What is a concealed pocket door?

The primary benefit of a pocket door is its space-saving qualities. Because the pocket door disappears into a wall cavity – the ‘pocket’ – when opened, rather than swinging into a room like a traditional hinged door, this means the space immediately behind the door becomes usable space. This can be a transformational difference and opens up huge opportunities for developing and reconfiguring a property, whether it is a commercial business or a residential home. However, for some people pocket doors represent an aesthetic improvement, whether that is alongside some practical benefits or as a stand-alone visible impact. And this is when the concealed pocket door comes into the discussion.

What do people mean by a concealed pocket door?

When people refer to ‘concealed’ pocket doors there can be some confusion, because a pocket door in itself can sometimes be classed as a ‘concealed door’. But there is a specific type of pocket door that is marketed as a concealed pocket door. When some people refer to a concealed door, they are sometimes describing a standard pocket door, because they are attracted to the discreet and seamless qualities of the pocket door, and the way it can be intentionally hidden in an interior design scheme and is used to blend into a wall or building. A standard pocket door can do this and has the qualities to be unobtrusive and hidden within its surrounding environment. This is particularly popular with modern interiors, whether that is in a commercial or domestic setting.

However, a concealed pocket door takes this one step further and is a specific product, and a pocket door system, which can conceal the door even more and which has the perfect minimalist qualities for a contemporary interior.

The characteristics of a concealed pocket door

A concealed pocket door has all the same qualities as a standard pocket door in that it is hung on an overhead rail and operates by using runners to travel into a wall cavity pocket when opened. The key difference is that a concealed pocket door requires no surrounding architrave. This means there is no trim around the edge of the door, and when closed, the door sits flush with the wall. This creates a seamless effect and is neat and stylish in a contemporary setting. Because the door and the wall are flush to each other, it almost looks like the door is part of the wall and hence it can be hard to distinguish one from the other. In a modern building this kind of fresh, clean and neat aesthetic is very popular, and with no detail and an unfussy appearance the concealed pocket door is the perfect solution.

The benefits of a concealed pocket door

So the benefits of a concealed pocket door can include:

• Space - Around ten square feet of space are created by a concealed pocket door opening into a wall cavity rather than into a room.
• New rooms - New spaces can be created in tight areas, such as an en-suite bathroom or a downstairs toilet, or some much-needed storage space.
• Clean aesthetic – The cassette frame and the overhead mechanism are completely hidden from view, so alongside the absence of architrave, there is a very clean and unfussy aesthetic.
• Transition – It is easier for a design scheme to transition from one room to another as there is minimal detail in the concealed pocket door’s design.
• Wall space – Because you have minimal detail in the door design, you can maximise the wall space with more elaborate designs and details, and the two will not clash.
• Versatile – Because there is so little detail and virtually no visible design elements to the concealed pocket door, they can be used in any room within a building or property. The system can also be accommodated in pocket door frames for different wall thicknesses and can also be used for both single and double doors.
• Accessories – The concealed pocket door system can also be embellished with accessories which improve the functionality and minimalist design appeal. The soft-close accessory can be added to concealed pocket doors, which works to control the closing action to stop the door slamming. However, to further improve the clean and uncluttered appearance of the concealed pocket door, you can also install a touch latch system or a door edge pull. These remove the need to have a visual handle, and mean the door carries even less ‘detail’ and is even more sleek and stylish. These accessories further enhance the ‘concealed’ nature of the door, because it is not immediately obvious how you open and close the door.

You can check out our range of pocket door systems at MB Direct here, and these include the concealed pocket doors.