3 Amazing Antique Furniture Pieces with Secret Compartments Fit for a King

Antiques represent some of the most amazing pieces of furniture for a handful of reasons. Their timeless beauty, hardy craftsmanship, and deep history are just a few reasons why many people love them. One really cool and unique feature of many antiques is something that might come as a surprise. They have awesome storage space and often contain secret compartments and drawers! What was held in these secret compartments hundreds of years ago remains a mystery. However, the unique design of this furniture is intriguing to all antique enthusiasts!

Secret Compartment Furniture

The concept of hidden compartments in furniture dates back hundreds of years. And, its origins are really quite logical. Hundreds of years ago, people didn’t exactly have access to a bank and safety deposit box. They were required to hide their most precious belongings in their homes. And thus, furniture boasting secret compartments was born. Whether it was money, jewelry, important documents or simply items with sentimental value, secret compartments could hide it from the unsuspecting eye. Bureaus, traveling desks, chests, and full sized desks very often boasted secret compartments. Some pieces of furniture were really quite remarkable in their secret functions. These pieces of furniture were crafted very cleverly, the safety of their contents depended on it. The most commonly found antique pieces with secret compartments are English and American.

The King’s Cabinet

This European antique cabinet is hundreds of years old and was reportedly owned by King Frederick William II. It can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This stunning piece of furniture is truly a work of art. And, to think that it was crafted with just the use of hand tools and elbow grease! A lot of work went into creating this piece and even more went into its design and secret compartments!

The piece features an old turn-key lock that opens up to two drawers. The door then opens to what appears to be three drawers atop one another. Once you truly begin to explore the drawers come out on hinges, and the apparent “cabinet” turns into a desk. There is even a hidden, internal mechanism that contains secret drawers and a secret strong box! Another internal mechanism releases a hidden easel! The thought, design and execution of this piece of furniture is absolutely astounding!

The Ultimate Bureau

The ultimate bureau is a beautiful, wooden piece that features an old-fashioned turn-key lock. From the outside, it simply looks like an ordinary bureau that one would assume opens up to some shelving or a rod for hanging. This is not the case. After turning the outside key, and opening the outer door, another layer of doors and drawers is exposed. The top door is opened again with the turn-key lock and reveals what appears to be six drawers (three on each side) on the sides with a compartment in the center. However, further exploration would reveal four hidden side compartments behind each row of three drawers! This bureau has hidden compartments within hidden compartments! We can only speculate about what these secret spaces were used to hide!

The Desk with Secrets

This miniature, walnut antique desk is a beautiful piece of furniture. The most interesting features of this piece, however, are what can be found inside it! When removing the drawers, it is obvious that the drawers are not the full length of the desk, prompting further exploration. A look behind where the drawers were pulled from reveals two secret drawers behind the initial drawers. And, a tug on the divider of the drawers reveals another secret drawer! On the top of the desk, even more secret drawers can be found behind the visible drawers. There are more secret compartments hiding behind the secret drawers that are hiding behind the visible drawers! All in all this piece of furniture contains a total of 9 secret drawers in addition to all of the drawers that are visible! This totals 19 storage compartments!

How to Find Secret Compartments

Finding secret compartments in antique furniture is both fun and exciting! When looking for a secret compartment the first thing to do is gauge the size of the piece of furniture. As you start pulling out drawers, assess the size of the drawer for space from which it came. If the size is smaller than you would expect, keep looking. Put your hand back in the space and feel around the sides to determine if any further compartments exist. Take your time exploring the furniture. A lot of time went into creating and designing these pieces; it might take some time to find the secret spots!