Genius Home Hacks!

[@Nick_Lewis]

KZbin was a bit glitchy with me on this video for some reason, but all links for products discussed in the video are now in the description and timestamps are back in!

[@marielle36]

Thank you!

[@WhaleDaughter]

Do you have the youtube link for the DIY book spin cover? I'm only seeing the amazon link.

[@orlandosetanta]

The Covobox Amazon link isn't working for me and even searching it by name doesn't show it. Do you have any other link I could try please? It's such a great idea!

[@Cruella-Deville]

your kidding please say your kidding us on youtube

[@1lmp1]

I do not think hidden rooms make a great sense in high rise apartment buildings. But living in the USA in single family homes where high crime rate and home break-ins are an issue. Hidden room can offer a hiding place when someone is breaking in. It can provide enough time to hide in and call the police while the criminal is trying to figure out where it is if they have beard someone being inside.

[@peterzellmer3333]

Hidden rooms are fantastic for kids' play rooms. They love showing them off to their friends

[@ES1077]

“The jig is up! “ on the hidden room…you live there! I laughed so hard. I’ve thought the same…like who are you hiding from…you live alone!

[@hazelem1266]

I really love reading the comments because so many people have extra ideas of what they did in their homes.

[@ColleenJoudrey]

True story. My husband got lost in the Wolcott Hotel in NYC one night and somehow ended up in a abandoned service stairwell that led to a very art deco ballroom that must have been closed off for at least 10 years, It was completely disheveled with at least an inch of dirt on everything. He's always looking for neat hidden spaces and rooms because growing up in old town Lunenburg, it was common for homes to have hidden spaces for sometimes odd reasons.

[@Nancymarie410]

Wow that is so cool😃👍 maybe a speakeasy, there are places like that in Florida.

[@Neenerella333]

He is a Door Jiggler. My sister is like that. You never know what you'll find when you try a strange door.

[@sgueymard]

😆

[@AutismusPrime69]

Who cares

[@snowwhite5842]

That’s exactly how the plot of The Shining started.

[@susantownsend8397]

Hidden rooms: I once had a sewing room that could only be accessed through my walk-in closet. The point was that I didn’t have to worry about it looking messy when I left an unfinished project spread out all over.

[@ellenfoster9764]

I remember a friend of my mother’s who was renovating an old house. She had a room where she could leave up her ironing board and sewing machine at all times. Became my goal in life

[@neferkiti]

As a librarian, I give you all permission to make DIY stuff-hiders with old books, as long as they're not rare. It's the ideas that are sacred, not the paper and glue!

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Oohh, beautifully said! 😊

[@chickenleg002]

Half price books will sell you old books by the pound. You know, if all of the ones that you own are so precious! And you have rescued some older books & given them a home & gainful employment.

[@crystalrowan]

OMG - thank you for this. For some reason the idea of tearing apart a book made me cringe really hard because it feels so destructive but then I talked myself off the ledge and realized there are plenty of remainder/used books that are one of millions of copies of said book that would be safe to do this with, lol.

[@L8MeGuess]

I only have rare books I handpick for my reading pleasure 😂

[@Draggonny]

Try going to the charity shop and asking for encyclopedias. They usually just recycle them because out of date encyclopedias are pretty much useless. They'll probably give you them for free or for a hamd full of loose change in the charity box. I volunteered for a while, and the book section was my area.

[@TitusRex]

My grandmother had a Narnia style wardrobe that was a hidden room I found it super cool when I was a kid.

[@larakorik5016]

Are you kidding me, “not a sexy topic”? Storage is the best topic of al 😂l, thank you Nick!!

[@robert3482]

I have a pretty small house and the primary bedroom is right off the living room. I've always thought replacing the bedroom door with one of those swinging bookshelf doors to make it more hidden could be a cool way to hide a private area when entertaining in the public living space

[@rockjockchick]

Great idea

[@sarahmontgomery2831]

I’m actually doing this in my small home!

[@marlbboro8091]

Best idea ever ! Love it

[@bluewren65]

"Why not just put a fucking door on it and call it a day." That made my day.

[@LordGertz]

For years we had this beautiful sidewalk cabinet. When you opened it you saw 8 solid wood folding chairs and table inserts, you pull what looked like a drawer and it pulled out to a table for eight (we actually sat 9 it with an extra chair pulled up at the end). We were so said when we lost it in a fire. It was from either the 60s or 70s really well built, I believe imported from Europe, with the play of wood tones I think Scandinavian. I have never found the same quality in construction or design.

[@bluewren65]

That's heartbreaking to lose such an iconic piece of furniture like that. Mind you, I'm guessing that you likely lost a lot more. Living in the bush in Australia the landscape is ablaze half the year. It's a risk we live with constantly and know the devastation it causes when people lose their homes and loved ones. Thankfully, my timber cottage is still standing.

[@JV-pu8kx]

One bit of caution with the TV niche: the TV _will_ get replaced. The replacement may not have similar enough dimensions to fit and the hole pattern for the bracket may be positioned differently. We encountered that, the new TV sits higher on the bracket and, no, we cannot just reposition the bracket as the new holes, in the wall structure, would be too close to the old holes.

[@erina6319]

oh! I know the answer to this since I lived a similar situation: try installing something sturdy (sturdy plank etc) to fit to the drywall so you are not direct screwing into the same drywall holes.

[@mylifewithmarmalade4624]

I had the same thought. I think a niche for cords/outlets/AV equipment is still brilliant to hide behind a TV. But trying to get the whole TV flush mounted seems like a recipe for frustration later. Besides, modern TVs are so slim anyway that personally I don’t find them all that intrusive just wall mounted.

[@utahdan231]

Buying the same size it’s very easy. Possibilities are endless. TV can be slightly bigger to prevent overheating. Nowadays TVs are 1/4 inch thick.

[@JV-pu8kx]

@@mylifewithmarmalade4624 We have one placed amongst a built-in bookcase and the replacement TV sits higher on the bracket, and you can see the difference.

[@labachaterairlandesa]

@@erina6319I had a similar thought, except I was wondering if you could attach a small piece of plywood to the studs that could be replaced if necessary. Your planks would be sturdier, though. I don’t know that plywood could support a large TV hanging off it.

[@geetha92533]

When we built our fairly compact kitchen, we had a few odd spaces that we decided to make into very needed storage. We have to bump our fridge forward to make the layout work & have access to the water line. We ended up with a very deep, but only 5” wide space, the height of the fridge, so we added a door on the side of the fridge cabinetry and made it a broom closet and a shelf above for cleaning supplies. We also had an odd niche up high between a ceiling beam and upper cabinets, so we added a wee little door and a couple shelves. It’s only 3-4” wide but deep enough to keep medicine, matches, birthday candles and flashlights. We also planned & built toekick drawers that slide open under most the cabinets, it was wasted space but now they open to store large serving platters, placemats, cookie sheets, gift wrapping supplies and I occasionally hide Oreos, from my kids, there. Totally invisible but so easy to access.

[@lilolmecj]

Love all the ideas, and parents do need a place to stash emergency rations like Oreos!

[@bethanyanderson1745]

Too bad we can't see photos of your clever ideas.

[@Chaotic_Pixie]

So, for the secret-keeping books, they actually sell "books for making art" which are actually designed for this type of project and other projects. They have spines for classics in the public domain but they either have no text at all on the inside or its all text filler. Using out of date reference books that aren't old enough to be of historical significance (meaning they're new enough that they were heavily mass-produced but old enough to be irrelevant for research) is another great option. Like, if I were doing this for my spouse's office, I might go looking for some out of date engineering textbooks I can pick up for a few dollars rather than sacrificing materials others could use to learn from or reference. For myself, being an artist, I wouldn't dare sacrifice a real book for mine but would opt for the books for making art.

[@TwirlGirl2197]

Yes to the out of date books. Libraries often have to weed out such books. Ones that just aren’t being checked out but are still valuable and useful (a lot of fiction) are given away, but out of date history, science, and other nonfiction books are often just thrown away because they aren’t useful and might actually be harmful depending on subject matter. Talk to a local library to find out when they do their weeding and ask if you can buy or even have these books destined for the dumpster anyways. I’m sure the library staff will be happy these books will be given a new life, even if it is to hide your wifi router.

[@Irunwithscissors63]

@@TwirlGirl2197 how can a history books subject matter be harmful? Our history is our history. And many of the old history books have more truth in them than the newer editions because a lot of our history has been hidden from us in the updates. Even Roald Dahl books are being rewritten for the sake of political correctness.

[@richardvinsen2385]

My previous house had a slim cabinet that previously stored a fold-down ironing board. I installed thin shelves throughout and turned it into a large spice rack.

[@lizcademy4809]

I was going to write about this same thing! Only in my case it was a framed opening in the kitchen wall. I bought 1 by 3 shelving and quarter round molding. I cut the shelving for shelves, and used short pieces of the quarter round as supports. Glue and nail the quarter round to the opening, glue and nail the shelves to the quarter round. Our landlord left a partial can of kitchen trim paint, I used that to paint the unit to match the kitchen. We stored spices, oils, soy sauce, etc. on the shelves ... they even stayed put during an earthquake! [California]

[@JamieM470]

Very clever!

[@fazdoll]

A cabinet that is four inches deep can store brooms and small dustpans, with shelving higher up for, say, cans of cat food.

[@joanmercier8462]

Omg I did the same thing!

[@mylifewithmarmalade4624]

I do love the hidden room idea as a way to help redirect visitors too. My friend ended up putting a bookshelf door in front of the stairs to go up to the second floor (bedrooms and office space). Because of the kitchen lay out, the ugly stairwell was a prominent sight line, so she figured aesthetic shelving would be much nicer to look at. It is. A nice surprise however was that it discourages guests, especially young ones, from wandering upstairs exploring/snooping. She’s been thrilled with the additional security/privacy boost.

[@bluewren65]

What kind of guests is your friend hosting that she has security concerns when they visit?

[@mylifewithmarmalade4624]

She tends to have big open house style parties where she’ll invite the whole neighborhood, or host house concerts for local musicians where she doesn’t know a lot of the people coming. Mostly works fine, as the whole lower floor is all open except the powder room so she and her friends can keep an eye on things. But the upper floor bedrooms/office/baths are another story. She used to just lock everything off at the top of the stairs, but if the stairs aren’t even visible even better.

[@bluewren65]

@@mylifewithmarmalade4624 Even the thought of that makes my introverted brain explode 🤣

[@mylifewithmarmalade4624]

@@bluewren65 100% with you on that. But she loves a big party they way I love an evening with no plans, my favorite takeout and the remotes all to myself.

[@bluewren65]

@@mylifewithmarmalade4624 🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍

[@Lyn4Him]

When we built our home (14 years ago) I opted to put double cabinet doors on the pantry rather than an awkward door in the kitchen, or putting a glass door with the word Pantry etched in it like many were doing. It was just more aesthetically pleasing to have it all blend in seamlessly. It's not a large panty, it's walk-in, lol, rather step into. Also added a motion sensor light. The builder thought we were crazy but ended up loving it and doing the rest of their houses in this manner.

[@trishaeverton9592]

I just sent my sister a set of books that were destined for the pulp recycling place but had been repurposed. The covers had been covered in a beautiful world map paper and the spines when stacked say,” Paris is always a good idea. - Audrey Hepburn”. Such a great reuse.

[@kpwxx]

We're buying a new house and whenever we looked around I was obsessed with planning storage, my husband thinks I focus on it too much but it's SO important... It makes such a big difference to everyday life, and it's often not thought about much in newer homes here in the UK. They seem to just put in endless bathrooms instead lol.

[@nateolmsted22]

I think this is the first KZbin video where all of my thoughts are addressed during the video. Like the heat issue on the flush mount TV. Really shows that you've actually thought about the consequences of life with these things instead of just "oh, this looks neat. *Share*" like most things I see on Facebook and Instagram and Pinterest and other KZbin videos 😅 Great stuff 👌🏼

[@PasCorrect]

I think hiding a door/staircase makes sense if you rent out part of your house as a separate unit. Especially if it's on the tenant's side. No one wants to have a sad door reminding them their landlord lives upstairs, and extra shelving is always nice.

[@Lovesapuzzle]

I love the hidden compartment behind the TV. I wonder if overheating could be avoided if the TV was pulled forward, when in use. To remember to pull it forward, I could store the remote in the compartment, as well. Just a thought. In general, I appreciate your fast delivery of information. Thanks for the tips.

[@frenchyroastify]

I recently built one for a client and one issue with hiding the Apple TV and cable box behind is that the infrared remotes won't work. Solution is to get an IR extender.

[@cathykrueger4899]

This whole video was great. When I was having my downsized house built I insisted on using the space under the stairs. The builder just couldn’t grasp what I was talking about, even with pictures. I finally managed to pull it off but I must say that looking at all the options online was great fun. Everything from bookcases to home office to reading nook. My other clever thing was to have built out cabinet space over the fridge that has vertical dividers for cookie sheets, platters, muffin tins and extra cutting boards. Would love to see more on storage hacks. Or please just write a whole book about it.

[@hazelem1266]

My husband is just at this minute installing a cupboard above the fridge. I intend to put all my serving trays, baking trays and stuff. He is also making different levels on the side of the cupboard for different things. This will give more space in the pantry which will also be customised.

[@cloverhighfive]

I have the "4 inch deep" pantry thing, and I have a friend who redid her whole kitchen, with a house extention, $120K, 6-burner gas oven, walk-in pantry... and she was still jealous of my little spice cupboard LOL I love that thing!!!! No more hidden spices in the back!

[@umassigkap]

I am redoing my kitchen and I had the option of a 36 inch cooktop and no spice pantry or 30 inch and a 12 inch spice pantry . Hands down picked the 30 inch and able to get a higher end brand :) who says bigger is better

[@saffron_allen]

Two things from Expand Furniture that you missed that I love. The bookshelf table is also great for small spaces, and I love that they have freestanding Murphy beds. Most apartments won't let you anchor something like a regular Murphy bed to the walls (especially if the walls are concrete slab or cinderblock) but they actually have twin and queen sized Murphy beds that are stable without anchoring. Fantastic for a spare room that needs to do double duty without risking your damage deposit, and you can bring it with you much more easily if you move.

[@thefaithonista-cristinamye7038]

Is the Murphy bed he featured from expand? I loved it

[@PaulaZF]

I really loved the work from home unit. When the chair came out, I actually gasped! I haven’t gasped at a video in forever!

[@Chaotic_Pixie]

Your pillar spice cabinet reminded me of what my friend JUST DID in her kitchen! She wanted to encase the fridge but didn't have the space for a full pantry cabinet next to it and didn't just want to have a slab of wood next to it so there's pull out cabinet that's about 6in wide. It perfectly holds a folding step stool, the broom and dust pan, and the swiffer and you'd not know it was there! It opens by being pushed on (like my dad's old stereo cabinet). She also did similar pull outs on either side of the waterfall edge of her island but in those she stores her cookie sheets and spare oven racks.

[@kitty_s23456]

The murphy bed/ bookshelf/ table combo & the drawer/ chair/ desk combo are my faves. Clever designs!

[@wendyfitzgerald9179]

I actually like the idea of the hidden room for a utility/storage room I want to build in the future. Thanks for the tip - great show

[@aefrost5]

Installed a Murphy Bed into my snug and it is just genius. To be able to offer a queen size bed to my guests without losing an entire room to a "guest room" when space is at a premium...is amazing. Love the drawer mantel. 💜

[@paulasullivan-hilty3951]

🎉

[@paulasullivan-hilty3951]

🎉

[@OGCJ10]

Which murphy bed did you buy?

[@DeeFig66]

Lots of book so come with Dust jackets & while they often don't look as classy as the book themselves, they'll be easier to wrap around and you can keep your books intact. :)

[@Neenerella333]

I love the Harry Potter under the stairs cupboard that is turned into a cozy space for the pet. Some are crazy little well appointed bedrooms for bigger dogs. A quiet space for the "place" command or if a guest is allergic, or the even just to contain their stuff-toys, bed etc. If I was a little kid, I would have loved a little place like that for myself!

[@meh_lady]

I love stuff like this! I have a 1952 time capsule home (including furnishings, appliances, decor, etc) and am always dreaming up ideas to hide the necessary modernity without harming the bones. Even when I see solutions that wouldn’t work for my home, they spark ideas. 😊 We do have a huge family room on one side of the house that we use for TV, computers, exercise equipment, etc. It is SUPER helpful to have that separation to keep the main area historically accurate.

[@sarahwatts7152]

I love the idea of living in a time capsule! Does that mean things like kitchen appliances are also from the 50s?

[@meh_lady]

@@sarahwatts7152 Yes, and they cook better than any modern appliances I’ve ever owned! My oven looks like the front of a 50’s car and is HUGE. We have heavy steel cabinets that look brand new. It’s a privilege to be the stewards of this house, we absolutely love it. ✨

[@sabrinaandrews4863]

Wow I’d love to see you home

[@bridgettoomey9826]

I have an original 1956 oven going strong in my house!

[@christineriley5697]

Hidden rooms can also be a security feature if one ever need a panic room

[@BuckSecord]

I haven't figured out how to keep the dog from showing robbers where we would be hiding...or if the dog was in here with us, how to keep him quiet.

[@thatjillgirl]

@@BuckSecord Sound proof it? Obviously more expensive, but that would solve the problem of the dog making noise.

[@Kizzabell]

Or make it so secure they can't get in the room or find the entrance even if they hear dog barking

[@cathykrueger4899]

Or a tornado shelter.

[@MaraMara89]

@@BuckSecord and if tips from other comments are not achievable - last idea can be to put your dog to sleep, I mean some type of SAFE, vet-approved injection. It might seem drastic, but if you consider this as valid, possible situation that robbers might be interested in your place then you can go with it... I mean it is not great idea, but still better than being found out and hurt

[@geetha92533]

That Expand Furniture coffee table that converts to a dining table is amazing! And it looks really high quality also.

[@little_blue_cloud_nehiyawuk]

We live in a tiny 1 bedroom (approx. 400 sq ft) so I am always looking for these types of ideas. Absolutely loved all of it. All the way through, light bulbs were popping. Thank you so much! I also subscribed to that link for Kiva's videos for Wayfair. You always provide such great and helpful information, Nick! Totally loved the spice cabinet idea as well as the expanding furniture. The hidden book storage idea was great too. It was all great!!! LOL

[@graceevertt2317]

Nick I absolutely love you in your videos! You are so very talented in adding humor into your wonderful videos. The world needs more people like you these days. ❤❤

[@44paperdoll]

My mom is an architect, so when we remodeled the bedroom where I grew up in, she put a small bookcase on hinges so that it was actually a door that led to a staircase/fire escape. I wish we had a photo or video of that. Too bad, this was back in the day (decades ago) and our house has been demolished to make way for new construction. My siblings and I always teased mom and called her "MacGyver"! ;-)

[@rosieloomoonmcbeth3189]

I love storage. In a smaller home everything needs to do double duty as much as possible.

[@groovysecondhalf]

Love the Murphy bed / shelves & desk combo for our guest room.

[@rabbitgregory9289]

I don’t need a hidden room, but for reasons unknown, I’d love to have one. Realistically, It would probably become a dumping ground for all my unfinished craft projects.

[@jaynemarshall9304]

I'd love a "craft lair!" You wouldn't have to quickly clean up when visitors pop in!

[@Ellaliluleloka]

Another tip: buy those storage boxes from Ikea to place things above your wardrobe if it doesn't reach all the way to the ceiling. Also, just get everything with built-in storage. Everything.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

That mantel drawer will get heated up from the fireplace, as will the TV. Also, the TV over the mantel creates neck strain. You need a console table for the tv and a mirror over the fireplace, there’s a reason we’ve done this for centuries.

[@cynthiajohnston424]

Agree ! Also , make up your minds , people ! A TV over a fireplace ??? It's either / or , not both , to have an aesthetically pleasing room .

[@mmr1646]

Goodwill is a great place to find pretty vintage books too!

[@LesaBear612]

My husband built a mantle with the door that folds down. It’s open while we use the player, but closed the rest of the time. I love it. No ugly wires. Our remotes live in there, too.

[@samanthahuneault]

I love home hacks like that, please do more video of these! I aslo love how japanese appartement hide small kitchen appliances under cabinets and even add vent to use them safely. Another hack i saw is electrical outlet in drawers "docking drawers".

[@minagica]

Actually, that trick with book covers from old books that will absolutely never be read again is also a decent way to hide some valuables too - though it's also why some thieves will pull all the books off of bookshelves (if they do it on TV there's gotta be some IRL that do it too 🤷‍♀️)

[@rebeccarendle3706]

I love small space and double duty furniture. I've seen these before, and there are so many more amazing ones out there. The one advantage of the shelf door it is double duty.. if you don't have much wall space for a book shelf, then the doorshelf to the stairs is a great solution. And a door infront of the stairs is often needed eg in old English houses because they are not well insulated. So the door keeps the heat in downstairs in the living space. Fun vlog.

[@megfeeley2559]

I have a relatively small livingroom which has a huge old computer armoire from when they were furniture and expensive and well built (this one is two pieces) and you are so right: hiding away all that stuff is magic -- but I just realized, it feels like a hidden room (my office). I love closing those doors and shutting off the overhead lights at the end of my work-from-home days. I have a console table that opens to a 50 x 40 inch dining table on the other wall. Most of my friends are happy sleeping on the sectional sofa occasionally but I also have purchased a 4" memory foam trifold mattress I keep in the bedroom closet for when the grandkids come over.

[@nancyneyedly4587]

For the fake book idea, some books have water damaged pages, but the covers are still intact, could be a good use for those.

[@Kizzabell]

And some books are really boring but have beautiful old fashioned covers.

[@rockjockchick]

Perfect. Reusing ruined books is good.

[@rinamurphy9125]

Nick! This is your BEST video ever! the leaf inserts on the "coffee table" is Geeeeniuuuus!

[@EEN63]

I have to disagree on one point, I think clever storage is incredibly sexy, or if not sexy per se, then perhaps thrilling and delightful! There are few things I appreciate more than clever ways to deal with daily life stuff in an aesthetically pleasing manner! Your floor to ceiling wall of spicy storage was my favorite along with the paneling that concealed wonderful cabinets! Brilliant use of space and aesthetically pleasing! I think the conversion furniture is smart but the complete opposite of my style and I would never go modern just for some storage. Built ins are my favorite thing ever! Great video! 💗💗💗

[@edieohoxoxo932]

Very helpful...especially your spice "closet." My husband and I really love to cook and we have all of our many spices in those same jars. That is such a great idea. Wish I knew of it BEFORE we remodeled our kitchen! ;) Always appreciate the humor that accompanies your videos! Makes it really fun to watch!

[@justanawkwardnerd]

The TV nook and the mantle one are by far my favorite. The former is very clean, but it keeps the wires accessible which is VERY necessary for my very-much-not-tech-savvy ass. The mantle one is just a nice and easy way to keep the remotes and batteries accessible when I don't want to add another table there. I love it! I love hidden rooms, and someday, I will incorporate some in my dream home!

[@joycependleton4117]

Love this! At my last house, there was a there was a space like your spice cabinet. It. It was actually cut into an existing small dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room. Since since the studs are 4" inches and the width between them is 16",, it made a nice little floor to top-of-the-door cabinet. (To keep the horizontal line.) It didn't seem deep enough so my dad added a header to expand to 24" width plus some molding to increase the shelves to 5.5" deep which still only brought it out 1.5" from the wall, including the doors. (The drywall was .5" so that didn't count) I'm going to recreate this at my new place. It's used it for coffee supplies, tea, mugs, and tea pots as well as larger canisters of herbs & spices. Olive oil, etc.

[@shari247peace]

Okay, now I’m officially a binge watcher of your channel. Love your ideas! I own a 1,420 sq ft home but maybe use 1/3rd of it and always thinking of selling this and buying as small as I can. The ideas here are inspiring. I’m a music lover and collector, and housing a large collection that keeps the music accessible but disguised when not in use is my design dilemma. I’m pretty minimalish otherwise. Leaning toward custom cabinetry that is mostly drawers with the push to pop open mechanism for a clean look. I’m all about getting rid of most things and keeping just what brings joy, which I’ve already done 90% of.

[@stacy1492]

For those that hate destroying books, go to a thrift store and buy the boring ugly books. Usually there are ton of them, and they only throw them out if they don't sell after so long to make room for new ones. I bought ugly books, but then I decoupaged small pictures of flowers, or faces, and other things on the spines to cover up words and make my own fun books. It was easy and fast. I turned my book stack in to a lamp, but this could work just as easy for any project you want to use books for.

[@BuckSecord]

Wish we could take credit for this one, but it was done by the previous owners. When we replaced the countertops in our kitchen, we discovered about 4 inches of empty space behind all the bottom cabinets. This space pushed the cabinets out from the wall for that extra 4 inches, thus expanding the overall, counterspace.

[@bethanyanderson1745]

@BuckSecond ▪︎the 4" of empty space you discovered behind all the base cabinets, what did you do with it? If you found the space when you replaced your countertops, was there another point of access? Because, obviously, the space is useless if your countertop must be removed to actually use the space for storage? Or am I not understanding?

[@Christine-zk6hk]

Love these. When I had my very small en suite remodeled I had the contractor remove the dry wall between 2 studs and had a cabinet installed behind the door. It is not deep but it holds a lot of bottles, etc in the bathroom. Amazing how much I can it in it. When I had crown molding installed I had the contractor run the cable for the tv behind the crown molding since the cable comes in the back of the house and the tv is in the front and it's a slab house, so can't go under the house and 2 stories so can't go through the attic.

[@MaraMara89]

in my country (Poland) we have space for cables in the back of baseboards (I hope it is correct word, I mean something like crown molding, but going next to floor), they have two layers: one that is screwed to wall (base) and second - outer that you put onto that base that have hallow space for cables. Second part can be taken off to add another cable and then put back on the "base". It is useful when you want to add something (TV, optical fiber etc) and don't want to drill trough whole room

[@curiousworld7912]

I live in a 126 year old house, and storage is an issue. Closet space is at a premium, to say the least. In one room, the 'closet' was just an 8" deep, empty space, that runs about a couple of feet behind the wall. (I assume that when central heat was installed at some point, it cost the closet space quite a bit of depth.) So, I had a handyman build several shelves into it, and was able to store away a ton of stuff.

[@stefs3460]

Very Macgyver of you! Creative solution working with what you have.

[@curiousworld7912]

@@stefs3460 Ha! :)

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

In 1900, people had armoires. Furniture versions of great big closets.

[@curiousworld7912]

@@elizabethclaiborne6461 Yes, and I've seen closets that just had a few hooks on them for hanging clothes. People didn't have near as many clothes then, as we do now. And armoires (or 'chifferobes' as they're called down here) were usually all one needed.

[@martha3445]

Our old house also had those kind of closets. The rod for hanging clothes was perpendicular to the door, not parallel. They were called clothes presses. We put in shelves and added regular closets.

[@lollyann7630]

I love your herringbone sweater, one of my favorite "patterns", you're looking so dapper in this video 😊 The KZbin glitch actually caused me to miss this video for 5 months, not cool KZbin, but today I got 2 new Nick videos, so it kinda feels like Christmas and I'm not really mad anymore!!!!!!

[@juliatarrel1674]

If something needs ventilation, drill or cut a hole in it, and frame it with an vent cover. If you want to be fancy, get some old speakers you no longer need, salvage the speaker cloth and the trim, and put that over your vent hole.

[@katherinespencer2073]

Love that pantry on the side of the column. Good choice to show. All kinds of small spaces like that were used in the older owner built farm houses in Nova Scotia. When looking at 100+ yr old houses, often built by ships carpenters when on land, the most fun part is finding the 'cubbies' and the back stairs that the help used & the cute room beneath. And many layers of wonderful wallpaper as well as nice easy on the body linoleum on the kitchen & working pantry floors.

[@Chaotic_Pixie]

The best "hidden room" ones I've seen actually hide the litter box! The one I've seen IRL, the cat goes through a little cat door in coat closet by the garage door, through the coat closet, and into a little cubby in the garage that holds the litter box. The one I hope to do someday when I have a house (instead of condo) is to have the cat go through a flap in the side of a kitchen cabinet (I'll sacrifice the back half of the cabinet) and into the cubby in the garage. It keeps the smell out of your house and provides a place to catch the litter. There's also lots of smart furniture that does something similar. Another friend has a bench in their mudroom that actually holds the litter box, all the litter supplies, and has a place for the litter catch mat. It just looks like a bench with cubby doors under it until you look at the side and see the cat face shaped opening.

[@Prof_Loredana]

Hi Nick. Would you consider doing a video on designing for function and behavior vs just style? I struggle with ADHD and being messy but I need order to function so I’m torn between my natural self and my functioning self. Most decor advice I find is for style over function but after all we live in a house not a museum right ? Thank you so so much ❤

[@kelly4435]

If you're not familiar with them, both How to ADHD and The Spiral Lab have videos on neurodivergent spaces and design. It can be really difficult to keep a "nice looking" space when hiding things from view makes stuff mentally disappear because of how our brains work, and we can be so inconsistent/impulsive in the moment, but we also need to have order to avoid overstimulation. It calls for a completely different kind of visual and functional space than most interior decorators would ever advise or recommend.

[@mulliganstew72]

I have major ADHD and everything Hass to function and be organized. I’ve become creative with it living in small spaces by furniture that doubles as storage, making storage part of the decor for example baskets with lids That match the wicker on the shelf, the dollar tree! There’s tons of videos on how to organize with dollar tree stuff. It is an expensive. As for decor, keep it simple and Let it flow. There are always things to find for free, hand me downs or even store-bought items but that is not as important as functionality and a lot of these channels as you said aren’t as focused on functionality. With all the vessels, book says decor and needless things to purchase that don’t add anything to your life really. Oh another thing I swear by our bins all over the house and hooks. Hooks over the doors every single door so things can get tossed upon hook and/or. Thrown into the baskets that are readily available throughout. Of course it’s not a perfect system, it’s sometimes an unorganized mess but stuffs off the floor and I know where to go look for it.

[@MyFocusVaries]

For me, majorly minimizing my belongings in my entire house was a huge help with my ADHD. Fewer visual distractions, fewer items to organize, fewer decisions to make (what to wear), etc.

[@kimmckenzie2497]

Yeah, I’m hanging out for Nick to do a designing for ADHD because it’s tough to get aesthetically pleasing interiors that are functional; and having personality in a space that doesn’t create overstimulation (unless that’s the purpose of the space). There is a huge market for this.

[@heathertowndrow6770]

A video like this would find viewers who don’t have ADHD too (or who don’t realize and may never realize they do). I love how good Nick is about making space for people with different tastes and how his design style videos include a “this is not for people who” part. He could do it for function too, like “this is for people who feel like a house fire might be a blessing in disguise” and “this is not for someone who feels like their house is devoid of personality”.

[@wilderwegrow]

I’ve been wanting to comment for a few videos. Now is the time. You. Are. Hilarious. In the best way. Educational in the most entertaining way.

[@CEDesigns]

I love your spicy sense of humor. One of the most fun videos I’ve seen recently.

[@katyredmond]

I actually always wondered what that wood pilar was🤣 Genius!! Additionally, I bought under bed storage to use under my couch to store seasonal pillows and decor. Life changing.

[@_Dani.Lynn_]

We have our tv mounted up under a soffit and have the wires go along the top of the soffit so you don’t see any of them. The guy didn’t even know how he was gonna do it until he did it. It’s so clean and pretty!

[@kcnurse19]

For those of us who just don’t ever have enough bookshelves those door/shelf ideas for stairways or under stair storage are 👍🏻

[@alexaliss8233]

I wanted a craft room, but we also wanted somewhere to put a guest bed, so murphy bed to the rescue! When folded up, it has a nice big desk on the outside that I use to do projects at. The best part is that the shelf pivots when you pull the bed back down so you don't even need to clear the desk off!

[@sorscha]

My super duper console to dining table transformer is about to get on a boat from Italy to Australia this week and it's the most exciting furniture I've ever purchased! Downsizing to an apartment mid year and I have been coveting this thing for at least two years

[@TamarZiri]

Thank you for this vid Nick! Can you please do a whole vid on secret rooms and what makes a good one really good?

[@amandaraath3438]

As a young homeowner, this is great!!! I am always looking for ways to create more space in a clever way!

[@karakreativevlog]

I love books! But I think the second idea is still genius because a lot of books can get really messed up and it's easier to use these things to hide stuff if you already have a bunch of other books. Sort of like camouflage!

[@chickadddee]

I love all of these! I like a smaller hidden room, say, through a mirror in a bedroom or office, if it's well designed, to store any valuables etc. A safe! Perhaps not every thief would think to look there..... they may not have time to discover it. I love the shelf that is a drawer. And recessed medicine cabinets that look just like an ordinary mirror!! 💕🌹💃🏻💃🏻 ... Oooh lala!

[@kristidarnbrough695]

Love Kathryn from Do it on a Dime! Her book hack is brilliant ❤ I would also LOVE to see you do a collab with Cas from Clutterbug about organizational/storage solutions that fit with different design styles. I find the “clever” storage is often quite modern looking which doesn’t really fit with my mcm/rustic vibe. ❤

[@amandadeloff4278]

Love Cas!! Great idea

[@missmayflower]

Nick has expressed that he’s not really into organizing. It’s his partner’s thing. Also those two women you mention are dollar store queens while Nick is more classy.

[@rockjockchick]

@@missmayflower hahaha you’d be surprised how many wealthy people shop at dollar stores. :)

[@Dian2Gig]

I need storage in my living room. Currently looking at IKEA Besta and other designs. Thank you Nick for this video.

[@CarolYatesWilkerson]

I love seeing home hacks others have done even if I can’t personally do them. ❤

[@youbetcha108]

Great video. I love the technology used to create the multi use furniture. I think softer edges on the corners would be better. But genius in design for sure! That pull out tv is a good idea just put vents in the sides so when tv is off the devices can breathe but it looks like they gave the devices a lot is space inside too so maybe that design is good for ventilation. Thank you😊 very much for this presentation !

[@Cherrysmith2809]

Because studs are vertical, I can see venting top and bottom. That would be so easy. Instead of drywall, you could put narrow register strips or even those French drain top strips.

[@deedsh6280]

Brilliant! More of these going forward. I need ways to shut out visual clutter. You delivered.

[@meghanwalker8865]

I’ll tell you why those hidden doors that look like bookshelves are great even if you live in the house. We have a bifold closet door in the middle of our living room that leads to our hot water tank and water filtration system that’s under the staircase. It means we have this stupid bifold door in the middle of the living room. Which isn’t aesthetically pleasing at all. And also that I have nowhere to put a tall shelf or any display in the room because of the rest of the living room being as it is ( a fireplace wall and various doors and windows etc). One of those shelf Murphy doors with a bookcase would be an incredible solution there.

[@draconus003]

The storage behind the TV is a good idea, to improve the idea would be to integrate some small quiet fans to exhaust the heat. The TV's are definitely mounted a bit too high but overall these hacks are worth trying.

[@pamelakrumvieda3153]

I am planning a hidden room in my house build! Through the study (bookshelf) into a small sun room, plant room. I've seen this done with a broom closet and it's so interesting.

[@kimsnader8777]

I'm collecting ideas for a future home design, and the 8" cheater wall for spice storage was a fantastic idea! Since I store my pantry dry goods in 1-qt mason jars, as you do with your spices, it would be easy to incorporate this where a wall return separating rooms would otherwise be wasted. Combine that with a hidden-room pantry for bulkier pantry items and small appliances, and I can create a "magic kitchen" capable of producing far more than its' apparent footprint suggests. Another benefit of the "cheater" wall, is that you still have a wall to hang art work.

[@mmr1646]

Nick, this was so interesting!!! I love how you can pack so much info in only a few minutes!!! Thank you for these hacks and for introducing me to some new companies!!! Love, love!!❤

[@QueenBee-xd1xk]

For the behind TV niche you could put a little plug in fan at one end to keep cool air circulation and cooling

[@faith2ful]

This is one of my favorites I love the pull out shelf and the idea in your apt i have a bump out that i can do this to. Everyone should be following you.

[@TheCelestialhealer]

Love your videos Nick, you are so authentic. This time bookshelve and coffee table🎉 are my fave.

[@ReyoVR]

Hidden rooms are neat if you have a multiple entrances to a room or corridor. Hiding one of the cabinet or room that is rarely used can improve the aesthetics by not having doors in every corner.

[@christinejohnson2839]

I added the recessed area behind my TV. On the top of the recessed area I used pegboard for ventilation instead of having it solid. The heat rises and the holes in the pegboard give it a place to go.

[@ValleyOakPaper]

The previous owners of my house lined the inside of the pantry door with spice racks. So useful! BTW, I credit Nick for causing me to stow away my Instant Pot when not in use. My kitchen island looks so much better without it!

[@eorzeanECM]

I LOVE this video...some of your suggestions are totally GENIUS. I will definitely use the behind/under the TV cable cover hack AND the pillar extension. I live in a 1914 high rise luxury condo. I HATE the structural pillar in my master bedroom, however you gave me some ideas...Thank you.

[@viva2239]

Spice cabinet envy!!! Great for bulk spice storage.

[@deborahmatatall]

The spice cabinet is genius! Great video, Nick. You always give me good information.🌸

[@4eaccounting]

I have a entrance door on the side of the fireplace wall. I want to make it a hidden door so it does not take away from the fireplace as a feature wall. Anyway I think this can be used as a design feature. Love the ideas! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@lyannastark628]

I love that spice cabinet idea for my condo as well. I don't have space to build, but i do have space on a blank wall for a thin cabinet similar to yours. I wonder if I can find something similar to purchase and instale on the wall. Almost like a medicine cabinet? Could really add a lot of useful storage in a sleek way.

[@joycependleton4117]

You can also cut a niche out of/into the wall! The studs are approximately 4", so adding a bit of moulding can make it as deep as you want. They're usually 16" apart so it makes a nice storage possibility!

[@MaraMara89]

@@joycependleton4117 great idea as long as you don't live in Europe - where we do have brick walls ;)

[@RealinNYC]

Love the the DIY and the ability to purchase the book of books to hide things. Love it.

[@thesultan4030]

I have a floor to ceiling spice rack built out from my fridge gable, it's my favorite kitchen thing as someone who loves cooking.

[@kirksway1]

Finally, a good use for my partial set of Funk and Wagnall encyclopedias!!