Book Façade Secret Storage

Jonathan Fong
by Jonathan Fong
4 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy
We can always use extra storage. And storage that's a secret hideaway is even better. So what you see here isn't actually a row of books. It’s a trompe l’oeil illusion, art that tricks the eye into thinking it’s looking at a three-dimensional object. What you’re really seeing is a book façade hiding secret storage compartments. It’s a handy place to hide checkbooks, high school pictures of yourself you want no one to see, and the TV remote control.
It's like those Scooby-Doo shows where there's a bookcase that swivels to reveal a secret chamber. Well, kind of.
Start by choosing some books with interesting spines. I like to use hardbound books.
The key to making the façade look real is to line up the spines of actual books on a photocopier so that the photocopy captures the shadows between the books. Line up the spines of your books on a color photocopier. Choose enough books so that they measure about a foot. I recommend using a laser copier at the copy store instead of your inkjet printer at home. The resulting image will be more realistic, capturing both shadows and reflections. Oh, and you’ll probably have to use the 11 by 17 paper. 
Apply spray adhesive to the back of the photocopy, and adhere it to a piece of foam core board. Then cut around the image of the books with a hobby knife. 
Hot glue some storage boxes to the back of the book façade. I made the boxes here with my Sizzix die cutting machine, but you can always use old boxes like a shoebox. Just make sure the width of the box is smaller than the width of the book façade.
From the front, it looks just like a row of books.
And when you put it on a bookshelf, you can't tell the real books from the fake books.
But only you know where that remote control is hidden.
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Jonathan Fong
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  • Terre Tulsiak Terre Tulsiak on Aug 04, 2020

    Why not use the actual books? I know, gasp, but I get rid of tons of books every year and was told thrift stores trash most of them...

  • Barbara Barbara on Aug 05, 2020

    How to they look when you look "downward" on the shelf. Don't you see that it is just a facade?

  • Sherry L Reed Sherry L Reed on Aug 06, 2020

    Can the row of books be copied without closing the lid of the copier?

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  • Teresa Teresa on Aug 12, 2021

    That is so creative!

  • JH JH on Jan 15, 2024

    I have read numerous articles about where thieves look first for small valuables. They go for the small easy to grab expensive items. They never bother with large items.

    So the first places they look are in drawers, inside BOOKS, behind picture frames, under the mattress. Many other places to mention, but the lists are long.

    They knock the books off the shelves and if hollowed out they generally fall open.

    This is a great idea, but I think a locked heavy safe would be a better option.

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