Safe at home

Sonali Seth

A retired doctor staying in Delhi’s plush Panchsheel colony is at peace ever since he ordered a safe for his home. This safe has been installed in a specially created pit in the bedroom and over which a carpet is spread. All the valuables like cash, jewellery, and important documents are put in the cube-shaped safe that is fireproof, waterproof and virtually thief-proof!

The idea of a safe hidden in a corner of his room came as a suggestion from a company after his house was burgled some months ago. “I lost a lot of cash and jewellery and nothing has been recovered by the police so far. Had this been in place earlier, we would not have gone through the trauma.”

When safety is supreme

The concept of discreetly tucked away safes was virtually unheard of till some time ago. These are, however, gradually getting popular. Many high-end apartments are offering an inbuilt safe option as an added attraction.

“The awareness level is still low. Indians are more used to employing security guards in bungalows and even in high-rise apartments. However, with the crime graph spiralling, there is a gradual shift towards installing safes,” says Rajeev Anand, a real estate developer in Noida. Besides hidden-from-the-eye safes, there are plenty of conventional models to choose from. The market offers a variety ranging from local-made lockboxes to state-of-the-art safes that can be customised with a host of accessories like storage shelves, neatly stacked racks, lockable drawers, jewellery compartments and watch cabinets.

For those to whom nothing is more important than safety of valuables, there are bespoke safes that come with special two-way mirror spy-glass doors. These can be discreetly integrated in any surrounding. Besides burglary, most of these high-end vaults protect valuables from fire, water and even termite attacks.

The perfect mix

Many leading international companies like Brown Safe Manufacturing, Stockinger, Boca Do Lobo, Buben & Zorweg, Stockinger, Döttling, Traum, Segretto, Burton, Colosimo, Gardex and others offer safes that are a luxury to own. These safes are a great blend of innovative designs, security and convenience. The Brown Safe Company, for example, has created a Lamborghini Vault. It is designed especially for storing valuables along with the keys of the luxury car that the safe derives its name from. Boca Do Lobo has designed a safe inspired by intricate Swiss-watch making techniques. The Colosimo Double Wing is a mini safe which takes its design inspiration from the iconic 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL sports car.

Most of these top-end safes come with the ‘price on request’ tag and are handcrafted for those who need to protect the extreme luxuries of life. These are put through vigorous tests for burglar and fire protection by independent testing agencies and in many western countries, these are even given a stamp of approval by insurance agencies.

Your wish, their command

For a growing number of people, home safes is a convenient way to lock up jewellery, cash and other valuables. You don’t have to rush to use bank’s locker each time. The basic fire-resistant strong iron boxes can start at around Rs 3,000, but the luxury ones can cost a fortune, which can sometimes even cost Rs 10 lakh. Such safes would have upholstered interiors, exotic hardwood shelving and a customised exterior finishing.

Most high-end safes have biometric locks and open and close with the touch of a finger. Any forced attempt to break these can trigger off such loud alarms that it would alert the entire neighbourhood. Some really expensive safes come armed with laser beams, which automatically detect intrusion and either trigger a siren or dial a pre-programmed emergency phone number.

Many leading companies offer facilities to custom-make safes. The bespoke ones can be made according to a customer’s precise wishes to safely and stylishly accommodate watches, jewellery and documents. These can be bought online and delivered anywhere in the world — at a price, of course!