Design
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5 min read
The quiet history of the tambour door
How a row of thin oak reeds became the softest way to close a cabinet.
A door that bends
A tambour is a door made of narrow wooden strips set on a flexible backing, so it can slide along a curved track. Eighteenth-century cabinetmakers used it for writing desks. We use it because it opens without swinging out into the room.
Why every reed is shaped by hand
Each reed on the Tambour Sideboard is profiled, rounded and sanded before assembly. Machine-cut reeds look sharper, but hand-finished ones catch the light softly and feel smooth under your fingers when you slide the door open.
It takes one of our makers a full day to shape the reeds for a single sideboard. We think it shows.
