hidden doorways/built-in bookcases

After my post on our basement, I got a few emails and comments asking for a post on our 'hidden doorway' which is our bookshelf. Mr. Junk Style is a {brilliant} carpenter. I can't wait to build a house someday because he is full of great ideas! So this is how it looks from our basement living area:

And if you're wondering what that bar is near to the ceiling - it's a pipe! Our basement has such low ceilings and if we would have drywalled under the pipes, we would have lost another foot. So we decided to spray the ceilings black and keep the industrial look to it. And I absolutely love the look of it (although it collects a lot of dust).

Before I go on about this bookcase, it turns out that it is currently broken! It won't take much to fix it, but we don't need to use this doorway too often so it has yet to be fixed. When it is in working order, this is how it works....
As you can see, the bookcase is flush with the wall and simply looks like a built-in. However, when you pull down on the Indiana Jones Trilogy (as shown below)....


...there is a wire that runs from the back of the movie case to this thingy:

The wire lifts the 'hook' and releases that 'bar' and causes the bookcase to open!


As you can see, the other side of the doorway is nothing special. It enters to my husband (and my) workshop where he builds up all of our other bright ideas. Eventually we're hoping for the doorway to lead to a hallway and maybe another bedroom and bathroom.


My husband also added this built-in when we bought our house 4 years ago. I love it!

I'm linking up with A Soft Place to Land and creative cats! and metamorphisis monday Check em out!

Comments

  1. Absolutely awesome! Can he come and help with my basement?

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  2. i love books, bookshelves, and secret passageways!! this is fantastic!!

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  3. That is SO cool! My husband and I have talked about doing this. It's so neat to see if 'for real'!

    Roeshel

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  4. This is so cool and I love that you have it hooked to the Indiana Jones DVDs....I showed it to my hubby and he said "Sweet! That is SO AWesome" I couldn't agree more. : )

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  5. You hit it big on this post! I am definitely featuring this and will sending LOTS of people your way this week. Let's see you get more followers. Your blog definitely deserves to be "seen" my many!!!

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  6. So clever! I too would love to have a house with secret doors and passageways. I read too many Gothic novels when I was a kid! Thanks for sharing.

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  7. What a fun idea!

    I love your candelabra jewelry holder too- you have alot of great ideas! Thanks for sharing them with us.

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  8. I love the exposed ceiling in your basement! It makes it easy to hang those johnny jumpers anywhere! :) The bookcase is awesome too, I love how you used appropriate dvds to open the door, way to pay attention to detail! Awesome!

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  9. Love those handy husbands! Great idea!
    Tamera@doubledelight

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  10. I want McGyver for a husband you're so fortunate, mine can't even hang a picture!! That is so cool, my kids would love it! I would love my own little hide-away! An espresso machine inside perhaps?

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  11. Wow, I love it, what a great idea and talented husband you have! Stop by for a visit soon.
    Michelle

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  12. This is AMAZINGLY cool!! Love it!

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  13. WOW. It is completely inconceivable to me to have a husband who would do anything like that! I just love it, and my boys would just DIE if we had that in our house. So neat!

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  14. Such a fun idea! I'm putting a link on my blog! How fun to lead to an under the stairs playroom or something.

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  15. I'm JEALOUS! Embarassing fact: I used to go searching around my house (a 1975 tract home) after reading the Baby Sitter's Club books where Dawn's old house has a secret passageway from the underground railroad days. For some reason I never found one...

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  16. What?!? You have a secret room??? That is so freaking awesome!! I'm soooo jealous.

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  17. So cool! I wish I had somewhere to put a bookcase door!

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  18. Beyond awesome! The use of Indiana Jones movies to open the secret door is so Hollywood. Indy himself would love it. Many kudos to your hubby.

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  19. LOVING this. My husband will even be impressed. Which is good...because he calls most of what I do "Cra(p)fts" (He of course, means it in the most loving and endearing way possible.... :) I think... ;))

    ANYWAY, just stumbled across your blog, and I'm lovin' it. ;)

    Dani
    craftrookie.blogspot.com
    therecipegal.blogspot.com

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  20. OH that is awesome! I love this kind of stuff!! I'm putting this on my FB page!!

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  21. If I had a basement.. I would so want one of these!!

    Lisa
    @ Cents To Save

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  22. How totally awesome! Wonderful that you hubby can do such things!

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  23. If our husbands got together it would be very scary LOL He did a wonderful job on both book cases :)

    rue

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  24. That doorway reminds me of all the spooky bookcase passages in the old black and white movies of early Hollywood. I saw them as a kid- and they were old then- LOL! I was fascinated with those doorways. How fun to actually have one.

    Sue

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  25. No way!! That is too cool! I am so jealous right now!

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  26. Totally awesome! Can hardly wait to show my Hubs. He's a clever guy like your Hubs! Aren't we lucky? Thanks for a very fun idea!!! Deborah

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  27. That is great! Now I'm trying to figure out which door in my 50's bunga-ranch (aka bungalow-style ranch) would be best suited for one of my own!

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  28. Major talent there that is so cool! I want one.

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  29. OMG How amazing is that secret entry bookcase idea. HA! I love it. Wish I had room for one of those. What a novel idea!
    Lisa

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  30. How handy your husband is! That is such a great idea!

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  31. Some cool ideas here!! I love it!! I also love the idea of painting the ceilings to have an industrial type look...clever, girl!!

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  32. Oooh I love built ins and that is awesome...now I wish I had a secret space to do that in! So cool!

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  33. How cool is that?! I am trying to convince hubby to build a wall of built ins in our living room but since he can't do it - we'd have to pay which is not helping my side. Someday maybe...

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  34. Clever! Clever! Clever! What more can you say?

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  35. That is a.ma.zing! I always loved reading books where there were mysterious rooms behind bookcases. I'm already trying to figure out where we could put one of these. I'll either have to kick hubby out of his downstairs office or wait until one of the kids moves out. Drat!

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  36. Oh my... I am emailing this to my husband... but am afraid that he might like it so much he would want to mimic... would be great if he were a "brilliant carpenter" like yours!

    way to have fun with your house!

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  37. hello all

    I figured it would be a good idea to introduce myself to everyone!

    Can't wait to get to know you all better!

    -Marshall

    Thanks again!

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  38. LovE these bookcases! Great music here, too. I'm hoping to figure out how to follow your blog. :)

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