Doors for small spaces

Doors for small spaces – how to make optimal use of space?

The problems sometimes encountered in the selection and installation of doors for rooms where space is limited require some compromises. Left or right opening, or maybe a narrower leaf or a swinging door in the other direction, outward? Not all these solutions bring good results, and sometimes they are a source of disappointment, so it is worth thinking about a completely different system, that is, to look with a favorable eye towards sliding or folding doors. This allows you not only to make optimal use of space, but also to choose a variant that, in addition to its useful role, will also have decorative qualities. What are the advantages of sliding doors and how to accurately select doors for small rooms?

What types of doors work best in small spaces?

Convenience, which is to be provided by doors and entrances to individual rooms, includes the optimal width, and 60cm is considered the minimum that will allow comfortable and hassle-free use of the door, while much more convenient are, of course, standard dimensions, with a width of 80cm. Therefore, it is not worth considering a modification to use a narrower leaf that opens traditionally.

Sliding doors give us many more options than installing a traditional swinging door in a doorway, and at the same time, contemporary models offer aesthetics and functionality at the highest level.

Still another alternative is internally folded or folding doors, where the leaf is symmetrically divided into halves, which are connected to each other by neatly concealed hinges, although asymmetrical variants using the same principle of operation are also encountered.

Are sliding doors the best solution for small spaces?

Taking into account both practical and aesthetic issues, sliding solutions are the best doors for small rooms, as long as there are technical possibilities for their installation. The leaf and the elements responsible for its side-to-side movement must fit along the edges of the walls, depending on the system – either at the ceiling or on the wall above the entrance opening. Fortunately, guides and carriages can be selected so that the whole thing functions lightly and efficiently, without colliding with any elements along the way.

If we need a graceful door for small rooms such as a closet, pantry or storage room, lightweight sashes suspended on slides not only look great, but are extremely practical, not taking up space either on the inside or outside. The ease of sliding and the ability to push the door leaf with an arm or elbow will be useful when, for example, our hands are busy.

What door installation techniques help save space?

Sliding doors are divided into cassette and wall-mounted. Cassette ones are mounted in such a way that the sash retracts into the wall when opening, which allows the use of doors on both sides of the door frame. They also do not take up space on the outside, hence free placement of furniture along the walls near the door is possible in this case.

Doors hung on a track are easier to install, with a little technical knowledge and willingness it can be done without the help of professionals. An important limitation here may be the wall, or more precisely the lintel, which must be solid enough to easily support the weight of the door leaf sliding along the guide.

Custom steel doors include made-to-measure solutions for troublesome installation openings. If it is not possible to adapt or enlarge them, then the width and height of the off-the-shelf door leaf creates major limitations. It is often not technically possible to forge a larger entrance opening, especially in old buildings or outbuildings. Doors for rooms such as attics, storage rooms, cells, basements or storage rooms often require individual approach and sizing. Then it’s a good idea to consult professionals and order technical doors made for a specific need, which will fit without additional work. In the offer of reputable companies, such as Stalprodukt-Zamość, you can find doors made to size for just such specific applications.

How to choose the style and color of the door to optically enlarge the space?

The illusion of more space is the domain of bright colors, so a sliding door leaf in white, beige or light gray will optically enlarge a cramped room. This stylistic procedure can be repeated for all doors installed throughout the house or apartment, which will create a neat and consistent whole. The white of the sliding doors perfectly harmonizes with interiors decorated in a minimalist, Scandinavian style, where every element of the interior has an overriding useful function and where excessive ornamentation is avoided.

Doors with glazing are interesting, and these can be both subtle glass inserts and whole wings made of glass, which is a daring design effort. Undoubtedly, they create a unique atmosphere of the interior, allowing daylight to penetrate freely, and this promotes the feeling of space and adds a cozy character to any room.

What are the innovative solutions in doors for small spaces?

Sliding frameless systems are one of the more interesting solutions used in modern interior designs. Such a solution works well for masonry or partition walls with a thickness of at least 10 cm, but can also be used for installation in walls constructed of plasterboard, so, for example, during reconstruction or renovation of rooms combined with a change in their layout. Such a wing that retracts into the wall is maximum space saving and unsurpassed practicality.

When choosing a sliding door, it is worth checking whether the chosen system has a “self-closing” device, which means that during sliding the door leaf will slow down at the end of its movement, thus closing quietly and smoothly. This is reminiscent of soft close solutions, known for example from furniture, which is a quiet closing of drawers or cabinet fronts.