Show me a person who says they have nothing to hide and I’ll show you a liar. We all have something we don’t want others to know about.

Of course, it’s easier when that stuff is abstract, like a thought, because if it’s physical we need a place for it.

Luckily, the subreddits r/secretcompartments and r/hiddenrooms have plenty of clever examples of these, let’s say, solutions.

Keen Bored Panda readers might remember that we already have one piece published on the two online communities, but their members have been sharing so much cool content, we have to do another one.

#1 Pantry

Image credits: jp_trev

#2 Entryway With A Secret Underlying Kitty Entryway

Image credits: codmobilegrinder

For our last piece on these subreddits, my colleague Ieva contacted Jill Herro, owner of Secret Compartment Furniture, a company that focuses on creating handmade furniture that is not only beautiful on the outside, but also hides your possessions “in plain sight”.

Her business was inspired by a personal need since Herro wanted to have a nice piece of furniture to store her valuables in. However, when she started looking, all that she found “looked like some guy’s garage project—hardly anything I would want in my home.”

“Then, 6 months later, I got laid off from my pharmaceutical sales job and figured if I was looking for nice furniture for that reason, there must be others doing the same,” she told Bored Panda. “Since I live one hour north of the largest Amish community in the world with over 450 furniture makers, I figured I would give furniture design a try!”

#3 Public Restrooms In Panama

Image credits: Grundle__Puncher

#4 Cheers!

Image credits: tikivic

#5 Cool Basement Entra- Wait

Image credits: NottagameNottagame

According to her, people want to have discreet hiding spaces in their furniture simply because it’s fun and it “instantly turns everyone into a 12-year-old”. But on a more serious note, it just seemed logical to her that hiding your precious belongings in plain view is the way to go.

“Burglars know to grab the jewelry box, check the bedside drawer, check the dresser drawers, etc.,” the furniture designer explained. Just imagine the confusion when your fine jewelry or money is not hidden there: “Their goal is to get in and out in less than 4 minutes. Hide those items in an unexpected place, and they will walk right past it.”

#6 Cool Night Stand

Image credits: Jeowx

#7 In The Wall!

Image credits: 2punornot2pun

#8 Found A Hidden Compartment In My Floor While I Was Moving Out. Empty, But I Left A Little Something For The Next Person To Discover It

Image credits: skeletoneating

#9 Italian Writing Desk That Belonged To King Carlo Alberto

Image credits: DonutosGames

“Every show I do I hear a story about someone being robbed, and ‘they got the jewelry box, and I don’t really care about most of it, but they got grandma’s Tiffany necklace from the ‘30s, and it cannot be replaced…’ Those stories break my heart. Put the costume jewelry in the jewelry box so they think they got something but put the good stuff in the coat rack!”

#10 Home Office Has A Secret

Image credits: melcolnik

#11 Patio With Hidden Table And Benches

Image credits: arbivark

#12 Behind The Rock Wall

Image credits: 5_Frog_Margin

#13 Lemme Just Slide Out Of The Kitchen

Image credits: SimpleSandwich1908

The solutions people come up with to “outsmart” others are also entertaining to see. “I think people enjoy looking at those things because it is creative and surprising. It is unexpected. It shows time and effort,” Jill Herro explained. “I take pride in the fact that my designs look totally ‘normal’. Some of the other stuff available out there looks ‘unbalanced’ or out of proportion.”

#14 Treasure In The Table

Image credits: quart-king

#15 I Built This When I Got My Very First Chef’s Knife

Image credits: JACK-STRAW42

#16 I Built Some Hidden Storage In A Wall Behind A Sliding Mirror

Image credits: bauer-power

#17 Secret Passageway

Image credits: VooDoo_Mafia24

One time, I spoke about keeping secrets with Dr. Michael Slepian, the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School, spread out in between the pictures.

While Dr. Slepian thinks it’s possible for people to live like an open book, sharing everything with the world, he wouldn’t advise it.

#18 I Figure This Fits Here

Image credits: tikivic

#19 What A Sweet Surprise!

Image credits: subterranean__alien

#20 Chessboard With Secret Compartment That Only Opens When The Right Move Is Played

Image credits: kingpirate

#21 Budget: 120€

Image credits: LOB90

“There is a class of secrets that most everyone agrees is okay to keep. People often call these ‘white lies,'” he clarified.

“If you are just arriving at the party, and your friend asks you how their outfit looks, but it is too late to change, then most people agree that saying something positive is the kinder response (‘You look great!’). If the truth needlessly hurts someone’s feelings, holding back is often the more compassionate choice.”

So I guess, if you need to tuck something away in a secret bookshelf or the far corners of your mind, go for it.