Above: A rare 19th century Italian desk, also known as King Carlo Alberto's desk, with several secret compartments. Learn more about antique desk styles. These days most people opt to store their cash and most prized valuables in banks or safety deposit boxes, but before the turn of the 19th century, neither of these services existed. Having furniture with hidden compartments was one method of protecting one's most valuable possessions against thieves - secret safes, false bottom drawers, hidden cabinets, and cleverly placed hidden door panels were all used to baffle outsiders. Secret compartments in furniture design have been the subject of literary plot twists for centuries. There is something timeless in the drama of finding hidden treasures such as large sums of money, heirloom jewels, silver, a missing will, or a written confession of a crime committed many years ago. And rightly so — the possibility of discovering a long-forgotten treasure or solving a mystery is almost universally alluring. In the mystery, The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe, the French Chief of Police searches the apartments of a royal minister for a letter stolen from royalty, but in vain. Frustrated, he states, “Any man is a dolt who permits a 'secret' to escape him in a search of this kind. The thing is so plain. There is a certain amount of bulk of space to be accounted for in every cabinet.” The Chief obviously knew little about these ingenious demonstrations of the cabinetmaker's skill. A seemingly average piece of antique furniture could be sitting in its owner's home for years, only for secret compartments to be found when it is sent to a restorer or cabinetmaker for reconditioning. Secret compartment storage in furniture plans could be incredibly complicated and require a highly skilled craftsman to execute. A secrétaire could be hiding one secret; a sideboard could be hiding a score! Our gallery houses several high-quality pieces of antique furniture that offer a lovely statement to a room at first glance - but some of them also feature exceptionally clever secret hiding spots and hidden storage space. Read on to learn more about these fascinating pieces. 18th-Century English Secrétaire This secretaire, from the front, appears to be a high-end, but typical piece that would have been owned by a wealthy family. No one would guess it was really secret compartment furniture that had extra storage space. The secretary bookcase, or secrétaire, was an innovative piece of writing furniture introduced in the early 18th century. For the wealthiest households, it proved to be the preferred type of writing furniture design. They soon became the focal point of the manor, serving as statements of culture and education. This Queen Anne-era walnut secrétaire would likely have been used often by its owners and thus served as the perfect spot for a “hidden in plain sight” plot twist. The secrétaire already has several pigeonholes and drawers for storage, but this piece also features an impressively well-hidden false back concealed compartment that would have been entirely invisible to the eye. To reach it, one would have to remove the bottom left-hand drawer and pull on the oak fillet, which is tucked flush with the side. This is one of the most secret secret compartments we have seen in our gallery. French Exhibition Mechanical Secrétaire by Daubet & Dumarest This one-of-a-kind French secrétaire was crafted by Daubet & Dumarest for presentation at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London's Crystal Palace. It is a strikingly beautiful piece on its own, with tulipwood and rosewood veneering. Upon opening, the interior is decorated with fine Boulle marquetry brass, pewter, and an extraordinarily rare green tortoiseshell. With the turn of a single key at the very top, a slew of secret compartments and hidden storage pop open in some of the most inconspicuous of places. The top drawer slides open, and hidden space for valuables is revealed - and there is another sub-compartment sitting right behind it, serving as the perfect hiding place! Additionally, there is a secret drawer in the base plinth and at the top of the piece, neither of which could possibly be seen without the dramatic mechanical reveal. Victorian-era Bookcase When it came to Victorian furniture styles, not all hidden compartment furniture was about security—it could also provide entertainment and amusement for guests, hiding secrets that don’t want to be kept! At first glance, this finely carved oak cabinet appears to be a well-crafted and beautiful piece for displaying a gentleman's finer volumes. However, it actually features a myriad of hidden compartments and secret storage, with built-in texts serving as disguised doors. It hosts a series of unseen levers and buttons that open a variety of secret doors to reveal several hidden compartment areas, including a working safe, which could house important documents, cash, or heirlooms. The lower cabinet opens to a three-step staircase, allowing one to reach the top shelf easily. Additionally, the central “texts” drop forward to reveal a bar, providing any discerning gentleman the perfect opportunity for a nightcap. If you’re looking to learn about other furniture periods, visit our blog to learn about federal style furniture or explore the characteristics of Chippendale style furniture. Check out our extensive collection of one-of-a-kind antique furniture pieces, including more with hidden compartments and secret storage, on our online gallery. Or, visit us in person and see these monumental pieces in action for yourself! Each piece is unique, rare, or just plain fascinating.
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Secret compartments and spaces, crafted by furniture makers for generations, are prevalent among variety of examples of antique furniture, explains Furniture Detective Fred Taylor.
Got some cash or valuables to hide? Try one of these clever, simple ways to hide those items from all but the smartest thieves.
Show me a person who says they have nothing to hide and I'll show you a liar.
Furniture with secret compartment
Hiding places in antique furniture were created out of necessity. In today’s furniture they’re interesting cubbies that are fun to create.
Box with secret compartment Whenever the subject of woodworking comes up, several of our staffers point out that they've amassed enormous lists of potential DotD candidates over the years. The sad truth is that, although a lot of freelancers think building things out of wood is pretty darned easy, most of the time they're full of crap. Which brings us to our nominee for today, the oddly-pseudonymed Sincerity Anna and her OurPastimes.com post, "How to Make a Wooden Box With a Secret Compartment."¹ Right from the start we had to wonder where Anna got her plans, since the only reference she cited didn't have any plans for a box with a secret compartment, or for one with a hidden compartment if you're looking at synonyms. In fact, it didn't have plans for a box at all... Given that Anna thought you could find "½-inch thick wood, 10 inches wide by 8 feet long" and "¼-inch thick wood, 1/2 sheet" to make your box, we have to wonder at her level of experience... We wondered even more about Sincerity's... Anna's.... whoever's level of expertise when we ran across instructions such as, "Use a hammer and 1-inch nails to secure the bottom board to the side and end boards by tapping [sic] in a nail every 2 inches around the perimeter of the box." – First, "tapping"? and second, every two inches??? "The remaining board is the top of the box. Set it on the box, making sure all edges are straight. Lay the hinges on the box 3 inches in from the box's back side edges..." – Ummm, yeah, sure: the top is exactly the same size as the bottom: that'll look "fine." "Tap nails into the holes of the hinge plates to secure them to the back of the box." There's that tap" business again; not to mention that hinges are generally installed with screws... Now, let's make this secret compartment: supposedly, the compartment is made using, "...two pieces of ½-inch thick wood... 4 inches wide by 10¾ inches long [for] the end insert boards [and] one piece of ¼-inch wood... 1 foot, 11¾ inches long and 10¾ inches wide for the faux bottom..." This ought to be interesting! Let's see how Anna assembles this "secret" compartment: "Make the secret compartment by tapping ½-inch nails down through the ¼-inch wood onto the ½-inch thick end insert boards. Make sure the edges are flush. This will create secret space and a faux bottom. Insert the faux bottom into the box once it is attached to the insert end boards." Well, based on Anna's plans, you're making a box 1 foot wide, 2 feet long, and 11 inches high. In that case, a "faux bottom" that sits 5" down from the top is going to be pretty obvious! What's also pretty obvious is that 1) Sincerity has no idea what she's talking about, 2) there's no way to get the false bottom out, and 3) no one would ever be fooled by this crappy "secret compartment," even after everything is covered with felt. Now you see why she's our Dumbass of the Day? Sure you do! ¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was ehow.com/how_5612598_make-wooden-box-secret-compartment.html copyright © 2019-2022 scmrak DDIY - WOODWORKING
Best quality secret furniture with hidden compartments available. We build custom concealment furniture to hide firearms, jewelry and valuables. Our hidden compartment furniture is built to last a lifetime.
Hiding places in antique furniture were created out of necessity. In today’s furniture they’re interesting cubbies that are fun to create.
Who needs a bank locker or a private safe when you have a secret compartment at home? Our guide shows how to make secret compartments in furniture.
If you're looking to keep clutter at bay, you're in good company. Here are 10 pieces of furniture with hidden compartments to help you store everything from cords and cables to craft supplies, remote controls and even your car keys.
Check out this very clever secret compartment hiding place inside of a table's edge.
