Sliding interior doors: application in the interior

Coupe doors got a second wind thanks to the return of Asian Japanese style to fashion. Gradually, sliding interior options migrated from it to other modern styles, and today they are used not much less often than classic swing ones.

Interior sliding doors are strikingly different from their swing "counterparts" both in appearance and characteristics.

There are a number of features that distinguish sliding options.

• Installing sliding doors can significantly save usable space at home. This is especially important for apartments that do not differ in large dimensions, for example, in houses of the Khrushchev construction. The only "but" is that such structures require leaving an empty wall along which they will move.
• Sliding samples fit much better into modern interior styles than classic swing ones. They can be harmoniously fit into styles such as minimalism, techno, modern, as well as traditional Japanese ethnicity.

• With the help of sliding interior doors, you can beautifully design an opening of a non-standard size or shape. If, in the case of swing doors, it may be necessary to make a door leaf and a box to order, then ordinary sliding doors will do, regardless of size.
• Sliding doors are available in a variety of designs and designs, as a result of which there is always an opportunity to choose the one you need.

• Due to the fact that the sliding options do not swing open under the influence of a draft, do not slam, but close neatly and smoothly, their service life is much longer than that of swing structures.
• Ergonomics and convenience are another important point that speaks in favor of the choice of sliding doors.

By and large, the design of the compartment door is a panel on fixed guides. The guides can be mounted under the ceiling and on the floor at the same time, and hidden in a special pocket-niche in the wall or located along the wall.

To limit the range of movement of the panels and prevent them from "moving out" of the grooves intended for them, each of the guide profiles is equipped with special stops, also called stops. Rollers, sliding between the feet, do not have the opportunity to go beyond the limits allocated for them.

The rollers can be located only at the top or above and below, depending on the severity of the door leaves. At the same time, the upper rollers are good when it comes to small partitions, and a double guide is required in cases of a large number of panels (in general, there can be from 1 to 7), or if they are made of heavy materials, for example, a solid layer of wood.

The top profile is usually closed with a decorative strip, which reliably hides the impartial "filling" from prying eyes, while helping the door to fit into the interior even better. A number of models may not have such a bar, especially if its absence is welcomed by the style of the room.

Finally, the models are equipped with handles and locks designed to make it easier to use the door and keep the privacy of home owners a secret. The handles can be both ordinary and in the form of small metal "lapels" along the entire height of the flap. Mortise locks are chosen, which do not protrude beyond the plane of the sash. Another model will look ridiculous.

One of the advantages of sliding interior doors is the ability to equip them with an automatic control system responsible for opening the doors. Most often, these models can be found in supermarkets. They are equipped with an infrared motion sensor, so that when a person approaches, the doors immediately open.

Automatic options in ordinary houses are extremely rare due to their high cost. Of course, this system has a lot of amenities, but they are often not needed within the framework of an ordinary apartment.

Manual doors slide open with handles on the sash. Systems equipped with rollers both from below and from above are easier to operate than with rollers on only one side, since in the first case less force is required to move the door leaf. Such Japanese panels can be found at a fairly inexpensive cost, which is quite acceptable for the average family budget.

The accordion door is fixed from three sides: bottom, top and side. The guides are located only at the top in the middle of each of the panels. Carriages with rollers are responsible for opening and closing doors, for the correct folding of the book-door. Prices range from the most budgetary and low-end options to the very expensive high-end options.

There are a variety of types of sliding structures.

• First of all, they are divided by the number of panels, the number of which varies from 1 to 7. A door with seven slats is just "Accordions", which have already been mentioned in passing in this article.
• Panoramic options - glass transparent partitions, which appear more and more often in modern houses. They look stylish, but do not carry a functional load.
• Most often done lift-slide structures that can also be called parallel sliding for greater clarity. These are ordinary compartment doors.

• Swivel-slide the samples are more interesting. They are traditionally not made from glass, but made from more durable materials, such as wood. In appearance, the swing-sliding structures strongly resemble ordinary swing structures, however, when they are opened, they smoothly slide to the side, becoming along the wall. According to exactly where the door leaves, they are divided into sliding inward and along the wall. For internal doors, a special hollow niche is equipped, which is calculated depending on the dimensions of the sample.

• An interesting option is the designs reclining-sliding typethat can be found in the metro or trains. They are usually equipped with an automated remote control system.

The dimensions of the doors vary and can be matched to any doorway. In particular, options with multiple doors are of particular interest. The use of multi-leaf samples allows you to close the largest gap possible, while not taking up too much free space.

The most common are single-leaf and double-leaf sliding specimens.Single-leaf designs are comparable in width to ordinary swing doors, but with height the situation is slightly different. Rarely, when a sliding door is built into a doorway, it is often installed under the very ceiling, thereby hiding an unsuccessful gap design.

Double-leaf panels give the room a majestic look by visually expanding the existing span even more. The maximum width of the panels is determined not only by the dimensions of the doorway, but also by the area of ​​free walls on the sides: it is necessary that there be space where the doors can be moved.

For very wide openings, it is recommended to use multi-leaf door designs or "accordions", and the second option is suitable even in cases where there is absolutely no room for a sliding door on the sides of the span. You can also pay attention to the "books" doors, which resemble "accordions", but have wider panels with fewer bends.

Sliding doors can be made from a wide variety of materials, but glass, wood and plastic are especially popular.

• Glass doors not as impractical as it is commonly believed. In addition to a decorative partition, they can also be a full-fledged door. We are talking about cases when matte glass or a mirror surface is chosen as the material. The glass sliding panels can be airbrushed to add a touch of exclusivity to any interior.

• Wooden panels - the most classic version, perfect for almost all interiors. Both solid wood and its imitation can be used, for example, chipboard with a decorative coating. Usually, simple wooden doors are not made, they are certainly supplemented with different elements: glass inserts, aluminum decor, artistic carvings, decorative wooden moldings, and so on.
• Plastic doors used not so long ago. Contrary to misconception, buying them does not always mean poor quality and harm to health. Certified products from well-known manufacturers fully meet all requirements and standards, while the use of plastic opens up a wide scope for experiments with colors and patterns. There are both glossy and matte designs.

In theory, sliding doors will look good anywhere, however, it is strongly discouraged to install them in place of the front door. The fact is that they will not provide the sufficient tightness of the home that is expected from a traditional front door.

A sliding door to the kitchen will help save an already small space. If you prefer a tilt-and-slide design, you can also make the door narrow. This option is optimal if the doorway is located close to the wall: it will remain compact both when closed and when open.

Panoramic panels on the balcony will help to visually increase the space of an adjacent room - a bedroom or living room. Please note that this option is permissible only in warm regions of Russia or in cases where the balcony is glazed, otherwise there is a risk of letting a terrible draft into the room, while simultaneously releasing heat.

Each of the listed options is suitable for a living room. In apartments where the doorway to the hall occupies almost the entire wall space, it is recommended to look closely at the doors of the "accordion" type. They can be made double-leaf, and in this case it will be possible to save a lot of space. However, it is most traditional to see ordinary parallel sliding structures in living rooms.

It is not recommended to install sliding doors in the bedroom, nursery and bathroom. The structures do not have sufficient insulating properties, so that the intimacy of these premises will not be adequately respected.

Below is a photo gallery of images that clearly show how you can beautifully use sliding doors in the interior. A short commentary is provided for each of the examples.

A bright accent in the form of a sliding single-leaf door "diluted" the gray tones of the interior, brought a little variety to it. Please note that for completeness of the picture, not a specific drawing was made on the door, but an abstract one, more in line with the style of the room.

Sliding doors can be used not only in modern interiors, but also in classic ones. Noble colors, unobtrusive patterns and elite materials will easily transform such an interesting element of the interior as a sliding door into a detail that favorably sets off the rest of the room.

Glossy, boiling white doors perfectly fit into the minimalistic interior, unobtrusively emphasizing the purity of lines and space. By choosing a glossy surface that acts as a kind of mirror, the effect of expanding and increasing the scale of the room has been achieved.

Glass transparent options can zone a space without simultaneously dividing it completely, as in this case. A small dressing room is separated from the living room, but the doors let in the necessary light pouring in. Transparent partitions are a trendy trend in interior design, it is recommended to pay attention to it.

A door doesn't always have to look like a door. When closed, the panel looks like an ordinary decorative mirror, and when opened, it allows you to look into the personal room of residents. Such a maneuver cannot be done with a swing door.

For even more examples of sliding interior doors in the interior, see the video.