I was recently invited to my friend’s lovely home. After I rang the doorbell, my friend swung the front door wide open. As I crossed the threshold, I knew I could expect a big friendly hug from my dear friend. Inside the front door there was a place to take off my shoes and drop my purse. Terry said, “Come, follow me.” She then proceeded to usher me through the entrance way, or foyer, to another room in her beautiful home.
I wish my husband and I lived in a “come through” house. We don’t. We live in a house with an open floor plan. When you come through our front door, you’re immediately inside the family room. There’s no transition, no chance to collect yourself, or drop your handbag, etc. I’m like my friend, whenever someone visits, I want guests to feel like they’ve stepped into a warm, welcoming environment after they come through our front door.
Let’s talk about our open floorplan house for just a minute. Before Hurricane Ian caused wreckage to our home, there was a standard-issue, bi-fold closet door that was visible from the front door entrance. This uninspiring and ugly door is the entrance to the master bedroom walk-in closet. While I was researching for an appealing replacement closet door, I came across a keen secret door idea. I knew I landed in the right place when I came across a “Murphy Door”—yeah, like the Murphy Bed. Ever since I saw the secret Murphy Door bookcase online, I was totally enamored. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. And whenever I get an idea in my head, or when I have my heart set on something, it’s not a matter of “if” so much as to “when.” Plus, I always need more room for my books. I’m a collector. I collect books.
What caught my eye was the seamless-within-a-wall look. The website displayed a hidden door disguised as a typical wall of books. If we were to purchase one, the secret bookcase door would perfectly hide the entryway to our walk-in closet, all-the-while displaying favorite books and keepsakes on the shelves. This bookcase door with real bookshelves can hold up to 300 lbs. and still function smoothly, so you can load it with books and accessories without worry. Everyone loves a beautiful bookcase, but the bookcases from Murphy Door are distinctly different. Instead of simply being a piece of furniture, their bookcases double as a door, adding a touch of functionality, storage, and secrecy to any room. Not to mention, they are oh-so-very cool.
After discussing the pros and cons with my husband, we decided to order a pre-hung flush mount bookcase online. Is the bookcase preassembled? Glad you asked! The Murphy Door kit came pre-assembled. The door is built and assembled in its jamb then carefully packed and strapped upright on a pallet for shipping. It’s the easiest and quickest way to have your very own secret, hidden door. This door can be configured to be a left or right-hand operation, as well as an in-swing or an out-swing option. Whether you need an out-swing bookcase or in-swing bookcase door, the costs are virtually the same.
We were guaranteed to receive the new door in an undamaged condition. All assembled doors are delivered palletized and shipped in an upright position on a wooden pallet. Our order was being shipped by an LTL carrier. Which means it was being delivered by a semi-truck. They provided a lift gate to allow the package to be lowered to the road without damage. The driver then delivered the wooden pallet to our garage using a pallet jack truck.
There was a “Tip N Tell” indicator on the side of the package. This indicator would show whether or not the packaged door had been laid down or tipped over. I’d never seen anything like this before. It’s a little device filled with colored beads. If at any time, the package is tilted pass a certain point, the beads flow into a receptable to witness the fact and alert potential damage. The driver asked me to exam the Tip N Tell indicator to see if any of the dye had entered the “tipped” zone. The tip indicator showed that the carefully packed Murphy Door had not been mishandled in shipping. My tilt gauge was just fine.
Just Counters & other stuff, inc. skilled team: Aaron Shaffer and John Anthony did a fabulous job installing the hidden door. With their critical thinking and attention to detail, their finished work is second-to-none. I couldn’t be happier with how this clever hidden door bookcase turned out.
Now, let’s get back to the time my friend asked me to follow her through her foyer. That short distance from the foyer to her kitchen made me think about how we travel through life from one place to another. While it may be brief, there’s often a change that occurs. Coming through from one room to another there are possibilities that things may be different in the new space. But you can’t get there immediately from just coming through the front doorframe. You have to traverse through another space.
But this also reminds me of how we often “come through” in our own lives. This past year is not something neither my husband nor I will soon forget, and I guess it should be that way. We experienced one of the most powerful storms to reach the United States mainland. Hurricane Ian, a monstrous category 4 storm, blasted through SW Florida a year ago. Because of this storm Paul and I experienced difficulties, anger, depression, anxiety, frustration, loss, and conflicts. When all the repairs are completed and our home is fully restored, we hope to experience happiness again.
It occurred to me that each of us experience situations, difficulties, and trials that require us to “come through.” Happiness and tragedy happen to all of us. As the Bible says: the rain falls on the just and unjust, the good and bad. Try that we may, there’s only one way to go and that is through. Sometimes we have to traverse through grief, disappointment, forgiveness, anger or frustration in order to get to a new place of contentment, acceptance, or even joy.
All the bad shit my husband and I had to go through after the hurricane was a big challenge, a real struggle, with heartache and pain, but through that fight and tears we became stronger and wiser, and ultimately experienced a happy ending. The renovations have been incredible, really. To be able to see and touch what was once pure imagination of rooms we’d only dreamed of. I know there were times when I wished I could just get to the new place without traversing through any struggle. But that would negate any lessons learned and would probably not be justifiable.
Apologies for my musings. Have I lost your attention since I strayed from the subject of hidden doors? Before I close, I just want to mention that Murphy Doors are trending right now because people love novelty. Plus, what’s cooler than a hidden room?
I absolutely love this door and the whole idea of a functional bookcase. Leave it to you to let us know of design innovations lile this and how practically they can be used in our own homes. Well done, and thanks!