tall dresser (on the right of the door) to hold my candles, my tablecloths and runners, and our family games, as we play them on our dining room table. The finish looks bad in this pic, only because we'd put furniture oil on it when we first got it. I've since taken that off and am using something made for antique wood furniture, and the finish looks lovely now.

I use the longer, shorter one as my buffet. It came with a piece of glass cut to fit it's top, so I'm thinking that whoever owned it before I bought it used it for a buffet, as well. I store my placemats, napkin rings, some silver serving pieces and a few more tablecloths in this one.
BTW, I've since lowered the painting a bit more.
{{!gwi}}

If either piece had come with a mirror, I don't think 'd have used it in the dining room. In my mind, that would smack of bedrooms. I do love your dresser, though, and think it could work for you.
Lynn

Hey Lynn, I remember when you bought these and the table. I also remember thinking you couldn't improve on your previous dining room furniture, but you did. I love the changes.
Do you have a blog or your home photos somewhere now that MSN GI is gone? I sure miss that group there.
By the way I'm Becky aka DesigningMom on MSN.

Sorry Anele. Not trying to highjack your thread.

parma, pesky, and justgota. . .so, dresser yes, but mirror it comes with, no?

justgota: Thank you for the PS help! You hit on another one of my (many questions) which is mixing styles and woods. I have an old oak sideboard/buffet which I love and was planning on using in the LR (didn't work there), but now it's in my bedroom as a dresser/TV stand. I was hoping I could move it to the dining room someday, but I think the styles of my table/the buffet are too different. I figured if I got something curvy, it would work, even if the pieces are from different periods? And then, there's the question of the wood. I have no idea how to mix wood right. I figure golden oak + walnut (I think that's what my table is) = NO, but walnut + mahogany = maybe?

Lynn, yum! LOVE the look you have going on. Those dressers are just gorgeous, and as you and others have said, are NOT bedroomy with no mirror, but I could see that with the mirror, they could be.

Now I just have to find a dresser that fits my space. Width isn't a problem but depth sure is!

I was going to suggest what someone already did, take the mirror off and put it above the dresser. I actually like the upside one. :) I had been looking for a buffet for two years and looked at a great many dressers too. I would have been happy with either. (Just found my buffet last week on CL)

You're welcome Anele. It may not have worked, but knowing that can be a big help. Although who knows? Sometimes the "wrong" things can work perfectly in the right settings. I find that until you try something, you are never sure if it will work for you or not. That's why as I didn't stop when making the virtual. The main thing is that it makes *you* happy and works for *you*. Not everyone here at GW. Because if you try to do that you'll never get anything done.
Personally I like a wide variety of styles of furniture. Mid-Century Modern, Art Deco, Victorian....Basically anything older than MCM. Newer furniture just doesn't have the woods or is built like the older stuff was. In my opinion anyway. I also think it's very important to reuse.
I'm not saying I don't like some of the newer furniture, but I'm not passionate about. You'll know when you find the right piece. I just hope it fits your space!
Since we're on the subject of dresser being used for other purposes I bought this piece pictured below a few weeks ago to turn into an entertainment center if I ever talk my hubby into getting a flat screen TV.
{{!gwi}}
Once cleaned up I'll stain it dark walnut, freshen the hardware with spray paint if Brasso doesn't work first then convert the drawers behind the doors to hold the cable and the sound system boxes. The other drawers will be used for storing movies. This could easily work for a buffet too. I only paid $5.49 for it. Half price furniture day at a local thrift store.
Do you have a picture of you dining room? I'm thinking I've seen it, but I could be mixed up about that. My brain is much better with long term memory.

susan: It took you two years to find something? I have a feeling that will be the case for me, too, esp. given that my space provides very little room for anything deep. Sigh. I may have to settle on a corner cabinet.

justgotabme: I LOVE that piece! I cannot wait to see you work your magic on it! Here is a picture of my dining room . . .I just sold my buffet last night, want to replace the bookcase on the left, am getting new curtains this coming week, and am not sure if I should turn the table the other way like I originally had it:

The table that way leaves NO room for a buffet. With it my original way, it still leaves only about 19" max for depth.

Someday I would also like to add some Art Nouveau or Victorian stencils to the wall, but that's another topic!

yup..totallyy!! It looks very shabby chic and different..Plus, because you have worked on it, it makes it all the more special :)

Here is a link that might be useful: My re-vamped dresser as buffet-table!

Love this idea from Pottery Barn - best of both with the dresser drawers plus the side cabinets!