Some on another board have said that the Holy of Holies in the first temple must have been bigger on the inside than on the outside since the cherubim's inside were 10 cubits each and the room was 20 cubits so there would be no room for the arc but yet it was there. well the cherubim’s were 10 cubits wing tip to wing tip with the outer wings of each touching their respective walls and the inner wings touching each other so there would have been plenty of room UNDER the inner wings for the arc to be without needing some “magical” “hokey”  inside bigger thing going on.
 
Paul