SECRET HIDEOUTS

We all have things we would prefer to keep out of plain sight - family heirlooms, wedding rings, expensive jewellery, medicines or even weapons. Sometimes we just want to keep household items hidden in order to declutter a space. Whether you want to hide items for safety or financial reasons, or simply want to keep your bedroom tidy, there are a few clever storage ideas that could help you out.

- >> Loren Shirley-Carr

Secret drawer space

Create a false bottom in one of your drawers to render your valuables almost impossible to find. There are a few ways to do this, you just need to ensure that you find wood that matches your drawer and size it so that it fits perfectly into the space with no gaps along the sides. You can either use a magnet system or a hook to raise the false bottom when you need to get to your hidden stash.

To use the magnet system, you will need measuring tape, wood, medium sandpaper, washers, Super glue, strong magnets.

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Step 1

Measure the inside of your drawer.

Step 2

Go to your nearest hardware store and buy a piece of wood with a similar colour and grain to your drawer. Ask them to cut the wood to your specifications.

Step 3

Place the wood on your work table with the top half facing down.

Step 4

Glue a washer in the middle of the piece of wood and on each corner of the wood, keeping them about 2.5cm away from each edge. Glue another layer of washers, and keep stacking until the supports are as tall as you want your secret compartment to be. Allow the glue to dry completely.

Step 5

Fill your drawer with your valuables and place the false bottom over them.

Step 6

Use a strong magnet over two corners on top of the washers to pick up the false bottom.