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Shhh ... It's a Secret (Door, Room, Staircase)
Whether you're the cloak-and-dagger type or just want some practical storage, hidden places in the home show their appeal
Raise your hand if you used to watch The Munsters TV show and secretly envied the cool lifting staircase where Spot, the pet dragon, lived below. My hand is way up. The Munster mansion was positively riddled with secret rooms and hidden compartments. Grandpa's laboratory was accessed through a trapdoor in the floor. Once you were in the lab, if you pushed on a stone in the wall, part of the stone wall swung away to reveal a dungeon. When Herman had a call to make, he tugged on a bellpull, the wall slid open, and a coffin glided out and opened to reveal the phone. Pretty slick. And those were just some of the secret doors and hidden rooms. You'll have to watch the reruns and see how many others you can spot.
You may not have a laboratory, a dungeon or dragon, and you probably use a cell phone that you can just hide in a pocket, but that doesn't mean hidden rooms, passageways or compartments aren't a great idea. Check out how these homeowners created a little mystery and fun in their homes. Is there anything you'd like to hide?
You may not have a laboratory, a dungeon or dragon, and you probably use a cell phone that you can just hide in a pocket, but that doesn't mean hidden rooms, passageways or compartments aren't a great idea. Check out how these homeowners created a little mystery and fun in their homes. Is there anything you'd like to hide?
You really can have that lifting staircase in your own home without the creepy Munster décor. This one conceals another staircase to a lower level. This is a lot more interesting than a coat closet. I just don't know how I would keep it a secret, because I would want to show it to everyone.
This wine cellar has a bounty of storage out in plain view. However …
Work with a pro to design a custom wine cellar for your home
Work with a pro to design a custom wine cellar for your home
... the really valuable vintages get stashed in a second wine cellar revealed when this entire storage wall opens up. Great idea to use a wine cellar to hide your wine cellar.
In the movies, we often see a wall safe hidden by art. What about using art to hide things that just aren’t that pretty to look at? Framed movie posters can be the perfect way to hide AV components and that collection of DVDs.
I began thinking about this when one of my clients requested a hidden room for guns. The client wanted to be sure the guns were secure and hidden in case of a burglary. If what you are hiding is dangerous, put it behind a heavy-duty door that can be locked. The lock is important in case someone discovers your secret spot, but the hidden access behind a bookcase keeps people from even thinking that there might be something back there.
Who would even guess one of the panels opens? The hardware you choose needs to be completely invisible. For this type of door take a look at this invisible hinge from Soss.
Compass Wall Door by Lualdi Porte
These doors aren't actually hidden, since they have handles. But if they were used with the hardware shown in the previous photo instead, people would never guess that they aren't solid walls, because they go floor to ceiling and the wood is continued in paneling around the room.
Instead of concealing a door within a wall, how about making the entire wall the entrance? You would think this is the end wall of a niche, but the entire wall slides back to reveal a great little sitting room. It gives a whole new meaning to the thought of a hideaway.
Using bookcases is by far the number-one way that a hidden room is concealed. I think this works best when you have a library or an office with several bookcases lined up so that nothing looks out of place or leads people to suspect a hidden door. But how do you make a recessed bookcase swing open? Read on.
Custom bookcases perfectly complement your interior style
Custom bookcases perfectly complement your interior style
Hidden Door
Here is the hardware you need to make a recessed bookcase glide forward and then swing to the side.
A display case is a little less likely to arouse suspicion. Use museum wax to secure objects to the shelves.
Back again to the idea of all that usable space under the stairs. You don't have to hide an entire room; drawers under the risers are a great idea. And if you just remove the noticeable handle ...
... and use a small piece of almost-hidden pull or push latch hardware, then you have a handy secret compartment — a great idea, even if it's just for hiding shoes.
The compartments under this stairway could be completely secret without the pulls. Again, push latch hardware would do the trick.
And look at how handy it is to access all of that storage when it all slides right out instead of you having to crawl into that deep, dark closet.
So tell us: What would you put in a secret compartment?
More:
Secret Passages and Hidden Spots
Blended Doors for Standout Style
So tell us: What would you put in a secret compartment?
More:
Secret Passages and Hidden Spots
Blended Doors for Standout Style