På soverommet står det en gammel kommode ved siden av nattbordet.

This is because Norwegian main clauses usually follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must come in the second position.

So when På soverommet is moved to the front for emphasis or to set the scene, the verb står must come next:

• På soverommet = first position
• står = second position
• det en gammel kommode ved siden av nattbordet = the rest of the sentence

A more neutral version is also possible:

• Det står en gammel kommode på soverommet ved siden av nattbordet.

Both are correct, but the original sentence puts extra focus on where the furniture is.

Here, det is a dummy subject (also called a formal subject). It does not refer to a specific thing.

In Norwegian, when you say that something exists or is located somewhere, you often use this pattern:

• Det er ... = there is / there are
• Det står ... = there stands / there is standing
• Det ligger ... = there lies / there is

So in this sentence, det is similar to English there in There is a chest of drawers...

It is not the same as a normal it that refers back to an object.

Norwegian often prefers a position verb when describing where something is.

• står = stands
• ligger = lies
• henger = hangs
• sitter = sits

A kommode is a piece of furniture that normally stands upright on the floor, so står is the natural choice.

Compare:

• Det står en kommode i rommet. = There is a chest of drawers in the room.
• Boka ligger på bordet. = The book is lying on the table.
• Bildet henger på veggen. = The picture is hanging on the wall.

Using er is not usually wrong in every context, but it is less idiomatic for physical location when Norwegian has a more specific verb available.

Both på soverommet and i soverommet can occur, but på is very common with rooms in Norwegian, especially when talking about where something is in a practical, everyday sense.

For many learners, this feels strange because English usually uses in.

A useful idea is:

• i often emphasizes being physically inside
• på is often the normal idiomatic choice with many rooms and places in everyday Norwegian

Examples:

• på kjøkkenet
• på badet
• på soverommet

You may also hear i soverommet, and in some contexts it sounds fine, but på soverommet is very natural.

The ending -et is the definite article suffix for many neuter nouns in Norwegian.

So:

• et soverom = a bedroom
• soverommet = the bedroom

and

• et nattbord = a nightstand
• nattbordet = the nightstand

Unlike English, Norwegian often puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

So:

• the bedroom → soverommet
• the nightstand → nattbordet

This tells you two things:

1. kommode is a common-gender noun
2. the adjective must match the noun phrase pattern

Because kommode is common gender, you use:

• en kommode = a chest of drawers

When you add the adjective gammel before an indefinite singular common-gender noun, it stays in this form:

• en gammel kommode

Compare:

• en gammel stol = an old chair
• et gammelt bord = an old table
• gamle møbler = old furniture / old pieces of furniture

So gammel is the correct form here because kommode takes en, not et.

This is a very common pattern.

• en gammel kommode introduces a piece of furniture that is not assumed to be already known to the listener.
• nattbordet refers to a specific nightstand, probably one already understood from the situation or context.

So the sentence is roughly structured like this:

• there is an old chest of drawers
• next to the nightstand

This difference between indefinite and definite forms is completely normal in Norwegian, just as in English.

Ved siden av means beside or next to.

It is a fixed expression:

• ved = by / at
• siden = side
• av = of

Together, it functions as one phrase:

• ved siden av nattbordet = next to the nightstand

Other examples:

• Hun sitter ved siden av meg. = She is sitting next to me.
• Bilen står ved siden av huset. = The car is parked next to the house.

So you should learn ved siden av as a set phrase.

Yes. That is also correct.

The difference is mostly about focus and flow:

• Det står en gammel kommode på soverommet ...
  More neutral; it starts by introducing the existence of the chest of drawers.

• På soverommet står det en gammel kommode ...
  More scene-setting; it starts with the location.

English does this too:

• There is an old chest of drawers in the bedroom...
• In the bedroom, there is an old chest of drawers...

So the original sentence is not unusual; it just highlights the location first.

Because Norwegian usually expresses definiteness by attaching it to the noun.

Compare:

• et soverom = a bedroom

• soverommet = the bedroom

• et nattbord = a nightstand
• nattbordet = the nightstand

This is one of the biggest differences from English. In Norwegian, the is often not a separate word at all.

There is also something called double definiteness, but that happens when an adjective comes before a definite noun:

• det gamle nattbordet = the old nightstand

In your sentence, there is no adjective before nattbordet, so the simple definite form is enough.

Yes, kommode is a normal word. It usually refers to a piece of furniture with drawers, something like:

• a chest of drawers
• sometimes a dresser, depending on context

So in a bedroom context, kommode sounds very natural.

Related words:

• skap = cupboard / cabinet / wardrobe
• nattbord = bedside table / nightstand
• skuff = drawer

The natural stress depends on what is new or important information, but a likely pattern is:

• På soverommet står det en gammel kommode ved siden av nattbordet.

Often:

• På soverommet sets the scene
• kommode is important new information
• nattbordet may also get stress if the exact position matters

If you front På soverommet, it often gets a bit of attention because it is placed first, but the main stress may still fall on the noun that introduces the new object: kommode.