(ARA) - Today's families are a whirlwind of activity, running to school and
work, to and from meetings, events and get-togethers. Research has shown that
because today's families are so busy, home has become a retreat, a place to
escape and relax. The desire to be at home -- sometimes referred to as "cocooning"
-- has driven many of the architectural and design changes seen in today's new
homes.
Today's homes are much more informal and versatile than homes of the past.
The great room has replaced what was once a collection of individual rooms.
Designers have proven that walls are not the only way to create separate areas.
Individual spaces can be established by arranging furniture or d?cor, or by
adding private areas like window seats.
To create a true family home, there should be a balance of public areas and
private retreats. While kitchens, living rooms and outdoor areas are usually
areas of group interaction; bedrooms, bathrooms and hobby rooms can be areas
dedicated to personal time. Since a home's spaces can vary widely, one of the
keys to effective home design is finding a way to tie these areas together.
Some of the new ways homes transition from room to room includes floor elevation
changes, ceiling height differences or simply the way furniture may be arranged.
But the oldest, and still most common way to move from one room to another is
through a door. Fortunately, homeowners are no longer stuck with choosing the
same, simple door throughout their home. There are hundreds of door choices
today and it is common for a homeowner to use different types of doors throughout
a single home.
Transitioning
In order to select doors that will work best for your home, consider what
kind of transition you want between spaces. Looking to create complete privacy?
Select a solid wood panel door. Looking to make a seamless transition from one
room to the next? Try a French door or a door with a lot of glass. Looking for
a formal feeling? Opt for a door with decorative accents like moulding, raised
panels and hefty, ornamental hardware.
Let in the Light
One of the current trends in residential architecture is to open up a home
with large windows or by grouping multiple windows together. This exposes a
home to views and permits natural light to flow in. But what about rooms toward
the center of the home or rooms that aren't positioned well in relation to the
sun?
French doors are a common solution. French doors come in a variety of designs
from those that feature one large piece of glass to those that feature many
smaller pieces of glass. And each design can be made with dozens of glass options.
Obscure glass options like frosted glass and reed glass let in light yet
still provide privacy. In fact, French doors with obscure glass are a popular
choice for private areas like bedrooms and bathrooms. To get an idea of the
obscure glass options available, visit your local building retail center. If
you have Internet access, a good resource for viewing a number of options on
screen is www.simpsondoor.com; just click on "products" to find what
option might work best for you.
Getting Decorative
Obscure glass is not the only non-clear glass option available to you. There
is also decorative glass, sometimes referred to as art glass. This type of glass
combines leading -- something typically used in stained glass windows or in
front doors -- and smaller glass pieces of various sizes, colors and shapes.
The lion's share of decorative glass is used in period homes like Craftsman,
Bungalow or Victorian-styled homes, but is becoming more common as homeowners
attempt to differentiate their homes from their neighbors'.
Using decorative glass interior doors can create a sense of architectural
consistency if the front door has decorative glass. And decorative glass is
a good solution for matching other elements of the home like light fixtures,
tile and hardware. The popularity of brushed silver and black metal used for
hardware and lighting can be carried through to your doors by selecting decorative
glass with silver or black leading.
Open Communication
What about the kitchen? As the central hub of many of today's homes, we find
ourselves using this space to do far more than cooking. It's a place to do homework
and bills, a place to talk with visitors and it's often a place to set your
keys, mail and whatever else you came in the door with. With this kind of activity,
consider doors that are just as functional as the room.
Simpson's Chalkboard Panel Doors are a great solution for the kitchen or
pantry, giving parents a place to write grocery or to-do lists and giving children
a place to post artwork or report cards. It also saves the wall space you might
be using already for a message board. These doors use a 1/4" thick double-sided
magnetic chalkboard panel in place of where you would typically see a wood panel
or glass.
Chalkboard doors come standard in three different designs and five different
wood options including fir, hemlock, cherry, maple and oak, allowing you to
match your cabinets, flooring or other millwork. To learn more about chalkboard
doors, visit www.simpsondoor.com and click on "Products."
Create a Signature Statement
If you can't find exactly what you want at your local retail center or by
looking in a brochure, there are a number of companies that will make exactly
what you want from the ground up. There is nothing that can communicate your
own decorating taste like something envisioned and designed by you. To create
your one-of-a-kind door, it's as simple as making the sketch yourself, writing
down some features that are important to you and taking your notes to your dealer.
To find a custom door dealer near you, call (800) 952-4057 or visit www.simpsondoor.com.
To make your home perfect for your family, you could commission a complete
demolition and reconstruction, or the answer may be just as simple as updating
a few parts. Considering the impact that doors have on how you live and how
your family interacts may go along way to getting your home to where you want
it to be.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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