There are many different types of closet doors to choose from. The choice of closet door will depend upon the type of closet, individual taste, budget and available space.
Originally closet doors resembled the door to the room but on a slightly smaller scale. If the entry way to the room had an eight raised panel door then the closet tended to have a slightly smaller eight raised panel door. If the entrance had a 4 four raised panel door then the closet had a slightly smaller four raised panel door and so on. The nature of these doors only allowed narrow access to the closet and these closets didn't lend themselves to accommodating a closet organizer at all. This seemed to be the trend until at least the middle of the 1950s.
As homes became larger so did closets. Bedroom closets transformed from small cupboards off the side of a room to extending for almost the entire length or width of the room. The standard bedroom closet became almost six feet long. to accommodate these newer and longer closets in new home construction, builders started to install two section folding doors that ran along upper and lower tracks. At the very best, these doors were functional. At the worst they were ugly, track popping hollow core pieces of veneer.
The 1970s and 1980s saw the introduction of sliding mirror closet doors into closet design. Initially these were a big hit. A great deal of new construction included sliding mirror doors for closets. This type of door provided two distinct benefits. First and foremost, mirrored closet doors make rooms look much larger. This was an enormous benefit when it came to bedrooms in apartment condo complexes that were built with an economy of space. The second advantage were the doors provided full length mirrors that are always desirable in bedrooms.
The past two decades have seen the introduction of french doors and pocket doors into closet design. The benefit of french doors on closets is questionable in my opinion and I never recommend their inclusion. The closet would have to be pristine for french doors to work. Pocket doors have the great benefit of space saving. A pocket door allows for the construction of a completely functional closet in a very small space. The installation of pocket doors must be done by someone familiar with pocket doors but the added cost of labour can be well worth the result.
There are many different types of closet doors to choose from. Wander through your local building supply store when trying to decide what closet doors are best for you.
Wednesday 23 September 2009
How Do I Start to Design a Closet?
How to start designing a closet is a question that professional closet designers are frequently asked. It may well be one of the more important questions that we are asked. As the old saying goes "if you don't start on the right road you may never get to the right destination".
The first thing to think about when you are designing a closet is what purposes you want the closet to serve. This may sound simple but there are a multitude of purposes for a single closet. Ask yourself these questions and think carefully about the answers:
1. are you designing a walk in closet ?
2. is it a daily use closet?
3. is it for long term storage?
4. are you designing a closet for shoes or other specific items?
5. do you intend to store camping equipment or other sports gear?
6. does the closet require a make up table or a dressing table?
7. Do you want a closet design for personal use or will the closet be shared by the whole family?
8. do you intend to design a child friendly closet?
As your self these questions and many more and eventually you will have narrowed the the focus of the closet and appropriately defined the purposes of the closet.
Without a defined purpose a closet is simply an empty box. Sure, you can install a few shelves and a hanging rod to create a generic closet. Without knowing the purpose of the closet it will just be a guess when it comes to shelf placement, etc. Once the specific purposes of the closet have been identified then you will have an easier time designing the organizational components of the closet.
If you are asking yourself, "How do I design a closet?" you are taking an important first step towards achieving a great closet design. The thinking and planning part of the process should start and finish before the actual physical and tangible work begins.
The first thing to think about when you are designing a closet is what purposes you want the closet to serve. This may sound simple but there are a multitude of purposes for a single closet. Ask yourself these questions and think carefully about the answers:
1. are you designing a walk in closet ?
2. is it a daily use closet?
3. is it for long term storage?
4. are you designing a closet for shoes or other specific items?
5. do you intend to store camping equipment or other sports gear?
6. does the closet require a make up table or a dressing table?
7. Do you want a closet design for personal use or will the closet be shared by the whole family?
8. do you intend to design a child friendly closet?
As your self these questions and many more and eventually you will have narrowed the the focus of the closet and appropriately defined the purposes of the closet.
Without a defined purpose a closet is simply an empty box. Sure, you can install a few shelves and a hanging rod to create a generic closet. Without knowing the purpose of the closet it will just be a guess when it comes to shelf placement, etc. Once the specific purposes of the closet have been identified then you will have an easier time designing the organizational components of the closet.
If you are asking yourself, "How do I design a closet?" you are taking an important first step towards achieving a great closet design. The thinking and planning part of the process should start and finish before the actual physical and tangible work begins.
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