How To Turn Wall Art Into A Stylish, Clever Hiding Spot For Keys

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Misplacing your keys is one of those seemingly trivial yet very frustrating things that always seems to happen when you're hurriedly leaving the house. See, it's not enough just to create a dedicated spot for your keys. If that spot is somewhere in the open, you'll probably end up moving it in an impromptu situation when, say, you have guests over, because you want a more discreet location to keep your keys safe. That's why we prefer finding a hidden spot. You can create a stylish place to stash them that looks nothing like a storage space by simply using wall art and a little bit of know-how.

For this clever DIY project, you'll basically be hanging your keys on the wall behind framed wall art, which you'll attach to the wall like a door instead of hanging it from a hook, as is the norm. This is one of the entryway storage hacks that work even in the smallest studio apartments.

The things you'll need are: a framed painting or wall art, hooks, hinges, and magnets. Choose artwork with paper on the back, as you'll need to remove it during the assembly. Also, don't toss your scrap wood because you'll need two pieces to install the painting on the wall. They'll need to be a few inches shorter than the height of the frame and around an inch thick. If you don't have any of these items, you can order them online, or head to the nearest hardware store to buy them.

Let's begin by installing the framed wall art. After gathering all of your supplies, flip the painting over. With a craft or utility knife, cut out the paper that's covering the back side. This will create room for the keys you'll hang later. So, perhaps don't select a pricey work of art for this project. Next, paint your scrap wood using a color that matches or complements your wall (it's a great opportunity to repurpose leftover paint instead of it rotting in the garage). Painting the wood the same color as the wall helps it disappear.

Once the paint is dry, attach one of the wooden boards to one vertical side of the picture frame — the side that will open when you need your keys. Then, attach the other one to the wall vertically where the other side of the frame will go. When screwing the board to the wall, drill into a stud. If that's not possible, use drywall anchors like the ones in this CrimsonMark Self-Drilling Drywall Anchors and Screws Set. You will then screw your hinges to the board on the wall and connect the frame to that board with the hinges. After you are done, your hinged frame should open and shut like a door.

With your wall art cover in place, you can now mount your hooks on the wall behind the frame and hang up your keys. Now, there's a super easy way to get your wall art to magnetize to the wall on its free end. You glue a magnet to the board on the frame, somewhere toward the top, then place a screw on top and close the frame. This action will create a small indent on the wall, showing you exactly where to drill in your screw. Now, when closed, your frame "door" will remain securely shut thanks to the magnet sticking to the screw. 

Guess what? There are even more storage spots on this DIY key storage frame. Instead of fixing the hooks to the wall, you can attach them to the back of the wall art itself. Remember when we removed the back paper from this painting? After that step, you can install screw hooks to the lower edge of the top horizontal board of the frame. This way, your keys will hang from the top against the back of the picture. Alternatively, attach a scrap metal sheet to the back of the picture using heavy-duty glue, then stick magnetic hooks on the sheet to hang your keys. One other modification you can make to jazz up this DIY piece is how you hinge it to the wall. Instead of attaching the frame from the side, do it at the top so it will open from below. This should eliminate the need for a magnet