What do you see in this photo of a custom cherry seven-drawer bureau with cabinet by Bissell Fine Woodworking? Ebony knobs, dovetailed drawers, a mitered base. A roomy cabinet with an adjustable shelf.
Can you find the secret compartment?
Give up? Furniture maker Richard Bissell won’t tell. “After all, if we showed how it works online it wouldn’t be a secret.” If you’d like your own custom bureau with a secret compartment, contact Richard and he’ll share the details with you.
If you have special security concerns for your valuables or simply need a way to maximize your storage space, hidden compartments in your furniture and custom doors designed to look and function like shelving and cabinetry could be your custom storage solutions. Only you and your CustomMade artisan need to know that you’re hiding something. Let’s take a peek at some of our makers’ completed works for previous customers that have included secret storage options. Don’t worry about giving away the secrets. When you work with a CustomMade furniture maker, you can discuss your hidden storage ideas and find a unique location for your valuables or a novel way to conceal them.
The moulding on the top of this Mission style oak file cabinet by Sawyer Cabinetry is designed to appear connected all around.
Pulling the top forward is the only way to lift it open and reveal a drawer for your important documents or other valuables. Contact Rick Sawyer and have him build a similar cabinet in a Mission or Craftsman style for your home office that will address your security needs.
Treasures and secret stashes go hand and hand. Hidden compartments for your most precious jewelry pieces will add an extra touch of mystery, romance, and security to your custom jewelry boxes. Watson Woodworks can create boxes with unique functions and secret compartments. Some are quite renowned. This beautiful cocobolo trapezoid box has been featured in Fine Decorative Wood Boxes by Andrew Crawford and American Woodworker magazine, April 1998.
The ultrasuede-lined drawers are designed to pivot open on a brass rod. The top drawer has a hidden compartment that can only be accessed from underneath. Contact Eugene Watson and have him design a jewelry box with a compartment known only to a select few.
A custom gun safe can keep your firearms secure and accessible without drawing unwanted attention. Yellow Dog Woodworking, LLC, can create a Hid-A-Frame from your choice of wood and sized to your specifications, inside and out. These disguised safes come with magnetic locks and keys. Contact William Chris Nalley and discuss your needs and you’ll soon have peace of mind and a beautiful picture frame.
We’ve previously showcased custom doors that can conceal entrances to rooms and turn doorways into extra storage space. While doors that double as bookcases are one attractive option, your secret doors can assume other forms, too. Although these drawers appear to be built-ins, this is actually an under-stairs rolling cabinet by Wooden Hammer LLC that’s designed to function just like a standard cabinet, solidly built from maple and complete with dovetailed drawers. However, the entire cabinet can be rolled out to reveal a trap door into a crawlspace. We’ve all hidden things behind furniture before, but Ben Raphael can design a custom project for you that will fit efficiently, seamlessly, and beautifully into any problem area in your home.
Do you wish you could tweak your closet space for some special storage needs? How about turning a ho-hum closet door into a wine rack and buffet? Sablestudios created this Honduran mahogany hidden storage wine rack with a lighted buffet counter and built it into an existing closet, which can be accessed by opening this wine rack on a hinge just like a door. Contact Paul Sable and discuss your ideas for an exciting revision of your storage space.
Ready to share your hidden storage ideas and inspirations with our CustomMade makers? Post your plans on our “Get it Made” project board. You can describe the big picture now and hold on to the secret details until artisans interested in your request contact you.