 Shown: Stereo Step |
Home Office Step Chests by Greentea DesignThe Step Chest is a centuries-old Japanese design. We've taken these designs, which were originally made custom each time, and given then a contemporary twist, combining sliding doors and drawers for varying storage needs. These Step Chests are double sided pieces. This makes them a perfect choice for a loft space in need of division. When entertaining in one of these spaces its best to have something to let your guests know which areas aren't the most suitable for noshing. Most of the full sized Step Chests also consist of a main cabinet with two step pieces — making them easy to move and easy to set up in different ways. Moving the upper step down will make the top of the main cabinet serve as a bit of extra work space for laying out some papers. In the standard configuration it provides all the storage you could need for your office supplies and some special documents and other items, while being a visually stunning piece. |
Click an image below for a closer look at each of our home office steps
Truly Unique Furniture
Room Divider — With varied storage capacity on both sides and distinctive layouts with endless display possibilities, our Step Chests are perfect room dividers.
Adaptable — Each Step Chest is really three pieces, so you can play around with different configurations as the need or mood takes you.
Varied Storage — The combination of sliding doors and drawers in different configurations makes these Steps at home in almost any room.
History of the Step Chest
The most recognizable piece of Japanese furniture is the Kaidan Dansu or Step Chest. It first appeared in the late 1700s in stores and homes with loft spaces.
The idea was simple -- why not have a staircase that could actually act as storage space as well?
These giant pieces (usually about 7 ft. high) would be constructed by the local carpenter who would build it to the owner’s specifications.
The chests would usually consist of a combination of sliding doors and drawers and different-sized storage spaces.
Then the next clever idea was spawned. Since the government at that time taxed owners on their livable floor space, someone thought of making the step chest in pieces.
The idea was be that when the tax inspector came around, you would simply disassemble your staircase and claim that your loft was only storage and had no permanent access. This worked for a while until, predictably, that loophole was closed.
These antique step chests remain one of the most unique and collectible pieces of Japanese furniture. Because of this, prices remain very high and availability is limited.
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