Here's something a bit out of the ordinary if you're thinking about how to keep a special room safe and secure. Rather than just turning it into a fortress with window grills and roller shutter doors, how about just hiding it away completely from prying eyes.
Hidden Doors Vs Security Doors
Stately homes and castles are famous for having secret passages and hidden doors, but more amd more people are taking the theme for more modest homes, the kind you can find in any town like Worthing or around Sussex. All it takes is a little imagination, and a skilled craftsman and builder at your disposal, and you can create clever little cubby-holes in just about any house you like.
Here's a selection of our favourites.....
Mirror Secret Door
So simple, yet really effective. While the door’s closed you think you’re just looking at a normal mirror, but press in the correct place and the whole mirror swings back for you to step outside.
Fake Book Case
A classic idea in a modern setting. The books may not be real, but as you pass by you would never know the difference.
Hidden Mirror Safe
A variation on sneaky mirror trick, this time hiding a safe. This may not be a normal fitting for a routine Worthing detached property, but it is a great place to keep your priceless collection of vintage Star Trek episodes.
Anne Frank’s Hidden Bookcase
History fans will probably recognise this as it's one of the most famous hidden doors you'll ever come accross. This is where Anne Frank and her family hid for almost two years to avoid capiure by the Nazis during WWI. The hidden apartment where they lived is behind a bookcase.
Bookcase Hidden Security Door
Maybe not an original idea, but for larger properties around Sussex this is great for creating quiet (and private) cubbies and study rooms. The great thing about this one is the books aren't fake, It's actually a fully functional bookcase and cupboard. .
Staircase Hidden Entrance
This is definitely one that will fool most people. Instead of a door the staircase is the hidden entrance, with the room or garage tucked away behind.
Pool Room Hidden Door
Look closely at the panelling in the back corner. It’s like something out of the Cluedo game – I go with Colonel Mustard and the Iron!
Secret Wall Door
Another classic which doesn’t even pretend to be something else. It just relies on completely blending in with the wall it's cut into. Difficult to get right, but when you do can be very effective.
Hidden Doors in Sussex Floors
If you're lucky enough to have a cellar, there are a couple of clever ways to hide the fact. Shown here is a trapdoor disguised as an ordinary door mat, and another under some plain old laminate flooring.
Wine Rack Discretion
Not normally as source of little secrets (it tends to make most people a lot more talkative), it's the same idea as the book-case, but is the kind of distraction stops people even wondering if there is more to it.
Stone Wall Secret Door
The irregular shape and rough edges are a great way to fool exploring eyes. Clever and functional.
Painted Wall Security Door
Here’s an option for the more aesthetic – incorporating the hidden door in with the decor. If you’re really clever with how lines on the picture fit with edges of the door, they can be really tricky to find – even for the people who live there.
Wardrobe Hidden Room
It’s straight out of the Lion the Witch and Wardrobe stories - a wardrobe that you step through into a secret room (or world)!
Fireplace Secret Door
Now, this is taking the hidden entrance to a secret room seriously. Hardly anyone will figure this one out.
Secret Garage Security Door
This is as much about making the house look good as it is keeping your 4 x 4 safe from prying eyes.
Han Solo - Secret Door Bookcase
A really cool added feature for all the Star War fans out there. It's a bookcase hidden door, but the back of the door has the added feature of the Han Solo image from the third movie, when he was frozen in carbonite!
The Main Library Secret Door
You know the old adageabout the best place to hide a tree – in a forest. This is the same principle, the hidden book case door taken to extremes. Your average intruder has very little chance of spotting this little gem, if no other reason than they usually avoid libraries as a matter of principle.
Home Theater Ticket Booth Hidden Door
This is my all time favourite. Not because it’s so well hidden (which it actually is), but because it’s so blatantly appropriate. Hiding the door to a home cinema room behind a fake ticket booth. Love it.
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