Post #810840 by ECTiki on Fri, Sep 29, 2023 9:12 AM

So how do we conceal a stairway and turn Vitu Waitui into speakeasy in our home? There are quite a few examples of speakeasys here in San Diego to emulate. I think the most elaborate has to be Raised by Wolves. Although not tiki, definitely the most stunning speakeasy entrance anywhere. Since I don’t have an unlimited budget, I settled on a bookcase door as the most logical way to conceal the entrance to our home speakeasy.

If I made the bookcase of stain grade wood, then, I could then match the door to the new bathroom and coat closet doors. Maybe, the speakeasy concealment solution would be simple. (Simple, …..funny) Anyway, the stairwell opening was 96” H and 47”W. That would be a massive door, probably too heavy to open once loaded with books.

On the internet, I saw several bookcase doors that weren’t. Only spines of books glued to a door to create the illusion of depth. This would save weight…. But ….My brain couldn’t grasp the concept of destroying books for any purpose. Not even my precious dive bar. Plus, there is already a significant loss of knowledge occurring with book banning in our country. So, damaging books, out of the question. The door had to hold actual books.

Obviously, the doors had to hold actual books which create significant weight. (Boxes of books are always the heaviest on moving day) and couldn’t require a Herculean effort to open and close the door. So, I came up with the idea for two outwardly opening bookcases as doors. Half the weight for each door. Math by brain could grasp.

I couldn’t really reduce the size and weight with a shorter door. I couldn’t lower the header with a soffit…..Well not without risking head injury to drunken visitors when they went down the stairs from the bar. The bookcase doors then, had to be tall.

The depth of two bookcases would also be a concern. Although this design would narrow the entrance significantly, I figured there would still be enough room (barely) even for our very portly guests to make it up the stairs. So I built some rudimentary bookcase boxes and began experimenting with movement.