Woman Stuns With Secret Passageway Built Into Ordinary-Looking Closet
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A video showcasing an enchanting hidden feature at the back of a "Narnia-inspired" closet has captivated viewers on YouTube.
The unique feature was created by Lauren Liess, an interior designer from Great Falls, Virginia, who shared a glimpse of it in a video on her YouTube channel @LaurenLiessTV. The video has garnered over 138,000 views since it was shared on May 19.
Text overlaid on the video reads: "When a fantasy nerd grows up and designs a house..."
The footage shows Liess walking to the end of a children's playroom and opening the doors of a closet. She steps into the empty wardrobe and opens the back wall, which opens onto another room.
As a designer, "I'm always trying to dream up amazing spaces for my clients," Liess told Newsweek.
"This Narnia-inspired doorway has been on my bucket list since I was a kid," she noted, referencing the wardrobe from The Chronicles of Narnia series that served as a secret passageway into a magical world.
The viral clip comes amid a broader trend of American residents investing in home renovations. The median renovation spending in the United States rose by 60 percent between 2020 and 2023, surging from $15,000 to $24,000, according to a recent survey by Houzz, a home design website.
Kitchens were found to be the most commonly renovated interior room, followed closely by guest bathrooms and primary bathrooms. Living room projects were also found to be popular, with one in five homeowners having tackled those spaces in 2023, the survey found.
An 'Invisible Door'
Liess told Newsweek: "I love to incorporate surprising storytelling elements into my designs. When I was working on the floor plans for my house I realized I had the perfect opportunity for it with my kids' playroom and then I realized I already had the perfect armoire in my foyer."
So, her contractor got straight to work and made an "invisible door" in the wall, cutting out the back of the cabinet to retrofit it into the doorway. "When the invisible wall door is closed, it looks and functions just like a normal cabinet," the interior designer noted.
"We absolutely love the results, and the kids have so much fun when someone new comes over that doesn't know the secret," she added.
Viewers on YouTube adorned the charming secret room feature in the viral clip.
User @halleymastrolonardo wrote: "NARNIA!! Yassss love this!!"
User @MLF-gg6fv said: "Nope, it should have fur coats in them and then it should lead to outside!!! Then it would be true to the story!!"
User @Betruetoyou4444 said: "It's like Alice in Wonderland!!! I wish we got to see outside the window!! Beautiful!!!!"
User @rneustel388 noted "How charming!!" and @tinasilvercat6923 said it was like "Heaven on Earth."
User @robinnieto2703 simply said it was "Sweet!," while @La-bq6jj noted "Love this! It would also be nice to put maybe a little seating lounge in there or a book case on the sides or just something inside."
A screenshot from a viral YouTube video showcasing a secret passageway at the back of a closet in a home.
A screenshot from a viral YouTube video showcasing a secret passageway at the back of a closet in a home.
@LaurenLiessTV on YouTube
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