One of the things I’ve always appreciated in any space is a sense of the unexpected.
Some of this has to do with my reading habits when I was a kid; stories that concerned themselves with mystery, wonder, and intrique. I’m thinking of the Hardy Boys’ The Secret Panel. I’m thinking about the secret magicians’ lair in C.S Lewis’ The Magicians Nephew accessible through a secret door in the attic. And Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five series were always finding secret passageways, doors, and trapdoors in one situation or another.
Anyway, I find this idea of a secret space, a sliding panel, a rotating bookcase (a true staple of adventure stories!), a mysterious door, to be a sort of intriguing, and even comforting, idea. It’s certainly an example of the unexpected.
Luckily, with our 21st century being about re-defining spaces according to our own visions and personal needs using good design, the secret panel has been utilized practically and stylishly in a number of contexts. So, here is a selection that’s caught my eye recently.
Your standard bookcase-as-door secret room
There’s added personality injected into a space when you’ve got a secret door or secret room. And it helps if that door doubles as a place to keep your books, too.
.Source: wisearchitect.com via imma on Pinterest
The outdoor secret room
Secret spaces don’t have to be inside. Look at this one; a secret garden and secret room all in one.
The secret stairway door
This door is cleverly, and seamlessly incorporated into this space. But, what it makes me think of is the possibility to mess with someone’s head, walking behind them down the stairs, and then “disappearing” before they can turn around to tell you how cool your home is. That might just be me (but, I suspect it’s not!).
Source: blog.urbangrace.com via Carrie on Pinterest
Wine cellar trapdoor
Wine, specifically red wine, needs a dark space for storage. So, why not a trapdoor in your otherwise sunny kitchen, a room where accessibility to the grape is most essential.
Hideaway at home
This is another shifting bookshelf example, this time from the other side. Here, you can see that the secret door and secret room model is a domicile, a home inside a home.
Source: weburbanist.com via Sarah on Pinterest
Secret compartments
“Secret rooms” can a pretty wide category. In this case, it’s a secret compartment for your valuables, whatever they might be.
Source: storageandglee.blogspot.com via Montina on Pinterest
Doorway of mystery
This isn’t so secret, maybe. But this grand old garden door sure is compelling to look at, just because it makes you wonder, instantly, what’s on the other side. That places it under the same heading as the others we’ve seen – the unexpected.
Source: thesimplyluxuriouslife.com via Shannon on Pinterest
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Secret rooms, doors, compartments add that sense of the unexpected, and the compelling, to spaces. It’s great to see some real-life examples after reading so many stories, and having the imagination captured by the idea of a secret room, a secret door, a secret world.
But, what’s your take, gentle reader? Is the secret door idea just a gimmick? Or can it be a part of a modern 21st century design?
Cheers,
Rob.
