Madrone Burl Biedermeir Cabinet
I devised this elegant cabinet to serve 21st century needs in 19th century style. It holds an electronic keyboard, television, telephone, condominium security, copious storage as well as multiple secret compartments. It was designed in collaboration with designer/architects Elisabeth Beers-Sandler and Norman Sandler and won the 1992 Award of Excellence for Special Projects given by the Washington State Chapter of ASID.
The clients initially asked for 19 different functions to be incorporated into the design. They expected to have to give up a few of those. In the end they got them all plus a bonus that none of us expected! The internal volume of the cabinet produced a resonance for the keyboard that made the room seem like a concert hall when it was played.
The raised panels of the cabinet are made from an exceptional butterfly-matched madrone burl edged with a wenge bead and Honduran mahogany. The columns ar each corner are ebonized maple with spalted maple "donuts" and a gold-plated ring top and bottom. The central panels in the top section slide back to reveal a small TV on a pull-out, articulated platform with a lighted compartment above displaying a collection of antique Italian glassware. The bookshelves on the lower left side are in fact a false front to the roll-out cabinet that contains the telephone and condo security. The books are actually the sliced-off splines of the client's, a New York Times Best Selling author, most successful books.
Dimensions: 52" wide x 26" deep x 84" tall.