I. Space Layout
Complete Folding and Storage
When folding doors are completely folded up, they can be stored on one side of the wall or in a specially designed storage space. For example, for the folding doors connecting the living room and the balcony indoors, through the track system, the doors can be folded one by one and stored beside the wall on the balcony side. In this way, the space between the living room and the balcony can be completely opened up, forming an open spatial layout. This method is suitable for areas with a relatively small space and can maximize the elimination of the sense of separation between indoor and outdoor spaces.
In some commercial spaces, such as between a restaurant and an outdoor terrace, when the restaurant is in business, the folding doors can be completely folded and stored, integrating the indoor dining area with the outdoor terrace dining area, greatly increasing the transparency and usable area of the space and providing customers with a more spacious and comfortable dining environment. For small spaces that need to be divided or spaces that you want to divide, folding doors can meet your needs. For example, in some bedrooms, if a folding door is needed to divide out a cloakroom, the installation of the folding door can save space and also better meet the need to divide out another usable space.
Flexible Partition and Combination
Folding doors can be partitioned and combined according to different usage scenarios and needs. For example, in a large conference room, by installing folding doors, the conference room can be divided into several small discussion areas. When a large conference needs to be held, the doors can be folded up to form a complete large space; when group discussions are needed, the folding doors can be unfolded to divide different small spaces. Such a design makes the use of space more flexible and efficient and realizes the free conversion between open and closed spaces. The function of folding doors also lies in flexible partitioning. If the area of a room is relatively large, then it can be divided by installing folding doors, dividing a large space into several small spaces. The divided spaces can be used flexibly. For example, they can be used as a tea room, a cloakroom, a reception room, a yoga room, etc., meeting the needs of various different functions.
Between the open kitchen and the dining room in a residence, folding doors can serve as a soft partition. Usually, the doors are folded up to integrate the spaces of the kitchen and the dining room, facilitating the interaction and communication among family members. When a lot of oil smoke is generated during cooking, some of the folding doors can be unfolded to block the spread of the oil smoke to the dining area while not completely cutting off the connection between the two spaces.
Moreover, folding doors can also be used to separate the bathroom, as well as the shower area and the toilet area in the bathroom. When there are many family members, they can avoid disturbing each other, which is very flexible.
II. Visual Transparency
Use of Transparent Materials
Folding doors made of glass materials can enhance the transparency of the space. Transparent glass folding doors allow light to pass through without obstruction, making the two adjacent spaces visually integrated completely. For example, in a modern-style residence, the glass folding doors connecting the study and the living room, even when the doors are in the closed state, people in the living room can still see the bookshelves and decorations in the study without a sense of spatial obstruction. Moreover, transparent glass can reflect the surrounding environment, further expanding the visual space.
In addition to transparent glass, translucent glass such as frosted glass or glass with patterns can also be used. This kind of glass can ensure a certain degree of transparency while also providing a certain degree of privacy. Installing translucent glass folding doors between the bathroom and the bedroom can allow natural light to enter the bathroom while avoiding the complete exposure of the interior of the bathroom.
Narrow Frame Design
The frame design of folding doors will also affect the openness of the space. Narrow-frame folding doors can reduce visual obstruction, making people’s attention focus more on the spaces on both sides of the doors. For example, aluminum alloy narrow-frame folding doors may have a frame width of only a few centimeters. Compared with traditional wide-frame doors, they look lighter visually and make the space look more open. Moreover, the narrow-frame design can be matched with large-sized door panels to further enhance the transparency and make the whole space look more magnificent. The narrow-frame design can be outstanding and can highlight its characteristics among various designs.
III. Integration with the Surrounding Environment
Coordinated Color Matching
The color selection of folding doors should be coordinated with the color scheme of the surrounding space. If the surrounding space mainly uses light colors as the main tone, such as white walls and beige floors, then choosing white, light wood-colored or light gray folding doors can make the doors better integrate into the environment and not look obtrusive. For example, in a Nordic-style home space, white folding doors connecting the indoor and outdoor gardens echo the overall white tone indoors, making people feel that the doors seem to be a natural extension of the space, enhancing the overall sense of the open space.
For some spaces with personalized colors, folding doors can serve as color accents. For example, in an industrial-style bar with black and red as the theme, using black metal folding doors with red frames not only will not destroy the style of the space but also can become a visual focus, attracting customers’ attention. At the same time, through the opening and closing of the folding doors, the flexible conversion between the indoor and outdoor seating areas is realized. Using personalized window frames or door frames is characteristic and makes it easier for the public to remember you. Generally, in the case of decorating stores, attracting consumers or holding activities, folding doors, especially colored folding doors, can be installed. If your store installs such folding doors, it may attract more consumers to enter the store for consumption.
Material Echo
The material of folding doors should echo the surrounding building materials or indoor decorative materials. In a traditional building mainly made of wooden structures, choosing wooden folding doors can better integrate into the environment. The texture and feel of the wood can be coordinated with the surrounding wooden beams, wooden floors and other materials, creating a warm and natural open space atmosphere.
If it is in a modern metal-textured building, such as a steel-structured exhibition hall, using metal folding doors can enhance the overall sense of the space. The luster and cold texture of the metal folding doors echo the metal frames and facades of the building. When the doors are opened, the indoor and outdoor spaces can be naturally integrated.