Looking to design a hidden room in your home? From whimsical playrooms to elegant wine cellars, adding a secret room is a fun way to improve your living space. Check out this list of nine hidden rooms and secret door ideas.
Create a Bookshelf Door
Photo via @create.perfect
Tuck a secret home library, extra bedroom, private reading nook, or any other hidden room you’d like behind a bookshelf door. Choose hinged hidden doors that look just like a normal bookcase once installed. Decorating your secret bookcase doors with novels, vases, and other decor can help complete the illusion. You may also choose to put real bookcases beside this secret door to help it blend in with the rest of your room.
Turn a Wardrobe into an Entrance
Photo via @welivedhappilyeverafter
Take inspiration from the famous wardrobe portal from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and build a secret door into the back of a large dresser or armoire. You can either completely remove the back of the wardrobe so that the hidden room is revealed once the outer doors are open, or you can add a secret door to the back so the wardrobe can more convincingly pass as a functional dresser. Anchor the wardrobe into a doorframe to create a unique and fanciful entryway into a hidden playroom, kids library, or walk-in closet.
Design a False Wall
Photo via @mokointerior
Hide a bathroom, home office, secret meditation room, closet, or home gym behind a false wall for a truly unassuming look. First, it’s best to create an accent wall with ornate paneling, wood planks, stonework, or distinctive wallpaper. This will make it easier to conceal the portion of the wall that doubles as your secret door. Put one section of the wall on hinges, use a pivot door, or try a sliding panel for easy access to your hidden room.
Put It Behind Some Art
Photo via @oliversteerid
Attaching a framed poster or painting to cover your secret door is an easy way to conceal your hidden room in plain sight. This bold secret door idea can be adjusted to match the aesthetic of several kinds of hidden rooms. For example, use a movie poster as the secret door to your home theater, or hang your favorite painting as an entrance to your home art studio or craft room. You could also hide a pantry behind a statement art piece in your kitchen!
Conceal It Behind a Mirror
Photo via @mooresbuilding
Keep your bedroom’s en-suite bathroom or walk-in closet private while adding functionality and depth to your space by using a large mirror as a secret door for your hidden room. Place your mirror on sliding tracks or a pivot door so you can easily move it out of the way to enter your secret space. Because oversized mirrors are common bedroom features, no one will suspect yours leads to a secret room! For an even more seamless look, add mirrors to the rest of the wall, as well.
Transform Your Crawl Space
Photo via @pikeproperties
Convert your crawlspace into a pet room, a cozy playroom for your kids, an extra bedroom, or even a home theater! Crawl spaces already have an ideal design for a hidden room, since they’re meant to be tucked away and unassuming. By using a secret door that’s the same color and texture as the wall, you can easily conceal this tunnel-like entrance. Or cover the crawl space entrance with large potted plants or eye-catching decor near the secret door to help distract from any seams in the wall.
Try a Trap Door
Photo via @wethecarbonauts
Grant access to a wine cellar or home bar with a secret trap door. Or create a hidden speakeasy in the comfort of your own home with a trap door entrance. These doors lift to reveal a secret spiral staircase or ladder leading to your hidden room. To complete the illusion, the secret door should be the same material and pattern as the rest of your flooring. For safety reasons, you should place the door on a hinge, instead of a sliding track, so that it won’t slip out of place when you walk across it. And by putting a rug over the secret door, you can conceal your hidden room even better.
Install a Secret Loft Ladder
Photo via @element5architecture
Many loft ladders can be retracted into the ceiling or folded against the wall. Create a secret room in your attic or lofted area by hiding away this ladder when not in use. Lofts and attic spaces are a great option for hidden reading nooks, playrooms, studies, or other cozy areas. Kids playrooms could even be decorated to emulate the look of a treehouse!
Hide a Door Under the Stairs
Photo via @aspire_fine_homes
This small and often underutilized space is the perfect opportunity for a secret room. Make a guest bathroom, small closet, reading nook, or hideaway for your pet in the space beneath your stairs by adding a secret door. Add panels or a geometric paint pattern to the wall to better camouflage the hidden door. Or create a liftable staircase to reveal hidden storage or a passage to a secret room. This unique space can be used for anything from a pantry to a gaming room or man cave.
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