This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Might Q's lab (from Bond) apply?
The Grim Sleeper: In a sense yes, but I wouldn't add it out of shear ambiguity. Sometimes the stuff shown in the background has a proper secret function demonstrated, and that wouldn't count. On the other hand, anything in there might have a hidden function which is never shown, and would therefor qualify as this trope. But on the other hand, Q may just be a bit sloppy and left a few extra pens and things around. If there ever was a movie where Q's lab contained a big machine with lots of lights and big buttons it would be this trope to a capital T. On the other hand, many a bond-villain hideout contains quite a few big'nshiny machines, but they are somewhat implied to be the controls for whatever doomsday device is in there as well, and thus not fit.
It's possible that Dumbledore's office may fit in here as well, though presumably at least most of the strange devices have a function, even though we never find out what it is.
I'd like to propose an alternative name: Inexplicable Items (or Inexplicable Details, but there's semi-Alliterative Appeal going on with the first). Cow Tools, while amazingly perfect when you consider the Trope Namer and Trope, is awesome, but for people looking up a specific trope and having no idea what Cow Tools are, it's not so great (ironically because of Cow Tools (i.e. a big list of random tropes that has a trope named Cow Tools would have said trope become Cow Tools)). Feeling meta enough yet? That's why Inexplicable Items makes more sense :P.
