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In this article we will talk about the use of custom interior doors in interior design. Consider in more detail arched and radius doors, their varieties and use in the home interior.
The standards of typical houses and apartments, usual in the Soviet era, are no longer applicable today, and numerous construction companies are building high-rise buildings according to architectural projects of a small series and individual ones. The priorities of apartment owners have also changed – 30 years ago the very possibility of obtaining an apartment with a sufficient number of rooms was considered an incredible success, but today a potential owner of a living space will not be satisfied with just its footage, he is interested in interior design issues. And this question inevitably touched the doorways – the standard-rectangular paneled doors disappeared, they were replaced by non-standard interior doors.
Standard and non-standard doors – what’s the difference
First of all, the definition of “standard door” is associated with an opening, for which overlapping a door leaf with a height of 1880 to 2100 mm and a width of 550 to 900 mm is required – openings of smaller or larger overall dimensions will require the installation of a non-standard door made on a special order.
What is the advantage of non-standard doors? The uniformity of the design of apartments and houses is characteristic, rather, for residents of Japan than for domestic homeowners – our housing is obliged to have its own design. Of course, modern manufacturers produce door leaves of the original design while maintaining their standard sizes – a combination of wood and metal, glazing elements, decoration with decorative materials, etc. But a standard doorway does not allow them to go beyond its perimeter, that is, the dimensions of even the most the exquisitely decorated sashes are predictable in advance. Non-standard interior doors have an important feature – they can decorate any interior, becoming its integral part. Such doors change the look of the living space for the better..
For non-standard openings, the dimensions of which are not much different from the standard ones, accordion doors, sliding and ordinary swing doors, are quite suitable – however, they will have to be ordered from manufacturers. In the case of openings with a height of 2500 mm and more, with a width of over 1500 mm, arched doors look especially advantageous, and in rooms “without corners” – radius doors.
Arched doors
Doorways of a complex arched shape were first used by the architects of Ancient Greece, their spread in medieval Europe was facilitated by the Romans, who adopted the construction technologies of the Greeks – arch doors decorated the entrance to the palaces of emperors and temples, divided the rooms inside these majestic structures.
The upper part of the opening for arched doors ends with a rounded or pointed arch. Rounded arches ending in a semicircle at the top are called classic, and those that are elliptical are called elliptical. There are two main subspecies of an elliptical arch used for interior doorways – “modern” (arc with a slight rise) and “romantic” (round the edges of the arch, closer to the center straight).
1 – classic arch; 2 – modern; 3 – romance
Pointed arches end with two interconnected segments or arcs, they are characteristic of the Gothic style of architecture. A subspecies of the pointed arch is trapezoidal – two segments turn into a straight line parallel to the floor.
For arched doorways, two types of door leaves are made – rectangular with a transom and repeating the shape of the opening. The transom is placed at the top of the opening, in its curved part; it does not move along with the door leaf when opening or closing. And since the sash for an arched opening with a transom has the usual rectangular shape, it is easier to make it than a door leaf for an opening without a transom. Stained glass is often used in transom glazing.
In the case of sufficient width (more than 1200 mm), both a double-leaf and a single-leaf door can be installed in the arched opening – in the latter case, the leaf is made of light materials. By the way, it is not at all necessary that both sashes have the same width – for example, a narrower sash can only open if it is necessary to bring in or take out some large piece of furniture.
Arched doors look great in rooms with a design in a classic style or close to it.
Radial doors
Indoor walls must have the correct geometric shape, and their mating lines must end in correct angles – modern styles refute these standards. But what about the doors – they have a flat rectangular shape? In order to solve this design problem, radius doors were created.
Radial door leaf has a curved shape – concave or convex, combined. Doors curved in one direction can be slid along the guides or opened. A combined sash, the leaf of which is convex on one side and concave on the other, is intended only for opening wide open.
Radial doors and partitions made of glass and metal allow solving the issues of physical zoning of space, at the same time, in the case of sliding doors, they can be completely removed by expanding the boundaries of the room. Their use is appropriate both in the design of a spacious studio apartment and in a small room – radius doors are well suited for creating an island kitchen and as a door leaf for a bathroom.
Non-standard doorways and door leaves, whether arched or radial structures, determine the perception of the design in which a given room is decorated – after all, each of us, before entering a room, comes to the door leading into it..
How can I order custom doors for my unique interior design?