I was spending time in Malaysia, working on a grand project for the Sultan of Kelantan in his new three-level apartment with six-metre-high ceilings. What a place. During one visit we drove out into the jungle to see the ruins of a centuries-old palace. The image stayed with me. On the flight home my imagination took over. I dreamed of stumbling upon an overgrown wall in the forest, climbing up to peer over the top, and discovering a hidden palace beyond. Ornate balconies, intricate windows, and two carved stone lions guarding sweeping steps that rose to magnificent double doors.

That dream refused to fade. Over the next six years, in the spaces between commissioned works, our team laboured to bring it to life. More than three thousand hours went into creating a 1.7 metre-tall oval bureau with a fold-down flap door and fitted drawers. Open it, and the palace revealed itself, balconies, fibre-optic windows, secret doors that opened by hidden mechanisms, and endless layers of fine inlay and carved surprises.

The upper section unveiled treasures: a solid gold fountain pen, three coloured inks in bespoke bottles capped with engraved gold lids set with gemstones, and a traditional engine-turned gold ink blotter. At the centre stood a clockwork-driven singing bird, crafted in gold, its wings and tail in motion, emerald eyes gleaming, 240 diamonds glittering across its body. Concealed lights shone through tiny windows and spot-lit every detail. At the inner doors, a pair of silver lions plated in gold stood guard, demanding a complex secret operation before revealing still more mysteries.