Home Renovations Part 1: Bookshelves

Towards the end of last year, we went through some major renovations at home. The bathrooms and laundry wrapped up just after Christmas, but the bookshelf – the thing I was most excited about – only just recently finished.

This was something I’d always wanted – a bookshelf with a secret door.

Heads up, though: if you spot any dodgy ceiling bits in the photos, just ignore them. We’re still working on repainting some of the ceiling and the walls.

What we wanted

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted a secret door. I put it down to reading books like The Secret Garden, and imagining myself solving mysteries like Trixie Belden or The Famous Five.

I’ve also always loved to read. At one point, my most prized possession was my Agatha Christie subscription collection – every month, a beautifully bound book, plus a little magazine. When I had to move from where I was living at the time, I didn’t have any space, so I unfortunately had to sell it.

The dream of a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf never really went away, though. I’ve been longing for the space to make it work, and finally, it was time.

Planning it

When we bought this house ten years ago, one room just never had a clear purpose. It started as a dining room, gradually became a cluttered mess, and has become what I’ve described as the adults’ room – wine fridge, coffee station (by station, I mean four machines and a whole display setup for my husband’s freshly roasted beans, but I digress).

The hallway next to my office was the perfect spot for a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, built flush with the walls. It would make that room feel more intentional, especially when combined with a rug and two armchairs. It would become a place you’d want to relax in, or hang with your friends.

My husband and I bickered a bit about the design. He wanted to use it to store cooking equipment. I reminded him it was meant to be a bookshelf. He came back with floor-to-ceiling cabinets and diagonal shelves. I pointed out that diagonal shelves can’t hold much… and that it was meant to be a bookshelf.

We compromised. After I reminded him, many, many times, that it was meant to be – you guessed it – a bookshelf. Half shelves, half cabinets. We’d both get what we wanted.

The secret door was originally going to be a full bookshelf too, but the quote came in at an extra $5,000 just for the door. So that was a hard no. The bookshelves were expensive enough as they were, so my dreams would just have to be compromised, too.

And then we waited for the cabinetmakers to be available.

The finished product

June rolled around, and it was finally time.

Here’s what it looked like before, mid-move when we were reshuffling some furniture and shoving it in my office to get it out of the way. My office doesn’t look as cluttered as that now.

The plan is to hang a photo printed on canvas on the middle door so it looks like an intentional gap. It sits flush – you can tell it’s a door if you’re looking for it, but at first glance it doesn’t quite read that way. Hopefully, once there’s a picture on it, that’ll help even more.

Here’s a picture with the door open to my office.

When it was first installed, we kept unconsciously drifting to the right as we walked down the hallway – we weren’t used to something so big on our left. A few weeks on and we’ve finally stopped doing that.

We’re still working out what goes where, and we definitely need more plants. Most importantly, though, I’m going to start buying book series again. What’s on the shelves now are my must-keeps, plus – begrudgingly – my husband’s cookbooks. I gave up some space.

But notice my Die Hard Christmas Book on display? *grin*

Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas Movie and that’s a hill I will die on.

Here’s a cool feature of WordPress I’ve discovered – the ability to slide the pics across to view the before and after. This was before we started putting anything away. The first thing I put on the shelves is my dog’s ashes – she still gets priority treatment.

I thought I’d feel claustrophobic in my office once it was enclosed. Turns out it just feels more cosy and private. It blocks out the sound of my husband and son arriving home in the afternoons, which is extremely useful. And it’s keeping my office much warmer in winter – thank god.

We’re really loving the finished product. Plus, it’s allowed us to fast-track some plans we had in the kitchen. As usual, we spiralled hard, and now the pantry has been moved to a different cupboard, and what was the pantry is getting knocked down to make the kitchen open plan. Stay tuned for that one!

The next dream? Convincing my husband that we need a hidden trapdoor in the lawn that leads to a secret wine cellar. I’m not sure I’ll win this argument, though.

If you could add one hidden or secret feature to your home, what would it be? (I’m taking notes for my husband.)