The whole concept for Creative Home Engineering began with an idea and a sense of curiosity. To be specific, a rotating fireplace in an Indiana Jones movie inspired the idea for the company, and that sense of curiosity has acted as a common denominator for every door we’ve designed, built and installed since we opened our doors about 20 years ago.
An enduring sense of creativity allows us to bring to life the visions of the homeowners we work with, whether we’re building something we’ve built before or we’re tackling something entirely new — which happens quite a bit.
Our shop, which specializes in creating and refining custom secret doors for customers around the world, gives us the space to imagine, tinker and polish doors to precise specifications. We can safely say we can design and build just about anything, because our work allows us to back that statement up. We’ve created doors disguised as water heaters and air handlers, motorized staircases, grandfather clocks and wardrobes, draw bridges, movie posters, trap doors and pool tables that rise out of the floor.
That boundless potential for creative design is also anchored by mainstay designs that have endured over time.
Even custom homes have similar spaces, from doorways to stairwells to open walls, where secret doors can carve out a place that makes sense. With that in mind, we have a few creative designs that work well in almost any setting, any of which can be customized to fit the unique needs or wants of an individual homeowner.
Entertainment centers and bookcases: In some capacity, and on some scale, most homes make room for an entertainment center or bookcase of some kind. At Creative Home Engineering, we’ve created numerous secret doors disguised by these elements, from impressive and detailed wall-sized units to bookcases that fit under a staircase or in a slender hallway. The best part is, each piece can be customized to fit the space that is available and the decor that surrounds it — from modern to traditional to European.
Fireplaces: It’s not uncommon for homes to have fireplaces, or even multiple fireplaces, so it is easy to repurpose the space into a secret door. From sliding to swinging to rotating, secret door fireplaces have a few access options, giving homeowners choices that fit their floor plan best.
Walls: One way to conceal a secret door is to have it blend in completely with the wall, without ever using an external disguise. Our stone wall doors are completely flush with the surrounding wall, whether it’s a slab of granite or a stone veneer. The same can be said for any other finish on a wall, from concrete to wood paneling. The door goes completely unnoticed, except by the homeowner.
Hutch or wine rack: Like a bookcase or entertainment center, it’s not uncommon to see a hutch or a wine rack in a home — making either the perfect disguise for a secret door. Either can be recessed, sitting flush with the wall, and then swinging open when in use. While offering access to a hidden room, the piece is also an active furnishing that can be used for storage.
Electrical panels, phone booths and laundry rooms: Beyond our foundational pieces for secret doors, at Creative Home Engineering we like to stretch our imaginations to create truly unexpected secret doors — in almost any form. From electrical panels to vintage phone booths to functional laundry facilities, we’ve transformed these otherwise mundane pieces into truly creative covers for secret doors.
So, if you’re wondering if we can do it or if we have done it, the answer is very likely, “yes” to both. At Creative Home Engineering, we design on the foundations of what we know and allow creativity, curiosity and skill to bring new ideas to life.
Explore our gallery for design ideas.
Creative Home Engineering, a Gilbert, Arizona-based company, is the global leader in designing and manufacturing secret doors. From swinging bookcases to sliding walls to rotating fireplaces and safe rooms, Creative Home Engineering has been an innovative leader in the field of hidden passageway design for more than 20 years. Learn more at www.hiddenpassageway.com.