TL;DR: Plan a custom chest of drawers in Mumbai around the contents, usable internal dimensions, fully open drawers and agreed installation details before choosing its decorative front.
Key takeaways
- Start with the objects and folded clothes you need to store, not an arbitrary drawer count.
- Ask for usable internal dimensions and the opening space as well as the cabinet's overall size.
- Blum's MOVENTO range distinguishes full extension, load-bearing classes and different opening technologies. Hardware source
- Agree furniture stability and wall-anchoring responsibilities with the maker and installer.
How many drawers do you need?
The useful number of drawers depends on what each compartment must hold and how you want to retrieve it.
Our suggested starting point is a storage inventory: everyday folded clothing, accessories, bed linen and any other intended contents. Measure representative folded stacks and separate items that should not share a compartment. Then assign a job to each drawer.
Ask the designer to show the usable internal width, depth and height. The decorative front is not the storage cavity. Request the proposed internal divisions and check whether they can be adjusted or removed.
For a Mumbai bedroom, review the chest alongside existing wardrobes and bedside furniture. Our recommendation is to solve the storage gap rather than duplicate a compartment you already have. A five-drawer elevation is a design choice, not a complete inventory.
How do you check the chest fits the room?
Check the cabinet in both its closed state and its intended open state, including where the user will stand.
Mark the overall footprint, then show the drawers extended on the room plan. Include the bed, wardrobe doors, skirting, sockets and walking route where relevant. Ask whether the handles project beyond the stated cabinet depth.
Our judgement is to approve the most awkward drawer first. A lower drawer facing the bed or a top drawer beneath an obstruction deserves attention before the finish sample. The closed front can look beautifully calm while the open layout is having quite another conversation.
Avoid treating a slim-looking chest as automatically space-saving. Specify the depth your belongings require, then test the opening arrangement. A shallow cabinet that cannot hold its intended contents has not solved the storage problem.
Which drawer hardware details matter?
Specify the runner model, extension, opening mechanism and documented loading requirements for the proposed drawer.
Blum describes MOVENTO as a full-extension runner system and lists different load-bearing classes. Its range also distinguishes soft-close, electrical opening support and mechanical opening options. These are separate specification choices, not interchangeable meanings of “premium hardware”. MOVENTO range
Ask your maker to identify the exact fitting and explain how its rating applies to the complete drawer. Do not treat a runner's catalogue rating as permission to fill any finished drawer to that number. Request operating and maintenance instructions for the actual installation.
Full extension can be useful when retrieving items at the back. Blum explicitly describes access to the back of the drawer as a feature of its full-extension system. Manufacturer explanation
Our recommendation is to test the proposed opening action with a representative front and intended contents where possible. Handleless appearance, soft closing and usable opening effort should each be discussed rather than bundled into one adjective.
What should you agree about stability and installation?
Agree the stability assessment, any required anchoring and who supplies and installs the appropriate fixing system before delivery.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It campaign advises securing furniture such as dressers and bookcases to the wall. This is a US safety source, not a statement about Indian legal requirements. CPSC safety advice
Ask the maker and installer to assess the furniture and actual wall construction, follow the applicable product instructions and document their responsibilities. Do not improvise a fixing method from a decorative drawing. Safety and installation details belong in the order, not in a conversation after the cabinet arrives.
What should you send to a custom furniture maker?
Send your storage inventory, room measurements, photographs, preferred drawer arrangement and delivery-access details.
FCI India's bespoke furniture services describe custom design and manufacturing, with design consultation. Contact FCI India to discuss a chest of drawers with that brief rather than assuming a standard package exists.
Request dimensioned drawings, material and finish references, hardware details, installation responsibilities and an itemised quotation. For apartment delivery, record the lift or stair route and ask for the largest component's transport dimensions. Confirm pricing and timing directly for the approved specification.
Limitations
This guide does not establish a cabinet's load capacity, structural safety or suitability for your wall. Those require the maker's design and installation assessment. Hardware examples do not confirm which fittings FCI will propose. No standard price, stock position or delivery date is implied. Images are conceptual illustrations.
Sources
- Blum, MOVENTO range, extension and hardware options: https://www.blum.com/aa/en/products/runnersystems/movento/programme/
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Anchor It campaign update, 29 July 2025: https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2025/CPSC-AnchorIt-Campaign-Marks-10-Years-Fewer-Furniture-Tip-Overs-Lead-to-Safer-American-Households
- FCI India, Bespoke Furniture Services: https://fciindia.com/services/
- FCI India, Contact: https://fciindia.com/contact-us/