What Are The Common Design Styles For Pocket Doors?
The pocket door has enjoyed a 21st century renaissance, mainly because people have discovered the practical qualities which enable you to save critical space. In a quest to make lifestyle improvements in the home, or practical improvements in the workplace, the pocket door has emerged as an innovative solution which aids the efficiency of space and enables you to create multi-purpose rooms.
However, within the basic principle of the pocket door there are different designs which suit different purposes and locations. You can see these different designs within the range stocked by MB-Direct, but here we have put together a brief outline of the different design concepts available.
Single/Double pocket doors
The standard design of pocket doors is well understood, but you can install these as single or double doors according to the room size and wall space you have to work with. Double doors in the home are most commonly used to separate a dining room from a living room. It is rare to have sufficient wall space or a practical need elsewhere. In the workplace, double doors are typically used for boardrooms, meeting rooms, training rooms and open-plan offices. Of course, standard single doors are used for all other purposes, ie. for bedrooms, bathrooms, toilets, offices, storage etc.
Syntesis pocket doors
Another common name for the Syntesis pocket door is a ‘frameless’ or ‘flush’ system. This is because this design has no architrave and hence has a very contemporary look. This design is very popular in offices, and provides a sleek, elegant and clean appearance which suits a modern and minimalist environment. The Syntesis system is available as a single or double door system.
Fire-rated pocket doors
Different building regulations require different types of doors, but where your building requires fire doors, this can be accommodated by the fire-rated pocket door. Typically, these are FD30-rated, which means the doors are tested to withstand the spread of fire for up to 30 minutes. This allows people sufficient time to escape a building that is on fire. Fire doors are required in both commercial buildings and residential buildings, and are also available as either single or double doors.
Visible and concealed door frames
These pocket door designs are very similar to the Syntesis pocket door systems, in that a visible door frame is a more traditional design whereby you can add your own timber architrave. Alternatively, the concealed door frame is a much cleaner and more contemporary design because it has no architrave. Both the visible and concealed door frame designs are available as single or double doors, and also have the option of fire-rated doors.
Glass pocket doors
One of the most popular styles of pocket door is the glass pocket door. This carries all the same space-saving benefits as the standard pocket door, but has additional practical benefits. Because we often utilise pocket doors in small spaces, this can leave the issue of a small space being dark and claustrophobic. The glass pocket door helps with this issue by enabling light to flood into a small space from adjacent rooms or corridors. Often the small space we have created doesn’t have a window, or any form of natural light. This can make the room uncomfortable and impractical to use, particularly as an office where you want people to be productive, or for any room that is used for a significant period of time. The glass pocket door is essential in these circumstances, because it gives the feeling of air and space and hence makes the room usable. Glass pocket doors can be installed as a bespoke design, using coloured glass or sandblasted lines to produce attractive designs or to etch company logos. The glass pocket door can also be installed as a single or a double door system.
Browse our selection of pocket doors to find the right design for you
At MB-Direct we can supply all the above designs, and our sales experts are able to talk with you about your practical and aesthetic needs in order to establish what might be the best system for you. We can also supply pocket door accessories which help to enhance the pocket door design, and which, in most cases, can be retro-fitted. These include soft-close/anti-slam fittings, which enable doors to be closed with a controlled action to prevent noise, injury and damage. There is also the self-closing accessory which ensures the door closes once opened, which is good for security and climate control purposes. We can also supply touch latch accessories to enhance the finish and functionality of your pocket door.
Contact MB-Direct today for help and advice on the right pocket door design for you and you can soon be enjoying practical enhancements in the home or workplace.