A couple built their own dream bar area after discovering a hidden room behind a wall in their home.
Sarah King (32 years old) and Toby, her husband, discovered the hidden room when they were renovating their Brighton home.
They were stunned to find a hidden room after they saw the outline of a doorway.
She said: “We knew there was a void there, from the plans.
“The other houses along the road have got a cupboard there but we had thought ours was completely bricked up.
“We were prepping and sanding the walls of the dining room, ready to paint.
“We took off some lining papers and sanded. This revealed a very faint outline for a doorway.
Sarah, who recently launched her own interior design business, added: “Once we had seen the outline, we couldn’t not know.”
As she was furloughed from her job and Toby works as a technical support engineer, Sarah had some time on her hands.
She said: “He went to work one day and I started chipping away the surface to see if there was any way of finding out what was there.
“I just did a tiny bit then sent a photo to Toby – he was replying and happy for me to discover more.
“As I uncovered the lintel, I realised that it was not resting on the breeze blocks that were blocking the door.”
Sarah was updating Toby throughout the whole process. Toby was thrilled to find out what she discovered.
She had succeeded in removing the wall from which she believed there was a room, but it took Toby until she returned home to complete the job.
Sarah added: “I waited until Toby was home to smash down the breeze blocks – in case something was staring back at me!
“It was a tiny room with just a pull-out shelf/desk, some knee pads and a car battery.
“It had electricity to it and believe it or not, hardly any cobwebs and thankfully no spiders.”
(Image: Jam Press/@lifewiththekings_)
Once they discovered the room, the couple decided it was the perfect space for a bar area as it sits off their dining room.
Sarah said: “The most obvious thing would have been a cupboard but we already had storage for everything.
“It’s off the dining room and by the breakfast bar. It was the perfect place to set up a bar and make your guests feel special.”
Sarah and Toby managed to complete the mini-project for £45 by mainly using materials they already had.
The pair had just started work on their dining room transformation and decided to use the same paint in the bar.
Sarah said: “The cupboard was made from two pieces that had been placed at the end of the breakfast bar.
“We cut back the breakfast bar which made the space more usable and created an entrance to the bar.
“We assembled the cupboards in the bar and primed them. Finally, we painted the walls the same colour as our walls.
“Then made a top from wood off cuts we had and wrapped with marble effect vinyl we had to make it look like a marble top.
“To complete the project, we purchased new handles to attach the doors.
(Image: Jam Press/@lifewiththekings_)
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She concluded: “The mirrored back of the bar area were mirror stickers we bought as we wanted a mottled glass look.
“The glass shelves we got free on Facebook Marketplace from someone ripping out an old bathroom.”
Now the work is finished, the couple are glad they investigated the secret space and are enjoying using their new bar.
Sarah added: “We love it! It’s so great! We love the story behind finding the space.”
Cost breakdown:
- Paint – Valspar at B&Q – they already had it
- Marble effect vinyl wrap – from B&Q but they already had some leftover from their breakfast bar
- Mirror tiles – Amazon £15
- Door handles – Amazon £10
- Bar sign – Drift Room £20