“Tambour” has a few definitions. It’s a drum or drummer, or the timber rings of a little embroidery hoop. In architecture a tambour is a sliding door that rolls on a track, up and out of the way when open.
Mascheroni Construction
Similar to a pocket, it’s very good for small spaces, since its clever design employs a very small footprint. Built from timber or metal strips that are hinged together with a flexible gauge, a tambour door can slide along curves.
When a tambour door, like this one, is shut, you’d never guess that it may slide from view.
Dura Supreme Cabinetry
This tambour door is open. Since it doesn’t swing out like a normal cabinet door, its own footprint is very small.
The tambour’s mechanism is like that of an overhead garage door, for which hinged panels slide on a curved track overhead and up.
Kelly Donovan
Tambours were first used in rolltop desks, and were made from wood slats attached with fabric or leather strips.
Cynthia Mason Interiors
Before tambours were invented, desks often had a board that lowered to become the writing surface. Transferring private paperwork and mess to close up the desk was inconvenient, so a cylindrical desk was created. It had a curved lid that slipped into the cover of the desk. Cylindrical desks were pricey and hard to make, and also the timber could warp, not close.
Deborah French Designs
Tambours were invented after the cylindrical desk. They solved the issue of timber twist, and carpentry methods and timber were utilized. Wood strips can be mass produced far more readily than custom-made curved lids.
Southam Design Inc
Tambours can be made from metal or wood. They are a fantastic small-space solution often found in kitchens and offices.