Read on for the subtleties.
Chests often have lift-up tops and drawers.
Later colonial furniture is more elegant, especially in wealthy Virginia, where walnut is used and formal pieces like highboys are common. The American Georgian style builds on Virginian late Colonial. Walnut gives way to mahogany and the influences of English styles like William and Mary and Queen Anne are noticeable. Chippendale school, were a well-respected design team. The Federal period marked a turn away from English styles and toward classical motifs like urns and swags.