Hidden Door Ideas

Written by
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel has covered architecture, interiors and decor for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Lonny and the international editions of Elle Decor.
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Kristin Hohenadel
Updated 01/13/21
Hidden door ideas

Jonathan Wallen / Peter Pennoyer Architects

The notion of a hidden door taps into the childhood desire for a secret place and the lifelong longing for everyone to have a private room to call their own. The contours of a secret room can be disguised in any number of clever ways. A bookcase unit might slide or pivot open to create a stealth passageway into a private room. A custom-built hidden door embedded seamlessly into the wainscoting can act as a discreet portal to extra square footage hiding in plain sight.

Hidden doors can lead to a playroom, reading nook, home office, powder room, man cave or a concealed storage area that helps the rest of your space to remain clutter-free. A hidden door can be used in place of a hallway to separate a bedroom from a living room in a smaller space; to hide a work room from sight when not in use; or to create a place to get some me time away from family members.

Check out the following hidden door ideas to help inspire you into creating a secret space of your own.

  • 01 of 10

    Hidden Dining Room Door

    Hidden door ideas

    Erin Williamson Design

    The idea for this secret room came about during the large-scale renovation of a historic house in California. "The architect moved the original staircase to create a better entrance, but it created an odd room that was only accessible via the dining room," says interior designer Erin Williamson of Austin, TX-based Erin Williamson Design. "So we decided to make the leftover space into a secret library—a hideaway for a busy mom to work in peace."

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  • 02 of 10

    Secret Library

    Hidden Door Ideas

    Erin Williamson Design

    "The dining room has a hidden (jib) door wallpapered and trimmed to hide it," says Williamson. "The inside of the library is trimmed completely differently."

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  • 03 of 10

    Door Hinge Detail

    Hidden door ideas

    Erin Williamson Design

    The jib door between the dining room and home office library creates a polished transition between the spaces in this design from Erin Williamson Design.

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  • 04 of 10

    Home Speakeasy

    Hidden door ideas

    Jonathan Wallen / Peter Pennoyer Architects

    In this Maine summer house designed by Peter Pennoyer Architects, an arched jib door disguised with bookshelves opens up to a concealed bar off of the turquoise wood paneled library.

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  • 05 of 10

    Hidden Entry Hall Door

    Hidden door ideas

    Lauren Pressey / John McClain Design

    This hidden entry hall door that hides a coat closet from John McClain Design was custom built to dissolve into the wainscoting. The door uses a touch latch mechanism with a magnet that holds it perfectly in place. "As you can see there are no [visible] hardware or handles so the mechanisms are completely hidden behind the door itself," McClain says. (See if you can spot the door cut-out above, far left.)

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  • 06 of 10

    Stealth Staircase Door

    Hidden door ideas

    Stephen Allen / John McClain Design

    John McClain Design designed stealthy storage that utilizes the unused space underneath this sweeping staircase for a tailor-made purpose: housing a fully decorated Christmas tree. Creating a hidden door to camouflage the dead space under the staircase allows the owner to put away the decked-out tree once the holiday season is over, and pull it out the next year with minimum effort. "We blended the wainscoting design into the door location, and seamlessly created the door into the woodwork," McClain says. (The hidden door is located above, far right.)

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  • 07 of 10

    Secret Wardrobe

    Hidden door ideas

    Laura Medicus Interiors

    Secret wardrobes are the stuff of childhood classics and lifelong fantasies. Interior designer Laura Medicus of Laura Medicus Interiors brought the dream to life for her daughter Sylvia by creating a charming hidden hang-out spot concealed behind the pretense of an armoire placed in front of a closet opening.

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  • 08 of 10

    Hidden Reading Nook

    Hidden Door Ideas

    Laura Medicus Interiors

    Interior designer Laura Medicus created a private place for her daughter to read, watch TV, and relax by transforming a closet into a secret room that is accessed through the doors of an armoire, making the journey to the hidden space as much fun as the room itself.

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  • 09 of 10

    Fireplace Wall

    Hidden door ideas

    Creative Home Engineering

    What looks like a fixed black marble fireplace wall from Creative Home Engineering turns out to be a clever bit of trompe l'oeil thanks to a fully automated sliding column structure that reveals its dual purpose.

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  • 10 of 10

    Fireplace Door

    Hidden door ideas

    Creative Home Engineering

    The sliding black marble fireplace column from Creative Home Engineering slides open and shut to reveal and conceal the opening to a secret room.