As object the chest had many roles; a flat lid was used for sitting or (uncommonly) for sleeping on, and would be covered with a special cloth. In the mid-19th century in Istria and Dalmatia the chest with back and lock appeared, used for both storage and seating purposes. For the sake of better visibility and the ability to arrange things, at the beginning of the 20th century cabinets with drawers and wardrobes appeared. And so alongside the chest, the cabinet or chest of drawers came into use. The chest was raised on four tall feet, the front got a door and the bottom was fastened and linked with the cupboard with the wall panel. This was also the first luxury object, for it was meant to display crockery or nicely folded textiles. Cabinets have three or four drawers in the front and are often called ladičar, after the word for drawer. In some regions the drawers of a chest of drawers would be painted and the name of the owner and year of making would be written on it. Drawers could be secured with lock and key, and above the chest they placed a mirror. This chest of drawers has been retained as part of the furnishing of the bedroom to this day.

From chests still in existence in the museum holdings we can follow their use and workmanship and record the migrations of the population or the master craftsmen who made them. Naturally, changes sketch out the new borders among social groups; from the 1930s many families followed tradition and went on using chests, while others brought novelties into the organisation of their space and wanted to show off their wealth, buying whole bedroom suites. At the beginning of the 21st century old rural chests starred being used again, as detail in contemporary interior decoration, and so some chests, because of their value and importance as family treasure came into use once again.