In 1908 Sears and Roebuck first advertised the chifforobe as a "modern invention, having been in use only a short time". Chifforobes are a lovely piece of furniture that have chest drawers and have a space for hanging cloths or coats. They are most commonly found in a the bedroom but on occasion they have also been placed in hallways and entrance ways as a place for family members and guests to hang their coats place odds and ends that they may have been brought. Typically the closet is on one side and the chest drawers run down the opposing side with another possible drawer running across the bottom.
The traditional spelling of this wonderful piece of furniture is chifforobe. Although many other versions of the spelling exist chiffarobe, chifferobe, chiffrobe, chifrobe, and shifferobe. The word chifforobe has its heritage in two words. the first is the word chiffonier. Chiffonier comes originally from the French meaning rag-gatherer. This suggests that it was used to store odds and ends. These odds and ends would have had no other place to belong. The other word that chifforobe was derived from is wardrobe. Most of us know that a wardrobe is a freestanding closet used to store cloths and shoes.
At its core the chifforobe has earned a place in American culture. Especially the southern United State. Even though one could consider it a more traditional piece of furniture, it is my opinion that the chifforobe has certainly earned its place in the modern home.