Functional Cabinet

Functional Cabinet

Functional Cabinet is a series of cabinets fitted with three, four, or five handles. Each cabinet can only be opened when all of its handles are operated at the same time. As more handles are added, the cabinet becomes increasingly difficult to use, turning a familiar functional element into an obstacle.

The project looks at how functional details can shape the way an object is perceived and valued. A handle usually suggests usefulness and access, but here its repetition does the opposite. By exaggerating this familiar feature, the cabinet asks whether value comes from how well something works, or from how convincingly it signals function.

Presented in a setting where furniture is displayed, evaluated, and potentially purchased, Functional Cabinet places this question directly into a commercial context. The project observes how appearance, function, presentation, and the possibility of ownership influence what an object seems to be worth.