The Rabbit Hole of Box Making
It is now into the 7th week of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown here in Singapore. I have not had customers coming to drop off books for commissions and therefore, I have not had work for almost 2 months.
I have always wanted to spend some time exploring box making, creating new and different box structures and understanding the mechanism that makes them work. I have always been making the two-tray drop-back boxes for my books and I have always been very proud of their “air-closure” where the box has a cushioned closure as it pushes out the air from inside the box. This is a mark of a very well made box because all the measures are precise to the T.
I saw this box shared by another bookbinder on Facebook and decided to attempt it. I followed the videos posted by Bep Van Gasteren here and used this beautiful Korean pattern papers that was gifted to me by my student, Hyunhee.
The box is called the Hidden Compartment box; when you open it on one side, it gives access to the main middle compartment. And when you open it on the other side, you open to the two smaller side compartments. It is not possible to access all three compartments at the same time. It is quite a nifty little box and I would think it would be a very nice little gift box to surprise someone with an additional gift when they discover the other hidden compartments.
I must say, this flora pattern paper reminds me very much of Takashimaya’s paper bags with the peony design. It even has the same colour tones to it. I enjoyed making this box and now, I am down the rabbit hole of box-making during this pandemic era of home quarantine.
