Architectural Mystery: Murray Hewitt Joinery

There are few architectural details that can give a home a sense of mystery and wonder like a secret door leading to a hidden room.

If you’ve ever wanted a private hideaway, extra secure storage for valuables, or an almost magical escape to another world, a hidden room is sure to amaze and inspire. One local Christchurch builder renovating his home had just such a whim for a hidden room – actually a hidden office/workroom. The most common mechanism for accessing a hidden room is via a bookcase that conceals a secret door. That’s where Murray Hewitt Joinery came into the story.

“The client supplied us with a whole lot of recycled rimu and asked us to turn a picture of a bookcase cum door from the Internet into practical reality,” Murray Hewitt says. “Creative engineering certainly came into play as we scratched our heads about how to create the required pivot in the bookcase so it would open as a door, but when shut would look like a single unit. It was a fascinating challenge – something different and out of the ordinary.”

The team at Murray Hewitt Joinery really enjoys the ‘out of the ordinary’. “They had fun working out the complex design then cleaning up any defects in the recycled timber, laminating it and adding details such as architraves to the bookcase itself to fit in with the style of the home. We definitely can turn our hands to anything and everything.”

Located at 25A Lunns Road, phone 03 343 0360 or email info@mhj.co.nz. See the extensive joinery portfolio on www.mhj.co.nz.