The tween who has a secret room behind her wardrobe

Anyone who has ever read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis has succumbed to the wild and wonderful fantasy of a secret place accessed by the most mundane of household furniture.

And while we all continue to dream of one day opening our wardrobe doors to a fantastical place, one lucky girl can do exactly that, thanks to the ingenuity of her interior designer mother.

11-year-old Sylvia Medicus has her very own secret room behind the armoire she used for years as her wardrobe. 

When her tween got to an age where the wardrobe wasn't really cutting it anymore, her mum Laura decided to get creative and build her daughter a secret hideout. Laura's own built-in closet lay on the other side of Sylvia's wall, so she relinquished it to the project, to give her daughter a space to remember.

Speaking to TODAY Home, Medicus said, "I have always been intrigued by secret doors and rooms and had the idea of putting her wardrobe in front of the opening."

The innocuous white doors of the armoire open onto a secret passage that leads to Sylvia's hideout - a mini lounge room with adjoining clothes storage.

"It was much easier than I thought it would be," said Laura, who spent three weekends and about US$500 on the project.

Sylvia requested cedar panelling for a cosy cabin atmosphere, and installed a comfy reading chair, table and lamp. The other end of the space houses her clothes, shoes and accessories. 

It's little wonder she's the envy of all her friends who say they would love one too.

Sylvia says she uses the space a lot. "I get dressed in there, hang out with friends, read books and watch TV on my iPad," she said. "I like being hidden away from everything."

Even us adults would love a space like this to escape to, though it might be tempting to never emerge from it ever again.