330 Homes Fall 2022

CLOSER LOOK

The extra space that resulted from flipping the design of Joel and Cassie Testa’s home led to them installing a concealed butler’s kitchen. But it also let them install a secret passage. “I channel Batman,” Joel says. The door from the kitchen into the but ler’s kitchen — a spot designed for food to be prepared out of sight — blends seam lessly into the white kitchen cabinets. So when Cassie grabs a water bottle from the pantry, she seems to disappear into the wall.

To enter, you have to open full-length cabinet doors and then a roll ing black chalkboard door to a spot that contains pantry shelves, cabinets, a sink and a stylish tin ceiling. An air of mystery has become a trademark for the developer with properties including the hidden away Northside Speakeasy in Akron. “Most of our bars and restaurants — and even some of our homes — have hidden doors and secret pas sages,” Joel says. “This was our way to get our secret room in.”

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