RECESS · 5:43 PM
Recess · for the front door
Leave the phone
at the door.
Recess is a hardwood niche built into the wall by your front door. Your phones rest there, charging and quiet, while you're home with the people you came home to.
re·cess.
noun /ˈrēˌses/
- A space set back into a wall.
- A pause from work. A time to rest.
We build the first kind, so you get more of the second.
Recess makes quiet things that live inside your walls. Home can be a sanctuary again: a place for family, for books and dinners and long conversations, for rest. It starts at the door.
One evening, two ways
The day follows you home in your pocket.
Phone in your pocket
You walk in mid-email. Hello happens over a screen.
Dinner, with three phones face-up next to the plates.
"One more video" pushes bedtime to 9:40.
Still scrolling in bed. The day never really ended.
Phone in its Recess
Phone down, keys up. Hello happens face to face.
Dinner. Someone tells a long story. Nobody checks anything.
Two chapters of a book, read out loud.
Lights out. The phone is charging at the door, not in your bed.
How it works
A small ritual at the door.
No app, no timer, no willpower. Recess gives your phone a better place to be than your pocket, and makes putting it down the easiest thing you do all day.
- 1
Walk in.
Recess sits at hand height by the door, the first thing you pass when you get home.
- 2
Set it down.
Phones charge on the brass dots and go quiet as they touch down. Keys hold to the brass rail above.
- 3
Be home.
Calls from the people you choose still ring through. Everything else waits until morning, fully charged.
Recess
Built into the wall. Built for rest.
We build custom cabinetry for a living. Recess comes out of the same shop, on the same machines, with the same finish: a piece of cabinetry scaled down to the one spot most homes are missing.
Room for two phones
Two wireless chargers sit under the shelf, one under each brass dot. Phones are full by morning, so they never need to come to bed.
Goes quiet when you set it down
A tag under each dot tells your phone it's home and turns on Focus or Do Not Disturb. One-time setup, about a minute.
A brass rail for keys
Magnets sit behind a flush brass inlay. Touch your key ring to it and it stays. No hooks to catch a sleeve.
Solid hardwood, cabinet-built
Mitered face frame, ¾″ solid shelf, 3½″ deep inside the wall. It sits ½″ proud, so the hallway stays clear.
Shop
Choose your finish.
Every Recess includes two wireless chargers, quiet mode, the brass key rail and the power kit. Built to order in small batches. Nothing is charged today.
Install
Goes in like a medicine cabinet.
About 30 minutes with a stud finder, a drywall saw and a drill. A full-size paper template in the box does the measuring for you.
-
Step 1
Find two studs. Tape up the template.
Level line and stud marks are printed on it. Any standard 2×4 wall with studs 16″ apart works.
-
Step 2
Cut one opening.
A drywall saw takes about ten minutes. Cut a small peek hole first to check the bay is clear; the template shows where.
-
Step 3
Slide it in. Four screws.
Screws go through the sides into the studs. The face frame covers the cut edge, so the opening never shows.
Power is one more step. Drop the thin low-voltage cable down inside the wall to the included plate beside your nearest outlet. No electrician needed.
How it's made
Made on the same machines as our custom cabinets.
Every part is cut in-house, dadoed and glued like a drawer, and finished by hand.
- 1Face frameSolid wood, mitered corners. Covers the drywall cut.
- 2Box½″ hardwood, CNC-cut and dadoed.
- 3ShelfSolid wood. The charger is pocketed into it.
- 4Brass key railInlaid flush with the back panel.
- 5MagnetsBehind the brass rail. Touch a key ring to it and it stays.
- 6Charger and quiet tagQi wireless with an NFC tag beside it.
Recess, specifications
The numbers.
One size, sized to the space between two studs. Check your wall against the rough opening and you're done measuring.
- Face
- 15½″ W × 11¼″ H
- Clear opening
- 13″ W × 8¾″ H × 3½″ D
- Rough opening
- 14⅛″ × 10⅛″
- Projection
- ½″ from the wall
- Wall
- 2×4 framing, studs 16″ on center (a 14½″ bay)
- Woods
- Rift white oak · walnut · paint-grade hardwood
- Finish
- Clear matte (oak) · satin (walnut) · any Sherwin-Williams color, satin
- Charging
- Two Qi wireless chargers, any Qi-compatible phone
- Quiet mode
- NFC tags; works with iPhone Shortcuts and Android NFC automations
- Weight
- About 5 lb
- In the box
- Recess, low-voltage power kit, full-size template, 4 screws, shims, spare steel key ring
- Lead time
- Built to order in small batches
If your Recess doesn't fit your wall, send it back uninstalled within 30 days for a full refund.
Questions
Before you set it down.
What if someone needs to reach me?
Quiet mode uses your phone's own Focus or Do Not Disturb settings, so calls from the people you pick still ring through. Recess is by the door, so you'll hear it from most of the house.
How does quiet mode work?
A small NFC tag sits under the shelf beside each charger. You set up a one-time automation on your phone (Shortcuts on iPhone, an NFC automation app on Android) that turns on your Focus when the phone touches the tag. Pick it up and turn Focus off whenever you like.
Will it fit my wall?
If your wall is framed with 2×4 studs 16″ apart, yes. That covers most interior walls in US homes. On 24″ framing, add one 2×4 to narrow the bay; the template shows where it goes.
Can it go on an exterior wall?
Use an interior wall. Exterior walls are packed with insulation, and Recess needs the 3½″ of space inside the wall. Most entries have an interior wall within a step of the door.
What if there's a wire or pipe in the bay?
Cut the small peek hole first, inside the template outline, and look. If the bay is occupied, move one bay over. The bay right next to a door often carries the light-switch wiring, so check that one carefully.
Does charging work through my case?
It charges through the shelf and most cases up to about ⅛″ thick. Thick wallet cases and metal plates or rings on the back of the phone block it.
Do I need an electrician?
No. The power kit is low-voltage, the same category as speaker or TV wire. The in-wall-rated cable runs to a plate beside your nearest outlet, and the adapter plugs in there.
Can I get it in my own color?
Yes. Choose Custom color and give us any Sherwin-Williams color by name or number. We match the formula and spray it in our finish room in a satin sheen, so it can match your trim, your door or nothing else in the house.
When does it ship?
Recess is built in small batches. Reserve now and we'll email you before your batch goes into the shop, with the ship date.
10:30 PM
Lights out. The phone stays at the door.
It'll be charged and waiting in the morning. Tonight belongs to the people in the house.
From $259. Nothing is charged today.