The height is waist-high to accommodate a guest serving him or herself in a buffet supper.

Armoire The word armoire is of French origin derived from the Latin word "armarium," which means cupboard. It is a freestanding tall cabinet with two doors that open outward. Many armoires have a drawer or two underneath the doors for extra storage. Unlike normal shelving, the materials in an armoire (which could vary from clothes to linens to some wellness tv) are hidden from view when the doors are closed. They're made from wood (with alloy hardware) and utilized in bedrooms and living rooms. Their styles can vary from the simplest Shaker design to a more ornate carved appearance.

Bachelors Chest Perfect for a bachelor pad, or even a lady's bedroom, this small, low chest of drawers offers a wonderful place to store possessions. Bachelors chests contain three drawers and are typically seen flanking the mattress like nightstands. They have been awarded a manly name because they are often dark in color and made from solid wood. Design by Erinn Valencich

Bombe Chest The bombe chest gets its name from its curved edges and contour. The role of the chest is similar to a bureau or armoire neo angle showers . but its structure disagrees with the sides and front bulging outward and then curving inward at the bottom. This swollen-looking chest is popular within the French Baroque style, with originated during Louis XV's reign in the 18th century. The torso often includes two to three drawers and includes ornamental hardware. Design by Alia Meyer

Bookshelf Fairly self-explanatory, a bookshelf is a wooden piece of furniture using flat shelves to house publications and other ornamental items such as vases or pictures. The term can be used interchangeably with bookcase — although many in the latter word have glass instances to protect books from dust. The shelves may be fixed or movable depending on the style.

Breakfront Chest A breakfront torso is a cupboard that is divided into three vertical segments with the center segment projecting out beyond the rest. This protrusion appears to "break the front" of the torso, hence the title breakfront chest. In modern day design, it is typically used as a china cabinet or bookcase. Picture courtesy of Lexington Home Brands

Buffet Also referred to as a sideboard, a buffet is a classic piece of wood furniture used in dining rooms to maintain food dishes in a buffet setting — rather than a more formal sit-down, served meal. The piece is used to exhibit china or silver and as storage. It is made up of a horizontal top, with cupboards and drawers beneath, supported by legs. The height of a buffet is waist-high to accommodate a diner.

Bureau Between Europe and the U.S., agencies are utilized for two entirely different functions. In Europe, a agency is a writing desk. It's a fall-front writing flap that rests at a 45-degree incline when closed. If the hinged flap is open, it displays pigeonholes, small drawers and a small cabinet. If you're at the U.S., a bureau is known as a chest of drawers, used for keeping clothing. These bureaus frequently have several drawers and come in a variety of heights. Picture courtesy of Hooker Furniture

Cabinet A box-shaped slice of wood furniture, cabinets may stand alone in an area, be built to a space or stand alone such as a medicine cupboard. Today a cupboard might be made from synthetic material and hold any number of things in the home. The pieces usually have a couple of doors which open outward and might have a lock on the door(s). Picture courtesy of Wellborn

Chest of Drawers Also referred to as a dresser or bureau, this piece of furniture includes multiple horizontal drawers stacked together with one another that carry clothes items. The wooden pieces are rectangular in shape and usually have short legs which may be curved or straight. A torso comes in three-, five- or seven-drawer varieties. The elevation of drawers is waist high or shoulder high based on the number of drawers. Picture courtesy of Sarah's House

China Cabinet Like its name suggests, this type of cupboard held nice china — according to its foundation, blue-and-white china specifically. During the reign of King William and Queen Mary (1689-1702), Mary (hailing originally from Holland) was obsessively fond of the china imported in Europe. She commissioned a cupboard to be forced to flaunt her own collection. Now the cupboards are typically tall, rectangular closets with a glass door to exhibit its contents. Picture courtesy of Sarah's House

Credenza A credenza is interchangeable with a buffet or sideboard. It is a horizontal cabinet with closed shelves used for storage. It's a long, flat top which can be used for a work surface or as a display surface. Credenzas are often seen in foyers, dining rooms or home offices. Image courtesy of Lexington Home Brands

Cupboard A cabinet is a sort of cabinet and often made of wood. It is used to house any number of household items such as food, dishes or linens. As the name suggests, it was at one time a very simple table or board which held cups or mugs. This piece dates back to the Middle Ages. In the past few hundred years, it has come to denote a storage space with doors. Image courtesy of Universal Furniture

Dresser While it shares the same basic lines and principles of a dining room sideboard, dressers hold clothing and accessories and are topped with dressing items like combs, brushes and cologne. Made of wood, dressers typically consist of a set of drawers and support a mirror on top for dressing table. Image courtesy of Stanley Furniture

Étagère An étagère is the best piece of furniture for storing knickknacks and maintaining a room clutter free. This is a device with spacious shelving and includes multiple tiers, thus there is plenty of room to exhibit books and decorative accessories. Image courtesy of Broyhill

Hutch A hutch is a enclosed pair of shelves or cupboards set in addition to a table or buffet. You may typically see hutches in dining rooms, home offices and kitchens. Image courtesy of Camlen Inc

Jewelry Armoire Every woman needs a nice spot to house her jewelry, and a jewelry armoire is only the solution. That is a small and narrow upright chest which has room for every one of your necklaces, rings and other fashion accessories. The multiple drawers and compartments make business easy. Picture courtesy of Hooker Furniture

Lingerie Chest/Semanier A lingerie chest or semanier is a tall and narrow chest of drawers usually found in the bedroom. It typically contains seven drawers and is used to store clothing, undergarments and lingerie. Picture courtesy of Hooker Furniture

Master Chest This bit of bedroom furniture can also be referred to as a chest on chest because it looks like one chest stacked on top of another. It's quite like a shoulder-high bureau with numerous drawers used for keeping clothes. This type of chest is usually found in traditional-style bedrooms. Design by Sue Adams

Nightstand Also referred to as a night table or bedside table, this bit is nearly always found beside a mattress. Its objective is to store things which could be needed by a individual before, during or after the night is over. Before modern pipes, the nightstand was the normal spot to find a chamber pot. Due to its first purpose, the design was originally tiny cabinets (sometimes outfitted with a drawer) to maintain the pot. Today they are used to carry books, an alarm clock or even a glass of water. Picture courtesy of Erinn Valencich

Secretary Desk This piece of office furniture is constructed of a wide base of drawers topped with a hinged writing surface. The dining table is topped by a bookcase — typically enclosed by a set of glass or solid wood doors. The 3 elements of the furniture piece appear as one tall structure but are detachable to make it easy to clean or move. Image courtesy of Thomasville

Sideboard Occasionally known as a buffet, a sideboard is a part that's used at the dining room for serving food, displaying silver or dishes, and storing other items such as napkins, tablecloths and candles. Made from wood, it consists of a level surface, a pair of cabinets or cupboards and one or numerous drawers. The height is waist-high to accommodate a guest serving him or herself in a buffet supper. This type of furniture piece can also be referred to as a host. Picture courtesy of Erinn Valencich

Wardrobe A apparel is a big, upright cabinet with doors to hide hanging clothes and drawers to carry folded clothing. Nowadays many wardrobes have been refitted to be utilized as computer workstations or entertainment facilities. Design by Lori Dennis

Writing Desk A writing desk is a piece of furniture that is usually found in a house office; it can aptly be called a compact workplace. Originally its purpose is for writing handwritten letters (now it may be for a laptop). It often features a shirt that may be closed to hide current work and protect the surface. This function can be accomplished via a rolling device or can be folded. The most important surface could be folded down to provide more space in the room. Many styles have little drawers to store pencils, envelopes and other necessities. Image courtesy of Revco