It looks like a standard bookshelf, but this bookshelf moves and folds in the middle to reveal a hidden room. Hidden rooms are becoming more popular today and more people are putting hidden features into their home for added safety and security.

Everyone has something to hide. Whether it’s a coin collection, guns, silver, artwork or just plain junk, you sometimes need a place to store things that’s out of plain view. That’s the beauty of a hidden room. In Victorian times, furniture was often made with hidden drawers and compartments. I have an old Victorian dresser that has a hidden drawer perfect for hiding silver and other precious items. The beauty of a hidden room is that only you know about it and access isn’t readily available.

The closet
Recently, I spoke with a client about a house plan. The plan included an upstairs closet in a guest room that she said would be used for storage and items such as her husband’s guns. I suggested that instead of a normal door, she might want to consider concealing the entrance to this room with a bookcase on a piano hinge. Years ago, I worked in a custom cabinet shop that made fine cabinetry for upscale homes. One of the items we frequently worked on was cabinets with hidden features. We also created lots of pivoting bookshelves that opened into a secret room.

Safety first
Hidden rooms are great for storing valuables and they are also good choices for anyone who keeps precious objects or cash on hand. A hidden room can often be undetectable. Few people would move bookshelves to look for a safe they way they would a painting. There are even companies now that build bookshelves just for the purpose of concealing a room. Several of these companies are on the Internet. A quick search on hidden rooms will reveal a number of these firms. Each one typically has more than one type of cabinet style.

Do it yourself
Building a bookshelf into a doorway for a hidden room effect is not very hard. A simple bookshelf with trim is easy to make and can be mounted on a door opening with a piano hinge. A piano hinge has very small hinges that run the length of the doorway versus the three large hinges that doors are typically mounted on. If you want ideas on how to build your own hidden room bookshelves, secretdoorways.com has a book to show you how.

Function
There are many uses for hidden rooms besides just storage. Sometimes it’s to hide an eye sore, such as an air exchanger for your air conditioning and heating system. Another fun option is have a hidden room in a child’s room to make a fun and mysterious space. If you like technology, but don’t like the look of it, a hidden room would make the perfect “James Bond” spy office and technology center. Outfitted with computers and hi tech equipment, you could surf the web for hours on end without having to put all that hardware out in the open. Want to move a candlestick to reveal your hidden room automatically? Then, check out hiddenpassageway.com. This company creates automated doors and staircases like something out of a horror film.

Hidden rooms have become very popular in recent years as people want to create safer homes and worry that others may be able to locate their valuables that aren’t carefully stored and hidden. I once lived in a home with a hidden staircase. No one could figure out how to get upstairs and that made it quite a novelty. If you’re building a home, work some hidden features into it. You can have hiding places built into cabinets and furniture — and easily create your own hidden room with a bookshelf in a weekend. You might be surprised at how much you have to hide or want to keep away from prying eyes.

Men and women have distinct views on decorating that don’t always match up. This table represents a wonderful design compromise. The glass table corrals all the little items in one dust-free place, keeping the top uncluttered. Women who enjoy collecting or having lots of knickknacks can keep their beloved items while men would enjoy the uncluttered table top.

It happened again. I was watching HGTV’s House Hunters, one of HGTV’s most popular shows and there it was – a master bedroom with garlands of roses on the windows and a flowery spread on the bed. All I could think was that there was one unhappy man in that house the buyers were touring. Then we went to the next house tour. The house was a sportsman’s dream and I know somewhere there’s a woman who cringes every time she walks in the door.

When I see a house that leans either too strongly toward a masculine feel or a feminine one, all I can think is that the house has either one very understanding spouse or a very frustrated one. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There can be design parity and, if achieved, you won’t just have a happy spouse, you’ll have a happier household.

Recognizing truths

Ladies, as hard as it is to imagine anyone hating a rose, it’s true that men don’t like flowery rooms and they really despise flowery bedrooms. They don’t want to sleep in them, they don’t want flowers hanging on the windows and they don’t like them no matter how hard they try to convince you through their gritted teeth that they do. If you want to make your man happy, get rid of those drippy flowers and put something gender neutral in your bedroom. Men: are you with me?

I don’t often talk about my feng shui side, but would you like to know the reason men don’t like flowers? It’s because they’re competition. That’s right. A flower is the yang, or male, expression of a plant and men don’t like competing with other male energy – especially in the bedroom. And, because opposites attract, that’s why women like flowers. Women are yin, or negative energy, and flowers are positive. Likewise, metal and chrome and dark colors that men prefer are actually feminine in nature and that’s why men are attracted to them. Isn’t that fascinating? I love how feng shui explains design and decorating.

Now, guys, as hard as it is to imagine anyone hating a treasured ball cap, stuffed fish, or a house full of horns hanging on the wall, it’s true that women don’t like it, and most likely have said so. Ladies: are you with me? So, there you have it. Both sides have been heard and the serious grievances have been aired. Now all we have to do is get past the color issue.

Men like white. Women like color. Men are as frightened of red walls as they are of having their toenails painted. However, women like “stuff” and lots of it and men hate knick knacks and paddywacks. A compromise is called for. Go with a medium tone on the walls for the woman, and to give the man what he wants, pare down all the tchotchkes, which to men just look like clutter. A side table with one lamp and one figurine or picture frame is enough. This way you can both have what you want.

The TV

The next issue on the plate is the television. Many women don’t want an electronic behemoth in the living room, and for men, there isn’t a TV that’s too big. If you have two living areas or a guest room put the TV in one room and make the other just for living. If you only have one living room and the TV and fireplace are competing for attention, put the television on the wall opposite the fireplace and then arrange the sofa and chairs perpendicular to the fireplace and TV so that both can be enjoyed.

 

A gorgeous dining room can be created with some paint, some accessories, luxurious fabrics, and delicious colors. Upgrading your dining room can be accomplished easily and on a weekend day. Step up the design in your dining room before the holidays are here and when they arrive, you can dine in beautiful style with these ideas.

Whether you have a formal dining room in your home often depends on the area of the country where you live and how old your home is.  Many newer homes don’t have formal dining rooms.  Regardless of whether you do have a dining room or not, there are ways to spruce up your dining area to make it more enjoyable and make having a meal there go from eating to dining.  Swing into action now while the holidays are far enough away to get your dining room ready for the holiday meals ahead.

More Dining Room Decorating

A bright napkin in serape-inspired colors is turned on an angle as a placemat. The white napkin and plate jump against the brilliant background. A colorful Brahma bull centerpiece is surrounded by ivy and garden vegetables for a summer twist and the margarita glass from a dollar store beckons for a cold frozen drink.

Last week I was in colorful Newfoundland, the most northeastern part of the North American continent and the first place in North America to greet each new day. The houses are all painted bright, vivid colors and are called “jellybeans” because of their resemblance to the brightly-colored candy. The weather while I was there was pristine and I kept finding my mind wondering about how to put those beautiful, happy colors into everyday life. The vivid pinks, reds, oranges, blues, and greens might be too intense for a whole room, but they’d be perfect in a summer place setting – a place where a splash of summer color would look cooling and fun, too.

Whether outdoors or indoors, a festive and colorful table makes for festive dining. It’s also a place where you can indulge your color fantasies without being stuck with fuchsia all over the walls like those daring Newfoundlanders. Of course, they probably welcome the cheery colors in the deep winter when the weather is a smothering gray and icy drizzle.

Napkins and table runners
If you’ve got lots of storage space, buy colorful and brightly-colored placemats and try mixing and matching them in varying designs. Some placemats come in families of colors, such as turquoise and orange and often come in families of designs, such as floral and stripes. Instead of having all striped placemats, mix the designs in the same color families for a unique twist.

But, if you’re like most people and space is at a premium, buy large napkins as stand-ins for placemats. Storing napkins is much easier because they take up less room than standard placemats and you can buy more and in a variety of colors, letting you take your place settings to all kinds of fun places. And, because napkins often cost less than placemats, you’ll save money, too. Place napkins on an angle to make it more interesting looking. Another option besides placemats are table runners running lengthwise and then across for your place settings. You can add placemats if you want to or not, the choice is up to you.

Buy white
There’s nothing like crisp white plates to set off the reds of summer-ripe tomatoes or watermelon. Food looks fantastic on white plates and the bright white makes the cheery colors of summer foods pop off the plate. White plates are also versatile, so virtually any pattern or color of napkin or placemat will work with them – making your range of designs endless. The nice thing is that inexpensive sets can be purchased at most any home, linen, or décor store.

Out of the box
Put your summer tablescape together with items you have around the house and try items you wouldn’t ordinarily think of – it will make your table much more daring and unique. A napkin ring can be made from raffia, colorful ribbon, even twisted pipe cleaners. Or, buy inexpensive ponytail holders in sunny colors or that have summery items like seashells on them to use as napkin holders.

Too much produce from the garden?
Mound squash, tomatoes, eggplant or whatever you have the most of in the center of the table on a silk ivy plant. It’s a fresh-from-the-garden centerpiece that also shows off your gardening prowess. If you have an especially pretty potted flowering plant, use that as your centerpiece and tuck in tapers or votives in holders for a sparkling and natural centerpiece.

Get thee to a dollar store
Another terrific source of fun items for the table is the dollar store. Inexpensive items found there can dress up your table for some summer fun and you can buy lots of cute items without going into debt to do it. Better still, if you get tired of it in one summer, you can always toss it out or garage sale it, and buy more next year. I found terrific margarita glasses at a dollar store for $1 each. I later found these same glasses at a chic homestore for $4 apiece – so don’t overlook your dollar store as a good source of fun and inexpensive summer dining items. Look for cute plastic plates and cups, inexpensive glasses, even placemats. It’s feels great to get so much for so little, too.

Make your living space fun with bright and colorful place settings you’ll enjoy all summer long.