A highboy is a tall chest of drawers or chest on chest arrangement designed to maximise vertical storage space. These pieces combine two distinct sections to provide numerous drawers while maintaining a compact floor footprint.

How do I date a piece?

Dating relies on examining construction methods, timber choices, brass hardware styles, and overall period characteristics. Seventeenth and eighteenth-century examples display different moulding profiles and carcass timbers compared to twentieth-century revivals.

Where were they placed?

These tall case pieces historically stood in bedrooms and private chambers for storing garments and linens. Their impressive vertical presence also suited grand hallways and dressing rooms in period homes.

Burr walnut is a specialised wood veneer derived from the knotted growths of walnut trees. It creates complex, swirling patterns that cabinet makers arranged symmetrically across drawer fronts.