The term ‘tall boy’ can have a number of meanings, depending on the industry in which you’re referring to. For example, in the restaurant/bar industry a tall boy is an elongated, straight glass also known as a highball.
In the furniture industry, however, tall boy refers to a collection of chests, or combination of cabinets and drawers, that are stacked upon one another.
Tall boys were originally born out of necessity, as elaborate clothing customs required an ample amount of storage space. But what do you do when square footage is limited? Simple. Do what every major metropolitan center has done. Go up and not out.
Traditionally, the lower chest would contain two or three large drawers while the above chest would consist of a number of smaller drawers.
As with other “traditions”, modern furniture designers have been experimenting with a number of ideas usually applied to the construction of tall boys, or chest-on-chests.
Many of today’s tall boys, for example, aren’t as tall as their older counterparts. This stems from a trend toward minimalist lifestyles and the desire for more open, less cluttered design.
The Toulouse 6-Drawer Stack Chest by Ultimate Accents is a grand example of a scaled down, less ornate tall boy.
With chest-on-chests like these, it doesn’t matter if they’re as tall as they used to be, they’ll be sure to measure up.