When we decided to add a ceiling to our two-story entrance, we ended up with an oddly placed extra room the size of a walk-in closet.
The room wasn’t attached to any other rooms, and we spent some time thinking about what we could use this small space for. I realized one day — we could build a hidden children’s library with a closet entrance in Narnia!
Obviously, this room is a gallery and the most unique room in our house, but the biggest benefit is the dramatic increase in reading interests of both my children (7 and 4 years old).
Today, I’ll give you a tour of our secret library and explain how we created it. By the way, if you want to see what our two-tier entry looks like before converting it, you can See a photo here.
When we added the ceiling above the entrance (converting it from two floors into one), we left this space connected to the landing at the top of our stairs. We decided to turn it into a wardrobe in Narnia with a hidden library for our children.
First, I take a source neck armor from Etsy. Next, we integrated it into the patched drywall and wall. Then we cut a door into the back of the armoire to create an access point.
You can see in the photos below how it looks when closed and opened. The new door is 5 feet high so adults have to get in, but both kids and adults can get in.
Anytime we can’t find our kids, they can be found in this room to read and play. It makes us very happy!
Let’s talk a little bit about the lobby. This is a small landing space at the top of our stairs. It has wallpaper and ceilings that create a large look. From this space, there is the door to the stairs, our master bedroom, the hallway, where there are more bedrooms, and this house.
Many times I showed the armor to guests and no one realized there was anything special about it until we opened the hidden door inside. That’s real magic!
Speaking of real magic, here’s a video tour of our hidden gallery:
Source: Background image / Art prints by Augustine Evans / William Cleary Art Print (both art prints are by Janet Hill).
The dark green paint color is a custom match. We took a sample of the wallpaper to the paint shop and they chose the most suitable color for us to paint the door and decor.
Wall lining Ceilings are a good way to make a room feel smaller, tighter, and more dramatic. This space has a little vibration before we add background imageand now it’s one of the most designed spaces in our house.
Art source: Star chart art / Harry Potter Custom Art / Some copy prints, Moon and ScreamTars In, Printed shadow puppet. The rose painting and the mirror are classic pieces.
I found a etsy shop that makes these custom wizard print and my kids think they’re hilarious.
When it comes to collecting books for my children’s library, this is the fun part! Let me know if you’re interested in an extensive post on the subject. I have collected hundreds of used books locally.
For new books, I mainly focus on early reader series as our 7 year old is currently learning to read. I have collected all the series that I loved the most as a child as well as the new series that my friends recommended.
So far, my 7 year old is in love Elephants and Piggies series (which she can read on her own), The Magic Treehouse and The Ramona series. It’s been inspiring that both of my girls are more interested in reading this year.
I’m a vintage lover, I’m also a collector Nancy Drew and i’m currently working on the whole Goosebumps book.
Want to see more room tours?
