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George III Mahogany Tallboy |
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George III Mahogany Tallboy |
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(Click any photo for a close-up view)
(Click any photo for a close-up view)
The commissioning of this traditional mahogany chest-on-chest began with considerable research into 18th century chest of drawer designs, specifically the George III English period. Elements such as crown moldings, carved feet, drawer front veneers, and period brass hardware were carefully reviewed before the design was finalized. Construction of the drawer fronts mimics many high-end George III pieces, with exquisitely figured mahogany crotch veneer bookmatched and sequentially cascaded down across all eight rows of drawers. To complement the beauty of the crotch veneer, the case sides were upgraded with the application of lightly mottled ribbon strip mahogany veneer. The molded dentil cornice at the top of the piece includes added detailing where it transits the fluted canted corners of the upper chest. The entire tallboy rests on a set of hand-carved mahogany feet with an oak leaf pattern. Finally, the drawer handles and keyhole escutcheons are English-made period replicas using traditional sand-casting methods and hand polishing.
All the details described above can be seen in the first two rows of photos on this page. However, its the bottom row of photos that reveals the truly unique nature of this piece of furniture. While the traditional appearance of this piece was paramount, the construction was intended to accommodate a large 30" flatscreen TV, stereo speakers, and a full complement of computing devices including laptop computer, multifunction printer, etc. On both the top and bottom chest sections, false drawer fronts are attached to flip-up, retracting panels, providing space for the various electronic components. Also, in the lower chest the second drawer front flips down and the attached drawer box becomes a large keyboard shelf and worksurface which accommodates a laptop computer and peripherals. The top drawer section in both the upper and lower chests are fully functional dovetailed maple drawer boxes, though they ride on full-extension metal drawer slides (rather than traditional wooden sliding dovetails) for maximum weight capacity and longevity.
Finally, although this innovative chest design was intended to conceal these modern electronics, the false drawer front panels were constructed in such a way that this tallboy can be converted back into a fully traditional chest-on-chest design. Dovetailed drawer boxes can be added and the existing veneered drawer fronts can be attached to these boxes.
78" tall, 44" wide, and 26" deep.
For other chest of drawer designs, please visit the Chests & Dressers page. To see other traditionally styled projects, please visit the Traditional page.
Due to it's unique/distinctive nature, this project is included in my Signature Pieces collection of work Feel free to visit that page to learn more.
The pricing on this tallboy is unique for a number of reasons. From a traditional chest-on-chest design perspective, this project incorporated many upgrades including the crotch veneer drawer fronts, custom veneered side panels, detailed crown molding, canted upper chest corners, and hand carved feet. In addition, the labor to carefully conceal the false drawer fronts and hidden electronics added considerably to the construction costs. As a result, the cost to recreate this piece as shown in the photos would be $12,900. Changes to these various design elements can help to adjust costs as necessary.