Add Some Unique Charm To Your Home With These Fun Secret Door Ideas
Would you describe your aesthetic as mysterious and charming? Do you prefer unique details over standard styles? Try incorporating a secret door into your house. While your mind might jump to spy movies when you hear the words, "secret door," the concept is more practical than you'd initially assume. Plus, disguising your doors can elevate your interior design.
"Doors that are discreetly placed can help reduce visual noise and maximize the visual impact of the surrounding architecture and volume... In turn a hierarchy of flow is also established wherein people are visually encouraged to move through the space in particular ways," Leyden Lewis, the interior designer who founded Leyden Lewis Design Studio, told Livingetc. But you don't need to invest in a new door and change your home's layout for the "secret door" idea — unless you want to. Instead, you might want to consider one of the many clever ways to disguise an already existing door in your home.
Disguise the door as shelving
One of the best ways to hide any door in your home is to attach shelving to it, which tricks guests into thinking they are looking at a normal wall with shelves rather than a door. Make it believable by adding decorations or practical items on the "shelves" rather than leaving them empty. TikToker @megsmartinez, who has more than one secret door in her home, took her wall-shelving secret door even further — when you open the discrete door, you discover a slide that leads to yet another secret door.
Distract people with a bold pattern
Shelving isn't the only distraction you can apply to your door, as lively patterns also help disguise interior doors so guests think they are looking at art — or a wall with a slightly shifting pattern — rather than a door. Whether it's a small door leading to a tiny space or a tall and wide door leading to a large room, a pattern will make the doorknob less obvious. Consider adding the pattern by painting the door or adding wallpaper if you aren't comfortable creating a pattern with paint.
Add a door that looks like a wall
Sometimes the most subtle doors are the most secretive doors. Instead of going all-out with shelving or patterns, go for a monochromatic effect. To make any door in your home less obvious, paint it in the same color as the wall so it blends in. For instance, don't be afraid to paint your white door black if the rest of the wall is black — that helps the door achieve a monochromatic appearance. If the door has a doorknob, consider switching that feature to match the wall's color as well.
Use brick looks to your advantage
Add a rustic brick effect to disguise a door. A few ways to do that include adding brick wall panels, a brick wallpaper design, or painting a brick effect to the door and surrounding wall. Not only will the brick look disguise your door, but it will add instant charm to your home. Just remember to double-check that brick won't clash with the rest of the space. For example, think twice before adding the brick effect to a door in a room with all bright pink details or a beachy theme.
Go for a bookish vibe
Anyone who likes the idea of incorporating dark academia energy into their home should disguise their door as a bookshelf. The bookshelf disguise is perfect for home library areas, so if you have one, consider this literary-themed secret door. TikToker @cracktheshutters made a door that looks like a bookcase that leads to a full supply of alcohol in the home library — an idea that would surely be appreciated by Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski, and numerous other famous authors who were known to have a sip now and again.
Take a traditional accent wall further
If you want to incorporate a secret door into your home and create the accent wall of your dreams, why not get the best of both upgrades? Choose a wall with a door in your home that you think would be a good spot for an accent wall, and paint that whole section — including the door — one bold color or neutral to contrast the rest of the space while disguising the door. It might not have the same secret passageway energy as some of the other entries on this list, but it could make up for its visibility with style.
Design a surprise for under the stairs
Are you looking for clever ways to repurpose under-stairs spaces? If you already have a little hangout space, closet, or powder room under your staircase with a door, consider painting over that door to match the rest of the stairs to make the space more mysterious ... as though it's out of a movie or mystery novel. Disguising the door to the space under your stairs can help you impress your guests or keep your little escapist space a secret, preventing anyone from interfering with your alone time.