Deluxe Telephone Niche

About a month ago (October 2016) I received an inquiry from Karen Henderson, the owner of a 1925 Craftsman Bungalow  in the Denver area, regarding whether I had ever seen a phone niche with a fold-down seat and back. I assured her I had not, and she was kind enough to share photos of her unique, folding seat assembly recessed into a wall  cavity (between two studs),  creating an almost prototype home phone booth (very similar in concept to a built-in ironing board cabinet).

When not in use, the seat and back are concealed behind two hinged, recessed flat wood panels below  a shelf for the telephone. (Photo 1)  A hinged cabinet above holds a telephone book (Photo 2).

 Front View (not in use)

Front View (not in use)

Telephone Book Storage

Phone Book Storage

 

In use, the seat and back fold down and out (Photo 3) , and are held in place by a woven cloth tether behind the seat back (Photo 4).

Front View (in use)

Front View (in use)

Side View (in use)

Side View (in use)

 

In 1925, when the bungalow with this feature was built, a telephone conversation would  probably still have been a relatively special event not taken for granted like today;  this is a great example of a creative millwork feature which facilitated the act of human communication. Thank you again Karen, for allowing me to share this.