While storage space is generally hard to come by here in New York, my biggest struggle has always been a severe lack of wardrobe space. Most closets in city apartments are sparse (to put it mildly) – so much so that my suitcases usually hold about a quarter of my clothes throughout the year. But when I moved into a new apartment a few months ago, I was happy to find that bedroom of my own actually had a decent sized closet. However, its hanging rod and two top shelves weren’t enough to store all my clothes — in fact, I could only fit about half of them. Tired of digging through bags of clothes that don’t fit in the closet, I knew it was time to spring for the dresser.
When I came across the Sauder River Ranch 6 Drawer Dresser on Walmart’s website, I quickly knew I had found it. Not only did it feel like it offered significant storage while still being small enough for my small bedroom, it also looked like a more expensive dresser I recently spotted at a trendy retailer. Now that I finally have a dresser to add to my lackluster closet, I couldn’t be happier with my clothing situation and setting up my bedroom.
What is the Sauder River Ranch 6 Drawer Dresser?
At $308, this dresser is quite affordable for its category. Although I liked how it looked in the photos, I was worried that it might not be the best quality. Its material is listed as “wood composite” on the website, so while I wasn’t expecting an authentic lumbar, I was happy to find that the dresser was perfectly solid when assembled. It is also a six-drawer piece; At first I wanted to get a five drawer dresser that would take up less space, but this one is only 50 inches wide, which isn’t that big. I keep the dresser against one of my shorter bedroom walls and it still has about a foot and a half of space on either side. The drawers themselves have metal guides and slide smoothly, which was also a pleasant surprise.
As for the editing, I can’t lie: I hired someone to do it for me. Two days before my dresser arrived, I spent four hours assembling a headboard with built-in shelves that was listed as an easy one-person job (requiring only a screwdriver). When I pulled out the dresser’s instruction manual and saw that it called for a power drill, I figured I’d need a professional. Simply put, I knew the project would take me at least a day, if not longer, and I preferred to pay someone else to handle it instead. My supervisor assembled the dresser in about two hours. When the job was done, I was thrilled with my new storage piece.
If you’ve browsed the Urban Outfitters website recently, you may have seen a dresser that looks almost identical to mine. Their Harlow 6-Drawer Dresser has pretty much the same measurements, not to mention the same sleek yet homely wood silhouette and gold-toned drawer knobs. It’s also $150 more expensive than my Walmart dresser, so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re shopping on a budget.
The only downside is that the Walmart dresser is currently sold out in the mango finish which is the closest color to the Harlow dresser, but I can confirm that the walnut finish is still beautiful if you like dark toned furniture.
Why I love the Sauder River Ranch 6 Drawer Dresser
Of course, my favorite thing about this dresser is that I no longer have to keep half of my clothes in bags, boxes, or suitcases. Everything has a home and since then I’ve stopped wearing the same clothes over and over like a cartoon character. Mine a second favorite thing is how nice the dresser looks. My bedroom walls and doors are all white and the floors are a cool taupe-beige, so the dark brown walnut finish worked wonders to warm up the space and help the dresser serve as an anchor piece. Also, many dressers come with gray or downright ugly drawer pulls, but I’m obsessed with the gold square pulls on mine. Ultimately, I’m happy with the decision to go with the six-drawer dresser instead of the five-drawer version, as its wide top surface doubles as storage for my perfumes, jewelry, vanity mirror, and more. I love waking up every morning and seeing all my stuff so nicely arranged!
One thing I will say is that the drawers themselves aren’t extremely roomy, but they serve my needs well. I could only fit four thick sweaters in one, so I just put my thicker clothes on the closet shelves and used my chest of drawers for lighter clothes like shirts, sleepwear, socks and intimate items. In short, if you’ve also been looking for a chic and small dresser-friendly space that will still be able to accommodate a good amount of clothing, look no further. This $300 find is where it’s at!
Buy: Sauder River Ranch 6-Drawer Chest, $308.16