It is tall enough to be really useful but with a small footprint in the kitchen.  Assembly did result in use of words my mom doesn't know I know....  The problem is that the instructions have you assembling it from the back side and critical features to ensure proper orientation (magnets and finished vs unfinished wood faces) are not detailed enough in the instructions to prevent problems.  Had I known I was assembling backwards early enough, I would have not tightened screws until I had flipped the unit over and had I done that... it would have been easy even for one person to assemble alone.  I would strongly recommend not nailing the backs on until after you are very confident everything is in the correct position.... this could have easily been done after I screwed the top and bottom together.