The Secret Within: Hidden Doors in Modern Interiors

Today, speakeasies are showing up in restaurants and bars more often, from the ski-themed bar hidden within the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas to Amelia’s 1931, a cocktail lounge housed in a dry cleaners in a Miami strip mall. 

This trend has become so popular that it is making its way into home design. Architects and interior designers are incorporating secret doors in their clients’ homes that lead to private spaces only a few close friends and family may know about. The doors can look as elaborate as a Renaissance-inspired bookshelf with a secret lever hidden in the literature or as unobtrusive as a pivot door camouflaged with the wall. 

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“It’s just something cool for the homeowner to show off to with friends and family,” Erik Peterson, owner of PHX Architecture, says. Peterson has worked on several projects that include secret doors, one of which leads to a decked-out game room equipped with a bar, golf simulator and large flatscreen TV.

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While a secret room is impressive and adds another dimension of wonder and mystery to home design, it isn’t without its challenges. “Getting the hinges right on the door is a big challenge, so is creating the door to look concealed,” Peterson says. “I have found that bookcases work the best if you really want to hide the door.” 

Adding hidden rooms has become so popular that you can now buy doors disguised as mirrors or bookshelves, giving your home an element of secrecy and flair.

Whether you want to use your concealed room for safety, storage or fun, know that your secret sanctuary is just a couple of hinges away.