Concealment Furniture – About Us

What do you make and why?

We design and manufacture furniture with ‘Secret Compartments’. We use the best quality hardwoods to build our concealed furniture. We set out on a mission to design and create handmade furniture that not only looks beautiful in your home, but can also hide your valuables in plain sight.

Tell me a bit about your furniture

Our furniture is handmade in the U.K Each piece is made to order and given the attention to detail that only a small independent shop can render. Because we make each piece of furniture, one at a time, it gives us greater flexibility regarding custom requests. We also keep a small amount of our furniture in stock.

Our furniture is about more than just the secret compartments. Each piece is handcrafted, and made to last a lifetime. When you order a coffee table for example, you aren’t just ordering a secret compartment that looks like a table. Instead, you will be receiving an heirloom piece of beautiful furniture that also contains hidden storage.

How do people benefit from your product? Do you have any stories of customers using your product in a way that has improved their life?

One of our customers recently contacted us. Their house had been broken into when they were on holiday. They told me that some items had been stolen from their home but crucially none of the secret compartments had been touched and their most valued possessions remained safe. One of our first bedside cabinets was built for a customer who wanted a place to securely store their valuables, but did not want a safe. To them, the safe attracted attention. Anyone who saw the safe would know that there is something inside that had value.

What products or people have helped to inspire you to create the products that you do?

As a kid, I loved watching James Bond movies, my favourite parts of the films were when 007 visited Q to find out what cool gadgets and new inventions he had created. I have always had a fascination with hidden compartments. From the secret passageway in Bruce Wayne’s house leading to the Bat-Cave, to the numerous contraptions and gadgets found in 007 films, there is just something fun and exciting about furniture that is more than meets the eye.
You don’t have to be a secret agent to take advantage of concealment furniture. But I can neither confirm nor deny that James Bond himself owns some of our pieces.

What is the most enjoyable part of the process of product development for you?

I started my carpentry apprenticeship over 40 years ago and I still love working with wood. However, for me I would now have to say that the design aspect of the furniture is where I get most satisfaction (and sleepless nights).

When designing custom furniture with hidden compartments, the secret parts need to come second and the overall design first. If a customer tells me that they need to securely store their watch collection, IT gadgets, jewellery or medication, I put hours of thought and design into the best places in the particular piece where the compartments can go, the best orientation of the wood, and the best grain selection to assist with the overall design.

Do you have any new products/ranges planned for the next year or so?

Absolutely. In-fact we are about to introduce a new piece of concealed furniture in the next few weeks. Keep an eye on our website for more details. We think that this unit could become a favourite with our customers. I have literally dozens of ideas, some already on the workbench, some on paper and some in my head. This is going to be an exciting year for Concealment Furniture.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know

As well as having qualifications as a Carpenter, I also have a BA degree in Risk Management. This subject is all about balancing risk, when to take a risk and when not to, and also the control measures that you can put in place to mitigate the risk. This helps me in the overall concept and mission of Concealment Furniture

What do you wish we had asked you?

Maybe a question about the history of concealed furniture. I won’t try to cover everything here, but here is a snippet:
In the 17th century, high end furniture often contained secret compartments with the concept of: if they can’t find it, they can’t steal it. Though the compartments were often very small – only meant for some coins, precious jewellery or documents, they were very effective against would-be intruders.
Pirates also had secret compartments built into their ships to conceal, treasure maps, shipping routes and of course their gold and silver.