Taima Wooden Cabinet

Half writing bureau, half storage chest, the Taima Wooden Cabinet is one of those clever old forms that did two jobs long before anyone called it multifunctional. Made of solid teak in a dark near-black finish that warms to a deep brown where the years have rubbed it back, it has a sloped drop-front lid on top and a pair of cupboard doors below, each carved with a rounded floral rosette and joined by a small brass latch. Shaped bracket feet and a panelled body give it the upright, formal stance of an antique secretary.

The drop-front lid swings down on its chain to reveal an open top compartment, a natural place for letters, a laptop, notebooks or the bits and pieces of a working desk. Below, behind the carved doors, is a deep open cavity that offers generous concealed storage for files, books, board games or household things kept out of sight. As a wooden cabinet it works as a compact desk in a study or home office, and as a small storage cabinet it makes a neat addition to a living room, a bedroom or a hallway, wherever you need a surface and a place to tuck away clutter at the same time.

This is a piece for anyone who likes their old furniture working twice as hard for its keep, the carved rosettes, the worn black surface, the satisfying click of the brass latch closing for the night. Place it against a wall as a writing nook, or let the carved doors alone create a quiet corner. Each one is hand-finished by skilled artisans, so the depth of colour, the wear and the grain will vary from piece to piece, proof that a human, not a machine, made it.