The Secrets Within
Learn some of the secrets within Silas Kopf's cabinet, where all is not as it seems.
Fascinated by Abraham and David Roentgen, the renowned 18th-century father-and-son cabinetmakers who elevated their furniture with masterful marquetry and ingenious inner workings, Silas Kopf packed his cabinet with secret compartments. Kopf gave us a tour of the compartments—though not quite all of them; he’s saving one or two to reveal only to the owner. If you’re anywhere near New York City and you’d like to see the amazing original pieces that inspired Kopf—not to mention Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, and assorted other royals who bought Roentgen cabinets—you’re in luck. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will present some 60 pieces in “Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens” from Oct. 30, 2012, until Jan. 27, 2013.
Storage behind the skirt. Tug on the right half of what appears to be the cabinet’s skirt and out slides a double compartment that’s hinged and hooked together.
Drawers within drawers. With the hinged unit removed, Kopf can access two drawers that nest behind the left half of the skirt, one rectangular and one whose side is angled for easier removal.
Why waste space? Kopf fit a long, narrow drawer in the triangular space between the leg and the floor of the hinged unit’s pocket.
A roof on runners. Inspired by Roentgen tables whose tops slide aside to reveal compartments, Kopf built the arched top of his cabinet on runners.
Pushing a button causes a drawer to slide forward into the cavity.
Cache for currency. Tucked under the left end of the cabinet’s lid is a compartment just big enough for a stack of bills. Release a hook and it swings down on a hinge; a little door with a fingerhole provides access.
Top photo: David Ryan; all others: Jonathan Binzen
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Starrett 12-in. combination square
Festool DF 500 Q-Set Domino Joiner
Stanley Powerlock 16-ft. tape measure
Comments
Wow what amazing, thoughtful and clever additions to an already remarkable piece. I'm in awe, and can only wish I had that kind of cleverness. Other than the marquetry, I have the other skills needed, so just one more thing to learn before I can start copying things like this. If only I had the creative mind to figure out other ways to build furniture like this. My wife would be fascinated.
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