Hidden pocket doors - a stylish way to create secret spaces

Pocket doors are now at the forefront of the thoughts of an interior designer looking for innovative solutions in a home, and not just for the space saving benefits they provide. It is true that pocket doors opening up into an adjacent wall cavity rather than swinging into a room, create a significant amount of space, which is often critical in being able to transform a room or make it multi-purpose. However, the inherent design qualities of the pocket door also enable it to provide flexibility and some innovative design ideas in the shape of hidden doors.

The benefits of hidden doors

The idea of hidden doors might strike you as something from a kids’ TV programme, where a pair of doors are opened up and a fictional character strides through and straight into a magical land that nobody knew existed. How this is translated into an everyday family home is not too much different, in truth. Hidden doors are a way to deceive people, in a nice way, and to hide smaller spaces that aren’t always in use, or which you don’t want to reveal, or in some cases, perhaps, can’t be bothered to tidy up. And ultimately, this means you can use a larger space for multiple purposes and have some flexibility between a space you use for everyday purposes, and a space you use for entertaining, or when having quiet family time in the evening.

How to use pocket doors as hidden doors

The seamless integration of pocket doors makes them an attractive and appealing way to design a modern or traditional home, and they can open up or close down space as and when you need them to.

So you can have a home office in a large living room during the day, and in the evening this section of the room is closed off while you enjoy an intimate TV space. Similarly, a storage space can be closed off in a hallway, or in a kitchen and when people come round, they have no idea these additional spaces actually exist. Kitchens are often linked to living rooms or dining rooms, and these can also be hidden doors that are opened up when you have large gatherings at home, and closed off when you have other uses for the rooms. Visitors would therefore have no idea your home was very different most of the time, and can be swapped between a functional family home during the day and an open and welcoming communal space at other times.  

External doors that open to the outside can also become hidden doors. On a warm, sunny day you can open these up and let people mingle between inside and outside, and there is no indication that these doors exist on an everyday basis.

What pocket doors can be used as hidden doors?

The best design of pocket door to use as hidden doors is the Syntesis pocket door. These have no surrounding architrave and so sit flush to the walls and are therefore barely visible when closed, and when open there is no suggestion there is a door there, and instead it just looks like a permanently open space.

Double pocket doors are a good way to close off a large space and to make a dramatic impression when opening up what appears to be hidden pocket doors. And there are a number of ways you can decorate standard pocket doors to create hidden doors also. You can choose between:

• Mirror – Put a mirror on the back of a pocket door (making sure there is sufficient clearance for the door to enter the pocket safely and without obstruction) or put a pair of mirrors on double pocket doors, and these will completely conceal the fact you have doors leading into a ‘secret’ room.
• Artwork – Hang a picture, painting or photograph on the back of the door and ordinarily it will look like a normal wall.
• Paint – Paint the back of the door the same colour as your wall and you can completely deceive someone that another room leads from this one.
• Wallpaper – Patterned wallpaper is a great way to keep a room hidden, as the pattern will distract someone and conceal the idea that doors and another room exists.

So pocket doors are ideal for creating hidden doors to a room you don’t want on show. This could be a study, a library, a utility room, an office or doors to an outside space. This enables pocket doors to create flexible spaces in the home and for you to use them to adapt your home as you wish to, creating a family space for everyday use, and then revealing another side to your house for other purposes. So check out our range of pocket doors at Pocket Door Shop and select the style that suits you today.