This thesis researches the design of furniture with hidden storage compartments. It presents an overview of the history of such furniture and contemporary companies producing it. It presents a set of related design guidelines – the reasons for including secret compartments, furniture type, the location of installation and aspects of aesthetic design. The design of secret compartments is explained in detail. Their placement inside furniture, the ways to hide them and the methods for accessing them are thoroughly described. An overview of the hardware for opening and locking them is included. The thesis describes furniture standards, relevant for secret compartments, including the requirements for doors, drawers, lids and the fixing of furniture. Materials used in the prototype include laminated spruce panels, plywood, concealed hinges, drawer slides and other hardware. Felt, PVAc glue and water-based wood varnish are also used. The methods include the design in SolidWorks software and production with carpentry tools – a wood router, a circular saw and a doweling jig. The result is a furniture unit consisting of a bench, a closet and a shelving unit, including a large secret drawer. The final placement of the unit, accessibility of the right hardware and the furniture standards were found to be of great importance in the design process. The use of SolidWorks software was confirmed to speed up the design process and allow for development of the more complex elements of the furniture unit.
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