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)
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)
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.
