Fifty Shades of Luxury

by Natasha Wolff | July 11, 2018 12:30 pm

Boca do Lobo’s Millionaire Safe[1] wasn’t built solely to serve a utilitarian function, it was designed to be an impenetrable objet d’art.

Founded in 2005, the Portugal-based design company – which was commissioned to make the ultra-luxe furniture for Christian Grey’s apartment in the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey – took inspiration for its iconic safe from the 1849 California Gold Rush and the so-called “forty-niners” who sought their fortunes during the early lawlessness of the era. The safe’s dented top is a reference to the many unsuccessful vault robberies attempted during the Gold Rush, while its substantial opening-handle – which resembles a ship’s wheel – pays tribute to the sailing ships that spread news about the discovery, as well as the Portuguese maritime discoveries from many centuries earlier.

Boca do Lobo’s Millionaire Safe

“Our audience demands an experience with design, with respect to the exclusive world of luxury and art,” explained Marco Costa, the company’s CEO. “More than an object to satisfy a need, we want to create pieces – or objects of art – that are part of people’s lives.”

The hand-crafted Millionaire Safe, which works with a secret code combination, is a mahogany structure wrapped in highly polished and intentionally dented brass sheets dipped in gold. Its exterior is embellished with turned brass handles and silver-plated wheels while the interior is lined with fabric and finished with a set of lockable polished brass drawers.

Boca do Lobo’s Millionaire Safe

Measuring 4.9ft x 2ft x 2.6ft at a weight of nearly 840 pounds, the safe is a formidable piece of craftsmanship, and comes in two version – the Millionaire “Gold” ($49,950) and Millionaire “Silver” ($55,020) – shipping not included. For those who don’t have the space, or enough valuables to fill it, the company has several other models including a smaller version of the Millionaire, as well as table-top safes inspired by Fort Knox and the jewels of a Maharaja.

Boca do Lobo’s Millionaire Safe

Source URL: https://dujour.com/design/boca-do-lobo-millionaire-safe-design/