What hardware do I need?

[timwhatley]

I have been working on a shoe cabinet for a while now, and I'm now at the point where I need to source the hardware.

The idea is that each shelf will have a fold down front, hinged at the bottom. My plan has been to use full length piano hinge, with some sort of good quality brass restricter/stay on the side to stop each front at 90 degrees. I have attached an image of the cabinet in progress so you can see what I mean.

My questions are:

1) Is there any form of hinge which I could use that would be invisible from the outside, while still allowing for the outward hinging motion from the base of each section? Piano hinge should be fairly low profile, but I quite like the idea of not being able to see any hardware while the fronts are closed.

2) What sort of stays would suit this application? I'm not sure what I'm searching for is called! I have mostly found these type of sliding casement window stays - but they are designed for windows, and have a large locking knob on them which I don't need, and would protrude awkwardly into the cabinet.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[paulrbarnard]

A standard concealed cabinet hinge would provide the “not visible from outside” part of the requirement, though would not be flush on the inside.
For the stay have you considered a small chain?

 

[worn thumbs]

If the panels are thick enough,Soss hinges would meet the requirements.They are fairly demanding in terms of locating the recesses accurately.