bureaus

Refers to either a writing table incorporating drawers or a type of case furniture, generally a chest of drawers, with a hinged, fall-front writing surface. The first furniture types to be referred to by this term developed in France in the mid-17th century, the term having evolved from the medieval French word for a coarse linen cloth that was laid on a table to provide a surface for writing. In modern usage, in Europe a "bureau" is a writing desk, usually with a hinged writing flap that rests at a sloping angle when closed and, when opened, reveals a tier of pigeonholes, small drawers, and sometimes a small cupboard. In the United States, a "bureau" is typically synonymous with a "chest of drawers," having lost the surface for writing.