Creative ways designers hide doors using flush pocket door systems
Pocket doors are an innovative and flexible way to use space, and have become an essential tool with which interior designers are able to provide options on how a space is utilised. Pocket doors don’t just create space, by opening into a wall recess in the adjacent wall, rather than into a room like a traditional hinged door, they also offer great versatility and provide a homeowner or office user with a variety of ways in which they can enjoy a space. Flush pocket door systems take this one stage further, by enhancing the aesthetic appeal of a property and offering a unique design quality.
What are flush pocket door systems?
One of the key design benefits of the pocket door is their modern, minimalist appeal. By this we mean that the door disappears from view when opened and therefore provides a clean, fresh and seamless appeal, compared to a traditional door that is always visible and can provide an obstacle in a room. This chic and elegant design quality is further enhanced by the flush pocket door.
The flush pocket door has no surrounding architrave, and hence the door sits ‘flush’ to the wall. This means that if you place your eyes close to a wall and look along it, there will be very little interruption in the sight lines and doors become almost invisible. This is perfect for contemporary homes and workplaces, and offers an exclusive and luxurious quality that is very easy on the eye. Naturally, this is something that interior designers have been able to exploit and means that flush pocket doors are a key element of interior schemes where minimalism and a clutter-free appearance is desired.
How designers use flush pocket doors in their interior schemes
Flush pocket doors provide a flawless appearance which is used widely in both domestic and commercial properties. They are ideal for modern homes, but also commercial spaces such as offices, hotels, bars and restaurants and salons and retail settings. Although the flush pocket door is almost invisible by default, there are various ways that interior designers can take this a stage further and attempt to ‘hide’ the pocket door completely. Here we have outlined the most popular ways:
In a ground floor living space or in an open plan work setting, flush pocket doors can be used as room dividers to open and close space as it’s needed. So in a home you can create a small home office, a small dining area or an intimate cinema room, and at other times of day the doors can be opened to create more open and communal space for family activities. The same is true in a commercial setting where open plan offices can be divided into smaller meeting or project rooms as necessary. In these situations the flush pocket door is effectively acting as a wall rather than a door. And it is extremely effective in creating these flexible spaces which optimise the efficiency of your property.
Often it is only a door handle that is visible on a pocket door, particularly if you are close to the wall and looking along it. Because there is no architrave on a flush door system, the door handle can be the only thing protruding from the straight face of the door. But designers can also remove this, by creating handle-free doors. Flush door pulls can be fitted into a recess in the door surface, or touch latch handles can be fitted into the leading edge of the door. These enable the user to push the door edge and eject the door from the pocket. And having no handle further enables the door to ‘disappear’.
There are various ways you can decorate a door as if it is part of the wall, and therefore help it to blend into the wall. Mirrors are often hung in a corridor or entrance hall, and these can be hung on the flush pocket door, as long as the mirror isn’t too thick to prevent the door from opening into the wall recess.
Decorating a flush pocket door with wall art is a creative way to use the door like a section of wall, and hence make it disappear from view.
Many people paint a flush pocket door the same colour as the wall so that there is virtually no visible interruption when looking along the wall. This is an easy and cost-effective way to hide the door.
An extension of painting the door is covering it in wallpaper. This helps to hide the door and ensure it isn’t a feature that demands attention. This is particularly effective if you use patterned wallpaper.
So check out our range of flush pocket doors at MB Direct and think about how you can enhance the flawless simplicity in a contemporary setting using these ingenious design solutions.