Single vs Double Dresser for a Nursery: Sizes, Drawers and Changing Trays

How wide, how many drawers, which changing tray, and when a tall chest beats both.

Short answer: choose a double dresser if you have a wall about 5 feet wide to spare: it gives you 6 or 7 drawers, room for a wide changing tray and storage that lasts into the teen years. Choose a single dresser (about 38" to 43" wide, 3 or 4 drawers) when wall space is tight, and add a tall chest if you need more drawers without more floor. At Romina, single dressers start at $1,640, double dressers at $2,365 and tall chests at $2,055, all 100% solid wood, Made in Europe and Greenguard Gold certified.

Single vs double dresser: the quick comparison

Figures are from the product pages on rominafurniture.com in November 2026. "From" is the lowest listed price; some handle options cost more, and prices can change.

Why most nurseries end up with a double dresser

A double dresser is two columns of drawers side by side, so you get twice the drawers of a single at about one and a half times the width. For a nursery that matters in three ways:

• A real changing station. At around 58" wide, the top holds a changing tray with space left for a lamp, a basket or a monitor.
• Storage that keeps up. Baby clothes are small; a ten-year-old's jeans and sweaters aren't. Six or seven drawers still work when the room becomes a big-kid room.
• Future add-ons. In some collections a hutch mounts on top later. The Karisma Hutch ($1,505) is designed to mount onto the Karisma desk, baby station or six-drawer dresser, and the Antonio Hutch ($1,505) is designed to be placed onto the Antonio desk or double dresser, attaching with metal brackets.

The trade-off is wall space. You need a clear run of about 5 feet, plus room in front for the drawers to open fully while you stand there.

Romina double dressers compared

All eight share the same build: English dovetail drawer boxes, corner bracketing or corner blocks, hydraulic soft-closing drawer glides built to last 73 years, and water-based and organic finishes. The difference is style and handles; our guide to the nursery dresser as a changing table covers the style of each one.

When a single dresser is the better choice

A single dresser makes sense when the room can't give up five feet of wall: a small second bedroom, a nursery corner in your own room, or a wall broken up by a window and a door. Romina describes its single dressers as made for small nurseries, and most of them can still be a changing station.

Dakota is the one collection without a single dresser. With three large drawers, a single holds a newborn's wardrobe easily; the squeeze comes later, which is where a tall chest helps.

The tall chest: more drawers, same floor space

A tall chest stacks five or six drawers in about the footprint of a single dresser. Romina's Karisma chest "offers maximum storage volume and takes minimum amount of floor space", and the New York Tall Chest is only 32¼" wide. Tall chests are offered in Antonio, Cleopatra, Dakota, Imperio, Karisma and New York, from $2,055.

A common small-room combination is a single dresser with a changing tray next to the crib and a tall chest on another wall. Together, a Karisma Single Dresser (3 drawers, 40" wide) and a Karisma Tall Chest (5 drawers, 40" wide) give you 8 drawers on two short walls instead of one long one. The cost is higher than one double dresser, so this only makes sense if the room really can't take the wider piece.

A tall chest isn't a changing station, so don't put a tray on it. Keep the changing surface on a dresser at a comfortable working height.

Handles, two-tone and what changes the price

Within a collection, a single and a double dresser share the same finishes and handles, so they look like one family if you buy both. The handle you pick can change the price noticeably:

• Karisma comes standard with wooden diamond-shaped handles; the Karisma Single Dresser is $1,695 with them, $1,860 with a gold or matte black bar handle, and $1,905 with Celtic Knot or Bronze Swirl hardware.
• Antonio, Cleopatra and Imperio double dressers offer a standard handle plus Celtic Knot, Bronze Swirl and bar-handle options; on the Antonio Double the range is $2,505 to $2,890.
• Uptown dressers come with a gold or matte black bar handle at the base price.
• New York has one price per piece and can be two-tone, with the accent finish on the drawer fronts and a brushed gold bar handle.
• Quadro has a single champagne gold tab handle and one price.

If you're comparing a single and a double on budget, compare them with the same handle, because the gap between the lowest and highest handle option can be several hundred dollars.

Which changing tray fits which dresser?

Romina makes two trays, both 100% solid wood with raised sides and an attachment kit:

• Adjustable Changing Tray: 38¼" × 20½", $385. This is the standard width, in line with the narrowest single dressers. On a double dresser it leaves about 20" of free top beside it.
• Adjustable Changing Tray ACT60: 58¼" × 20½", $425. The wider model, sized for double dressers, covering the whole top.

Romina's instruction is to "confirm dimensions of your dresser style/choice to ensure a perfect fit" and to "always secure the changing table to the top of the dresser using the hardware supplied." Widths vary by a fraction of an inch between collections (the Karisma Double is 57⅞", for example), so check your dresser against the tray before ordering. Browse both under changing tables.

How to measure your nursery wall

1. Measure the clear wall between corners, door frames, windows and vents. Note where outlets and light switches are.
2. Subtract the crib. Romina cribs are 53½" to 60¼" wide; check the exact one in our solid wood cribs comparison.
3. Check depth. Romina dressers are about 21¼" deep; leave room in front to pull a drawer all the way out and still stand comfortably.
4. Think about the glider. If a chair has to fit too, the single-plus-tall-chest layout often works better than one long dresser.

For a full plan of what goes in the room, see the nursery furniture buying guide, and for tight spaces best cribs for small nurseries.

Safety: the same rules for every size

Whatever you choose, anchor it before the first diaper change. All Romina case goods (nightstands, dressers, chests, bookcases) include a three-way wall-anchoring system for brick, sheetrock and wooden walls, and Romina recommends opening only one drawer at a time. Drawers use anti-detachment systems so they don't come out in a child's hands, and the Quadro dressers are listed as STURDY Act compliant. Case goods carry a 3-year warranty; see the warranty page.

Buying a dresser in a set

If you'd like the dresser and crib in one order, the Karisma Crib to College Set ($4,412) and Uptown Crib to College Set ($4,677) both include a convertible crib, the double dresser and the full-bed conversion kit, and ship through the Quick-Ship program in an estimated 2–4 weeks. Sets come in a short list of the most popular finishes. Compare them in solid wood nursery furniture sets.

FAQ

What's the difference between a single and a double dresser?

A single dresser has one column of drawers (Romina's are about 38" to 43¼" wide with 3 or 4 drawers). A double has two columns side by side (57⅞" to 61¼" wide, 6 or 7 drawers).

Is a double dresser worth it for a nursery?

If the wall fits it, usually yes: it's the changing station now and the main storage piece for years after.

Can I use a single dresser as a changing table?

Yes. Romina's standard Adjustable Changing Tray is 38¼" wide; confirm your dresser's dimensions and attach the tray with the hardware supplied.

Is the changing tray included with the dresser?

No. The Adjustable Changing Tray ($385) and ACT60 ($425) are sold separately.

Can I add a hutch to a Romina dresser?

In some collections. Hutches are offered in Antonio, Cleopatra, Dakota, Imperio and Karisma; each hutch listing names the base pieces it fits.

Do the dressers come in the same finishes as the cribs?

Yes. Individual pieces come in 13 finishes, so you can match a dresser to a crib or add one later.

Related guides: Baby Bedroom Furniture That Converts · Furniture That Grows With Your Child