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Original poster

Anyone ever built a secret room?

21 replies

SayrraT · 05/09/2015 10:55

OH and I are looking at buying an old house, it has a wee room off of the living room which measures 2.5 x 1.9m.

I'm not sure what we'd use it for but part of me would like to turn it into a secret room which you access behind a bookcase or something Has anyone ever done anything like this and what do you use your secret room for?

I think bookcases and a nice chair and make it an escape room where you can go and read a book or something.

OP posts:

Tutt · 05/09/2015 11:01

Not in my hose but a house DH built for a friend.
The room which is quite large is a home office. The bookcase sort of revolves, sort of it's hard to explain. The room is off the kitchen and you wouldn't have a clue. The books are secured to the shelves.
When we build our's I will defiantly have a secret room :)

APlaceOnTheCouch · 05/09/2015 11:08

I wanted to do this in our house but DH didn't as we have a door which leads into a second part of the house which you wouldn't expect iyswim. If we had changed that door into a bookcase no-one would have suspected the bathroom and other room behind it.

So I haven't built one but we did view a house with one. years after my initial idea for our house above The access door was a bookcase. You just pulled the bookcase to open it.

The room itself was a little office with a desk and computer.

Rumours · 05/09/2015 11:27

I would love this!! I have no where to have a secret room, unless I knock through to cupboards to make a big one, mmmmm might take a look

IAmcuriousyellow · 05/09/2015 11:38

We have a cellar door behind a bookshelf that was in place when we got here. I'd do it if I were you!

ludovica · 05/09/2015 11:43

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

fabuLou · 05/09/2015 11:50

That's creepy reminds me of ROOM.

QOD · 05/09/2015 11:52

My friends kids rooms are accessible thru a bookcase. It's fab

MrsTaraPlumbing · 05/09/2015 13:01

I would love one.
It might only be possible when kids have left home and then I might not need one!

EnlightenedOwl · 05/09/2015 17:21

you need this website

www.fauxbooks.co.uk/domestic-faux-books/hidden-doors/

Original poster

SayrraT · 05/09/2015 17:32

Thanks everyone, I'll keep you updated as I think we will do it if we buy this house. Unfortunately though it will have to come and the end of a very long list of other things that need done!

OP posts:

W00t · 06/09/2015 17:04

Use it as a music room, and soundproof it!

OnePlanOnHouzz · 15/09/2015 13:10

I designed something like this in a clients master bedroom suite - with a bookcase door - I didn't ask what it would be used for obviously, so I always refered to it as the office - but I did wonder !! As long as It had an egress window and air vent - that was all I was concerned about !!!

fuzzpig · 15/09/2015 13:19

I am so jealous.

My dream is to win the lottery and have a house built where I get the architects/builders to put in a load of secret passages and hidey holes... but not tell me where any of them were! So I could have the fun of exploring and finding them for myself. With the DCs I mean

Yes, I may have read too much Enid Blyton as a child.

We went to the Sherlock Holmes exhibition at MoL earlier this year and you go in through a bookcase door. DCs were beside themselves with excitement about it!

TheUnwillingNarcheska · 15/09/2015 13:59

There are loads of ideas for this on Pinterest.

Love the idea of pulling a book that is actually a lever. Did consider doing this for the boy's den (playroom takes on a whole different meaning when eldest is almost a teen) but it would hardly be secret room.

TheUnwillingNarcheska · 15/09/2015 14:02

Just reminded myself via Pinterest the best one is going through a wardrobe a la Narnia. Genius.

mummytime · 15/09/2015 16:25

There used to be a fabulous restaurant with rooms in Birmingham which was full of rooms like this. Our one was accessed via a bookcase, others involved going through wardrobes.
I'd love to do it.

atticusclaw2 · 15/09/2015 16:29

DS1 has a bedroom which leads through to a large playroom in the space which was previously the roof of the garage. When he was little we had a wardrobe in front of it with no back so that you had to push through the clothes to get in (like Narnia).

It was very cute and the DCs loved it but a pain in the butt for adult access.

We also have a secret space under the back stairs which nobody would ever know was there since there is no door as such, just a sliding panel. Its full of my zombie supplies.

Eminybob · 15/09/2015 16:29

I wish I had a big enough house to do this!

My friend does have her en suite behind fitted wardrobe doors, so it looks like one wall is just fitted wardrobes but the middle one goes through to the bathroom. That's quite cool.

Eminybob · 15/09/2015 16:32

Atticus I love the Narnia wardrobe idea! Did you have furs hung in it?

atticusclaw2 · 15/09/2015 17:51

Only one fur coat left by my grandmother. As you can imagine, it started off with a fur coat hanging in it and ended up completely full of kids junk!

fuzzpig · 15/09/2015 22:40

That sounds brilliant mummytime - shame you said 'used to' as we are going to Birmingham next year!

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