According to the Washington Post’s Roy Furchgott, there is a growing demand for a Halloween-type feature in homes: secret doorways. The doors, typically hidden by a panel, mirror, artwork, or bookcase, swing open to reveal another room. Although some homeowners use concealed doorways for security to conceal valuables, other homeowners are adding them for aesthetics or fun. Also dubbed Murphy doors, home improvement stores, such as Home Depot, have seen an increase in sales of the pre-built, ready-to-install doors.
Three years ago, Home Depot began to offer, online, pre-hung bookcase-doors from Murphy Door in Ogden, Utah. “The overall draw to the site was more than we expected,” Watchko said. “It’s very popular on the East Coast and anywhere there is a large metropolitan area.”
The Murphy doors can come pre-hung — already mounted in a frame — in standard door sizes, so it’s a simple matter to install one in a doorway.
Watchko said the popularity of the secret doors — which range from $850 to $1,750, depending on size and finish — has prompted Home Depot to introduce displays of them in several cities. “We are looking at rolling out a pilot program in select stores,” he said. “It will be the first time people can walk into a store and touch and feel a Murphy door.”
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