Nomad Cabinet

The idea of “nomad” furniture isn’t a new one. From the original British campaign furniture to the swelling popularity of ready-to-assemble furniture of the last few decades, there’s long been a desire to have quality furniture that’s also easy to move when the need arises. Unfortunately, as woodworkers are keenly aware, quality and portability rarely cross paths when it comes to funishings. These nomad cabinets were designed for both.

If you’re anything like myself, the first thing that caught your eye on these cabinets is the barrister door on the upper bookcase. It’s a unique design taken from, as the name implies, lawyers who would travel on a circuit with a judge’s court. The lawyers (or barristers) needed a way to move all their books safely and without too much hassle. Their answer was close to what you see here: a handled case with a sturdy door that slides out of the way when not needed. This design serves as a nice complement to the rolling, door-and-drawer storage chest below it.

One of the key elements in designing these nomad cabinets was to make them not only easy to move where you want them, but easy to arrange them how you want once you arrrive. The radiused and cut out sides allow the chest and case to interlock, and the handles and draw latches make attaching and releasing them easy. The designs here are for one storage chest and one barrister bookcase, but their modular nature means you can make these cabinets à la carte.

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