Do More with Your Door Dwell Finalists
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Pinwheel Loft Submitted by: Mastro Skylar Architects Designer's Description: When we first saw this loft, it was raw and empty. We had to create a floor plan that would incorporate three baths, a large kitchen, a master bedroom, a living/dining area for entertaining and a den/guest room, all in 2,000 square feet! So we conceived of a plan that works like a pinwheel with large sliding door openings along the window walls so that when they are open, the windows are continuous and the space feels like one large space. -
Threshold 3 Submitted by: MAKE Design Designer's Description: From the outset, the 350-square-foot space was challenging. The design solution we arrived at centered on placing three doors in the apartment that could slide open and closed. We wanted the doors to have a distinct presence in the apartment and to be fabricated using sustainable materials. During the early stages of demolition, as we took down the existing plaster wall finish, we uncovered wooden lathe slats. The slats became a crucial design element in bringing forth the qualities that we were looking for, and in allowing each door to respond to its particular role in the space. -
Sleek and Slide Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The sound of trains rushing by invigorates the otherwise quiet outskirts of San Francisco's Potrero Hill. Situated at the western end of 22nd Street, my Penn Station loft is more Dogpatch hip than historic Victorian. It's a large, open space in a city in which land is scarce. Frosted sliding glass room dividers brilliantly section off an area I use as a guest room. The dividers are beautiful, functional, and go well with the concrete floors and modern decor. -
Wonder Door Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Traditionally doors were looked upon as a means to prohibit or allow entry between two spaces. This Project's focus is on functionality and the influence it exerts on the spaces it connects. The structure of the door is based upon the combination of a hard frame and flexible textile material. The screens are made of a non-elastic sail fabric which is strong, resistant, and washable and rolls well. The fabric is not transparent but allows light through, which reflect the ambience of the other side. -
Green Giants/ The Edge Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The "EDGE", an Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment, was conceived as a residence on a low-energy diet. To get low-energy consumption, sliding doors with insulating foam interiors, weather stripping, and water-repelling white oak rainscreens slide over the glass area of the house.ng for the large amounts of glass. As the Norwegians say, "There really is no bad weather, just bad clothing!" The doors are truly green giants. -
The Versa Screen Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: I've always felt that a screen or room divider should do more than just separate the space. By adding functionality into the screen, it gives the piece a greater purpose; becoming a part of the workable space, rather than simply a decorative perimeter. -
Soarch Lounge Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture lounge is an addition to an existing space used as a presentation and multipurpose room. Sliding doors made the space more flexible and adaptable by providing privacy, a pin-up or drawing board, and a block against sunlight. ng functionality into the screen, it gives the piece a greater purpose; becoming a part of the workable space, rather than simply a decorative perimeter. -
S.L.E.D. DOOR Submitted by: Name not provided (Sliding L.E.D. Elevated Door) Designer's Description: This sliding glass partition wall serves two purposes. The first is to act as a visual separator between the bedroom and the large en-suite soaker tub. The client wanted to be able to slide the wall open and watch television from the tub. The second function is to act as a feature accent light for the bedroom area. -
Warehouse Loft Submitted by: Van Horn & Davis Design Designer's Description: In a tall and narrow warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, room dividers were essential in creating this three-story vertical residential loft. Natural light was limited to a glass garage door and few high-placed windows and skylights. Rather than punch out new windows, the room dividers are used to create a living space within the warehouse shell that is transparent, emphasizing the verticality of the space, and allowing as much light into the space as possible. -
Storage Divider Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: While conventional room dividers can be boring and very restrictive only allowing for one alternative the Storage Divider allows for the freedom of the user to create new spaces. Having both the rotation and sliding functions makes it convenient to split a room or create a large space. The room is not subject to a single form or shape but rather to a multitude of shapes and sizes. -
Transform Submitted by: J. Michael Kilpatrick, Architect Designer's Description: This project involves a 550-square-foot one-bedroom condo. Currently a wall exists between the bedroom and living room. This proposal provides the opportunity to open the public area to allow for functions that require more room or to close the bedroom on those days that you don't feel like making the bed. It accomplishes this by installing a sliding translucent panel from floor to ceiling. -
Udoor Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: With the uDoor, anyone can design and create flexible spaces and redefine a space. Simply move the uDoor system along the smooth and quiet rollers to create your own unique space. At the end of the roller track, unlock the latch hidden in the sub-floor, and connect your uDoor to a new track. Arrange the doors to create a more open space, perfect for entertaining with guests in a large room or align the uDoors to divide the room. -
Spacings Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The SPACINGS sliding door system concept is based on intervals and stems from the patterned arrangements of steps in a staircase and metal stud wall construction details. Spacings achieves doors, room dividers, partitions, and both horizontal and vertical access in a building. -
The Sun Shield Submitted by: PostMeridiem Partners Designer's Description: The Sun Shield door is a lightweight metal panel used to reflect the intense east morning summer sun from sensitive living spaces. Once the sun has moved overhead to be shielded by fixed shading devices, this special barn door slides open on a track to reveal glass areas of windows and doors. Though the Sun Shield door aesthetically references a component of a common agrarian structure, its uncommon functionality reduces interior glare and air-conditioning requirements in the Barn House. -
Rogo Residence Submitted by: Greene & Proppe Design, Inc. Designer's Description: This 525 square foot space offered a unique opportunity to create an innovative urban dwelling using space-saving design elements that never sacrifice form for function. Separate spaces are defined with sliding glass door panels between the bedroom area and small living room and throughout the apartment as a cohesive space-saving option for the bathroom and multiple closets . Thanks to the convertible walls, the magnificent view of Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago can be enjoyed from the living room, bedroom, or work space. -
Strata Door Submitted by: ESE Design Designer's Description: We needed separation between the private office and the conference area in our design studio. We wanted the surface of the door to tackable, since it accounts for a significant portion of the wall surface that we use to present ideas to our clients. However, we also desired that the door make a strong visual statement and have a certain amount of richness and texture, in order to contrast with the other, predominantly monochromatic materials in the studio (Homasote, Baltic Birch plywood, concrete). -
Tree Door Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Tree door draws inspiration from the natural form of a branch. It's made of stainless steel, combined with wood to look warmer. The temperature-sensitive color screen painted on the glass changes color based on the ambient temperature. -
Upcycled Sliding Doors Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Constructed from reclaimed and recycled materials with an open floor plan that facilitates communication, the remodeled space embodies the fine craftsmanship, environmental stewardship, and management excellence that have characterized Hammer & Hand for the past fifteen years. -
Open Up and Say Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: As a firm, we looked to reinvent our lobby by both function and appearance. The main priority was to make the conference room a flexible space, accommodating large group meetings of 50+ people. We looked at how the lobby could become a more community-based forum for the whole company. -
Moving Walls Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: From visual to multi-functional. The walnut sliding doors in this master bath/ bedroom remodel, were designed to be the focal point. Not only does the veneer of sliding doors have a stunning visual effect, they also create privacy from the bedroom into the bathroom when desired. Clients have the option of an open floor plan or individual intimate areas by setting the sliders as needed. -
More With Less Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: In my pursuit of an apartment which provided value for money, I found a space which was quite affordable but tried to do too much. With a total floor area of 71-square-meters, the unit crammed three bedrooms and two balconies, aside from the requisite kitchen, toilet, and dining/living areas. However, what it lacked in space planning, it adequately made up for in an abundance of windows and a limited number of neighbors. I decided to tear down whatever walls that didn't offer resistance. -
Individual Space Submitted by: Studio Diwa Chintala Designer's Description: The "Individual Space" system is an exterior sliding door and guard rail system that spans entire widths of rooms and slides on tracks and through walls into adjacent rooms thereby transforming spaces. With the recent technological developments in the building industry, these large doors can be engineered to allow the individual to transform their houses in minutes. -
Operable Glass Block French Doors Submitted by: B-green Homes Designer's Description: I am a green homebuilder and want to share with Dwell readers a unique, operable glass-block exterior door that I built and installed in the shower area of my "Boomerang" house in the mountains of Costa Rica. Based on a very robust 180-year-old French door mechanism, my version combines sturdy technology with modern glass-block, making what I believe to be the world's only operable glass block double-door. -
Ostrich Farm Submitted by: workSHOP Design Collective, LLC Designer's Description: The Ostrich Farm is a collection of adaptive re-use Live/Work condominiums in South Pasadena, California. Other owners here have typically chosen a variety of curtain or blind solutions to provide privacy. We wanted to be different. Fully closed, the glass panels provide privacy for us at night and, during the day, provide a brilliant amount of natural daylight, creating a beautiful focal piece in our loft. Fully open, the attractive brushed aluminum finish of the frames compliments the existing finish of the aluminum storefront glazing system. -
Membrane Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The room divider membrane is a product with many permutations. Depending on the situation, the user gets an opaque wall or a room divider with interesting insights. By simply turning of the panels the product changes from a shielding and protective barrier to a semi-open room divider, which allows direct communication. The rotating panels are made of plastic and are manufactured in Rotomolding process. The connecting elements and the feet are made of painted aluminum. A set consists of 12 panels, 17 connecting elements and four feet. The height of the wall can variy from 70 cm (one panel) to 1.70 m (3 panels). -
Modern/Asian Submitted by: Whitney Collins Builder, Inc. Designer's Description: A primary goal of the remodel was to make the whole house accessible so one could view the magnificent garden and outside areas from all rooms of the house. While the open floor plan is wonderful for entertaining, the owners also wanted to be able to section the space into distinct rooms. This was accomplished by using three sets of sliding glass doors provided by The Sliding Door Company. When open, two set of the doors slide into pockets in the walls. When closed, the doors divide the kitchen, living room, dining room, and den into separate, intimate spaces. The effect of the doors is accentuated by the use of sandblasted glass and the application of vertical dividers, giving the doors a Shoji screen effect in keeping with the many Japanese elements of the house. -
Office Splash Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Separating an office isn't an easy task since we wanted an open design studio. But the need for some privacy was urgent. We wanted an easy way to divide the office without sacrificing natural light and design unity. Translucent colored doors is a perfect way to achieve our goal. -
Modern Shoji Screen Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The goal of "Modern Shoji Screen" is to create a light and flexible partition for making an airy modern interior space by applying an idea of traditional Japanese Shoji. This newly revived Shoji screen is made by translucent fabric sandwiched with a pair of glasses set in thin extruded aluminum profiles instead of Japanese paper in wood grill. In this project, the screen is installed to divide temporal Japanese style room from living space of compact condominium in Japan. The Shoji Screen fabric's botanical patterned is chosen to match seashells of the Verner Panton pendant lamp above dining table and floral upholstery of sofa. -
Paw-ntry Door Submitted by: Elek Architects Designer's Description: When it came to designing a pantry door for the Jess Residence's contemporary kitchen renovation, a typical solid barrier would not do. The challenge was to create a piece of sliding modern art that was beautiful, functional, economical‚ and integrated in a doggie door. The sliding door needed to accommodate the owner's tow poodle, J.R., and his privacy. For his younger, more energetic "cousin", Hunter, constantly wants to play with J.R. and eat his food. As a response, a small opening, customized to the size of J.R. was cut out of the bottom of the door allowing him to freely access his crate and food. The translucent acrylic panel permits a level of privacy for J.R. without feeling isolated. In addition, the disorganization of the typical pantry contents are blurred by the transparency, resulting in a series of glowing abstract colors that become a focal point and of visual interest. -
Kilrenney House Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: How can a door be more than a door? This contemporary home's open plan necessitated a unique response to spatial definition. How to keep a home office connected to to the main floor's spaces while still affording the option of total privacy? IKONIKO's solution was to place two simple sliding doors at the corner of the room, creating an unexpected point of entry into the office. Suspended from sliding tracks recessed into the ceiling, the walnut doors subtly become a part of the architecture. When open, the doors become a part of the wall decoration and allow the home office to flow freely into the remaining spaces of the house. When the doors extend, they reach out into the open plan, forming the fourth corner of the room. Hidden pins mounted in the floor keep the doors securely in place. These unique doors do not simply divide spaces, but define space. -
Domoor Carport Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The challenge was to take a cluttered entry carport from an original Frank Lloyd Wright home and make it more welcoming. We wanted a partition that would hide the storage area and lead guests to the main entry. An overhead garage door wouldn't work because the ceiling height was only six feet. We also wanted something easy to use, because we needed regular access to the carport and the laundry room beyond. The door also had to be remove-able, so the historic structure would not be compromised. Essentially a combination of two doors, it's made up of a regular in-swing door for normal access to the storage, which shuts against an out-and-up swinging panel that provides occasional access for a vehicle. When closed, it screens the storage area from view and makes a dramatic backdrop to the entrance. At night, it provides the soft glow of a Shoji screen when lit from behind. -
Lincs Submitted by: Jared Williams Designer's Description: This work can be called a divider, curtain, screen, casement, partition or even contemporary sculpture. The main concept explores the flexibility and stability of identical interlocking flat panels that are held together with only slots and tabs, no mechanical fasteners or hinges. When assembled, the repetition of curves, lines and simple geometry culminate into a visually complex and intricate array of shapes, space, light and shadows. It can be expanded, looped, curved, stacked, offset, mounted, hung or freestanding. Once assembled, it can be collapsed down extremely flat for easy storage and to save space. Because every panel is identical, mass-production becomes streamlined. Machine CNC cutting, possibly injection molding and die stamping are some of the ways the panels could be made depending on their application. -
Pick-A-Pocket Submitted by: Rachel E. Robinson Designer's Description: The design is simple‚ a triple pocket system in which three different doors are incorporated into a single slot with three separate tracks for ease of operation. The owner may choose from a variety of door types--solid, decorative, security, screen, etc.--and by hanging three different doors within a single unit, the owner could easily transform the look and function of the door by simply selecting the appropriate door. The Pick-a-Pocket door system has four different modes: a screen door in the spring, an open door at a summer event, a translucent panel door in the fall, and a closed metal door in the winter. -
Garden Wall Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: GARDEN WALL is for the nature lovers who wants to stay downtown. Each individual frame moves independent from the others, with the capacity of sliding inside a rail, or turn on one of two pivot points. Garden wall allows us the possibility of has our plants inside to protect them of the climate, but at the same time put them outside to make maintenance or watering. We can make permanent or temporary divisions for parties, or privacy, interior and exterior. -
Luminous Screens Submitted by: 2fORM Architecture Designer's Description: 2fORM Architecture relocated to a new office in 2007 and subsequently embarked on an in-house design project to remodel and personalize our new space. The building had previously been converted from an automotive garage into an open office. Although this conference room is a small project, it is a representation of our broader design philosophy‚ clarity of form, intentional spatial zoning, connection to outdoors, using simple materials in interesting ways (the framing is from reclaimed bleacher seats), and incorporating small gestures to create dynamic visual and spatial effects. The changes made have improved the aesthetic and functional qualities of the space, while giving it a sense of character that evokes the personality of our firm. -
Modern Garage Submitted by: Rick Perkins Custom Designer's Description: Fourteen doors from the Sliding Door Co. were used to transform a cluttered, unattractive garage into this modern, multi-functional space boasting optimal organization and a sleek aesthetic. The initial objective was to hide unsightly boxes and oversized items in a clean, tidy environment. The challenge was bringing the contemporary design and sophisticated feel of the recently remodeled main house into the design of the garage. -
Sliding Through Barriers Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Our design is by-product of a much needed solution to our problems of light and airflow. When our Head Start program was moving into a new office, we faced some real challenges. We had five bodies, and one open space. We could build walls, but that would block airflow. One person would enjoy the benefits of a little window unit air conditioner, but everyone else would be sweltering on the other side of the walls. Sliding doors solved these problems since open space between the walls and the ceilings allow ample light and airflow. -
Montana Modern Prefab Cabin Submitted by: Intrinsik Architecture Inc. Designer's Description: The cabin's remote location, extreme snow demands, wildlife interaction and the desire to keep all trees on site intact, controlled the design and logistics of construction. With a high concentration of bears, wolves, and other wildlife, the site presented a unique design challenge. The cabin needed to open-up to the outdoor environment, while maintaining the ability to be securely sheltered. The resulting design acts as an armadillo shell as all openings are equipped with rolling shutters, pivoting screen walls, or sliding doors to protect it from the elements and curious wildlife. -
Hollow Core Ninety Degrees Submitted by: RSVP Architecture Designer's Description: A standard hollow-core door (in this case purchased at Home Depot) is sliced into 1-3/4" strips which are rotated 90 degrees then glued. For a simple screen, the project is complete. In an application requiring greater acoustic separation, glass or Plexiglas is laminated to the front and back surface and the assembly edged with aluminum.Through the use of standard hollow-core doors, our design seeks to transform an under-appreciated product into something of subtlety and beauty. -
Divide and Conquer Submitted by: Karl Schmidt Architecture, LLC Designer's Description: This project consisted of a remodel of a tiny 1-bedroom 357sf apartment in the Manhattan neighborhood of Gramercy Park. The goal of the project was to reconfigure the space to provide openness yet privacy when needed. The use of sliding partitions provided the design flexibility to compartmentalize as well as open the space. -
Library Doors Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Over the past 50 years I have collected many hundreds of books. That fact presents two problems. How do you store books and how do you keep your partner happy with the methods of storage and presentation? The answer to the first question is easy: you build shelves. The second question regarding presentation of the books resulted in my use of glass and aluminum sliding wardrobe doors. -
Flexwall Submitted by: IsometricaDesign, Architects Designer's Description: The sliding FLEXWALL system allows multiple room configurations within a single open space. This wall system is comprised of vertical rib skeletons that slide and compress into a recessed wall unit, maximizing space within tight areas and creating multi-functionality that is usually achieved with more rigid partition systems; the translucent and stretchable fabric wall gives the temporary space the visual feel of the ephemeral and lightness that are being pursued in this concept. -
A Whimsical Home Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: The building to be designed is an old construction with brick walls and concrete structure, the main idea is to preserve as much as possible of the original old and historic feeling of the interiors. The new elements to be added must respect that identity without mimicking it. The owner is an artist mainly working in painting and sculpture, so the house is going to be used as studio and living unit, adding the possibility of transforming some areas in art gallery for short periods of time for the owner's art work presentation. Another important point is that the building is not so big; therefore circulation flow and open spaces are critical at the moment of defining partition elements. -
In The Groove Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: With my two-year-old daughter nipping at my heels and tasked with helping my husband run his music branding company, my main design goal for "In The Groove" is to add efficiencies to our lives and to create a beautiful space that is as good at multi-tasking as I have had to become. By enclosing a small back porch and a hall-like overhang area through the use of an adaptable sliding wall system, I'm able to create an indoor-outdoor multipurpose area and integrate a separate granny flat into the main house as guest bedroom. -
Anti-Pocket Door Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Purchasing a vintage rehabbed condo has its drawbacks when the space is not fully functional. A small Chicago urban setting, small condominiums cannot afford any inefficiency in the little things, like a door swing. A traditional pocket door is not feasible due to the plumbing chase in the location where the pocket would be housed. The bathroom door swing's reversal is not ideal due to the proximity of the entry door's swing. The only viable solution is an externally mounted sliding door. -
Bamboo Slide Submitted by: Name not provided Designer's Description: Bamboo Slide is a partition made from woven bamboo. It is attached onto a mechanism similar to that of an automatic power window system. -
Corriere Residence Submitted by: John Cooley Architect, LLC Designer's Description: A sliding door separates this bathing area from the vaulted center of the home. The sliding door opened a variety of elements maintain the distinction of the bathing area while allowing the main living space to flow in to the platform tub and shower.
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