Open floor plans can make even the tightest spaces feel more roomy and hospitable. Such free-flowing designs have been a feature of American homes for over one hundred years, but they became popular on a broad scale around the middle of the last century when modernism prevailed over more traditional architectural styles. Now, glass room dividers are redefining “openness.” In doing so, they’re once again transforming the American home.
A Complicated Love Affair
Since the mid-20th century, Americans have engaged in an on-again/off-again relationship with the open floor plan. Some homeowners embrace the freedom, spaciousness, and visibility of wide open layouts. They want their living spaces to be connected rather than severed and disjointed. Others bemoan the lack of structure and organization.
The critics have a point. There’s something tidy about closed floor plans. Each room has its own purpose, its own distinct style. When someone walks through the doorway that separates the living room from the study, they know they’re entering a new space with its own raison d’être, its own style, and its own “feeling.” Opponents of an open floor plan believe that you lose something important when you tear down the walls.
A Happy Medium
Then there are those who take the middle ground. They like the thought of an open floor plan—the bright airiness and free-flowing spaciousness—but they haven’t yet given up on the notion of separate rooms. They’re constantly searching for a happy medium between the two extremes.
Many of them have found the perfect solution in glass room dividers and interior glass doors. Glass doesn’t block light or obstruct views. It does, however, draw a clear line that lets everyone know where one room ends and another begins. With glass, a designer can create separate “zones” within a home without tearing the space apart.
In other words, glass walls and sliding doors combine the best of both styles. They let homeowners cordon off space while still maintaining visibility, connection, and openness—key traits of the much-admired open floor plan.
A Modern Solution to an Age-Old Problem
Sliding glass doors and glass room dividers belong to the modern world, with its emphasis on simplicity and openness. That being said, glass is versatile enough to fit in almost any home, from urban lofts to traditional farmhouses.
That’s particularly true given the wide range of custom options available. At The Sliding Door Company, for example, designers and homeowners can choose from more than a dozen different types of glass and nearly half-a-dozen styles and frames.
Those searching for an ultra-modern look often prefer a Solo design featuring a single pane of uninterrupted glass, while a Continental design, with its metal or other color frame finishes, is perfect for those who want to combine the contemporary with the classic. Of course, a good designer can make any style divider work well in almost any interior. The key is to have a plan.
When it comes to function, glass also gives people a great deal of freedom. Those who want a good balance between privacy and light can opt for frosted or smoked glass. Those who want maximum visibility can stick with clear glass, which also tends to fit well in more modern interiors. Homeowners can close them when they want to seal off a space and open them when they want full visibility and access.
Transform Your Interior
Want the best of both worlds? Whether you’re a designer or a homeowner, The Sliding Door Company can help you choose the glass room dividers and sliding glass doors that match your interior.
Come see for yourself. Visit one of our many showrooms located throughout the United States. Schedule a consultation today.
Glass. It’s one of the most innovative, yet elegant building materials. It reflects a modern aesthetic, yet has an ancient pedigree. You’ll find it in nearly every residential and commercial space around the world, yet it continues to surprise us with its versatility.
Homeowners have long embraced glass as the material of choice for patio doors and even exterior walls, but now more and more are discovering its potential to transform their interiors. From room dividers to sliding interior doors, here’s why architects, designers, and homeowners are using innovative glass solutions to enhance their interior spaces.
They’re Innovative
Glass may be one of the oldest materials known to man, but, as far as building materials go, it’s a relative newcomer. It wasn’t until new glazing techniques and better production processes came along that it even became possible to use glass for major architectural projects.
Builders began exploring the possibilities in the 1800s, mostly in the form of greenhouses and exhibition halls, but the real glass revolution didn’t come until the 20th Century with the birth of the skyscraper. Before long, that distinctive glass and metal façade became nearly ubiquitous in every modern city.
Still, it wasn’t until the middle of the century that some of the more daring designers started using glass as the primary material in homes. The glass house was initially greeted with skepticism and even derision, but it didn’t take long for attitudes to change. These days, mid-century glass houses are celebrated as triumphs of modern design, even if they haven’t yet become a common sight in the suburbs.
Instead, glass has moved indoors. Luxury hotels and upscale restaurants around the world have already embraced the free-flowing beauty of glass walls, using them in almost every setting, from banquet halls to bathroom showers.
Now glass partitions and sliding interior doors are becoming more common in residential homes as designers realize the benefits of switching to modern materials that improve lighting and reduce energy costs.
They’re Modern
Glass and modernity go hand in hand. Glass isn’t just modern because it’s new; it’s modern because it’s sleek. It’s modern because it embraces openness, simplicity, and confidence. Installing a glass wall shows the world that you’re not afraid of transparency or innovation.
There are many ways to pull off the modernist look with interior doors and dividers. A simple, Solo frame design or a frameless barn door outfitted with semi-transparent glass gives you both privacy and style. Frosted glass makes a particularly good impression when paired with grays, muted blues, and other cool colors.
Of course, a modern interior doesn’t necessarily have to be stark. Even the most minimalist space could benefit from some contrast and a little embellishment. For a look that’s simple yet stunning, you could surround clear glass in a solid black, Trio frame. For modernism with a Japanese-inspired, mid-century twist, try a Duo-T or Pentagon design outfitted with deluxe white glass.
When it comes to interior doors, it’s okay to experiment until you achieve the right look. With so many custom options available to all homeowners, it’s easier than ever to play with color, style, and materials until you’re satisfied.
They’re Versatile
Glass and modernity may be a loving couple, but they’re not married. You can pull off modernism without glass, and you can certainly design glass dividers and doors without being a slave to a minimalist aesthetic.
Have a French cottage style home? Set clear glass inside a Continental door design and add a white, walnut, or wenge frame, depending on the overall color scheme in the room. Looking for more privacy in an industrial style loft? Custom build a glass wall partition with a silver or black Pentagon frame and frosted glass. With six frame designs, six frame finishes, and fourteen glass types, it’s easy to mix and match until you get a design that fits your vision.
In other words, for every style, there’s a glass sliding door, swing door, barn door or room divider to match. Since The Sliding Door Company always builds to your project’s specific needs, we can help you find the right combination of frame, glass, and finish, no matter what aesthetic you embrace.
They’re Light
In more ways than one. Our suspended door solutions not only glide smoothly as if they were made of the most lightweight materials, they also let light pass from room to room, brightening up the interior and cutting down on the need for artificial illumination.
Indeed, aside from repainting, installing a glass partition is the easiest and most effective way to open up a space. Glass gives the room a light, airy feel that’s hard to achieve with any other material, particularly solid wood or drywall.
With more than a dozen types of glass from which to choose, you have complete control over the level of transparency. Clear glass, for example, lets the greatest amount of light in. Semi-transparent glass, on the other hand, offers the greatest balance between privacy and illumination, allowing light to flow between spaces while blocking visibility.
Where privacy is of the greatest importance—think bedrooms, bathrooms, private studies, and other intimate spaces—you can always install opaque glass, which spans the color spectrum from deluxe white to black.
They’re Smart
No, our glass room partitions and sliding doors aren’t connected to the Internet of Things, but they are a wise choice if you want a beautiful, efficient, sustainable home. For one, glass structures maximize light in any given space, making them even more environmentally friendly than energy-efficient lightbulbs.
They also cut down on energy costs by increasing air flow. When you design your interior, you have the choice of floor to ceiling glass partitions or partial room dividers. So, which type of glass wall partition is right for your home?
It depends on your needs. While full-length partitions offer a sense of stability by mimicking the look of a solid wall, partial dividers let heat and airflow circulate from room to room, which cuts down on energy waste and even HVAC costs.
It’s not just energy efficiency, either. You can also save space by replacing swinging doors with sliding doors that remain nearly flush with the wall whether open or closed. These days, when square footage is at a premium, that can mean the difference between a cramped living space and a spacious, comfortable home.
They’re Safe and Sturdy
When Doron Polus launched The Sliding Door Company in 2005, safety and quality were at the top of his mind. He thought the average sliding door and room partition could use serious design improvements. He believed it was possible to build sliding interior doors that were both sturdy and light, secure and beautiful.
He was right. For over a decade, The Sliding Door Company has manufactured high-quality glass room partitions tempered so they won’t shatter, break, or wear down with time. The final product is as safe and durable as it is elegant and stylish.
They Always Impress
Quality always, with safety you can trust!! That’s our motto here, at The Sliding Door Company, and we adhere to it faithfully. Through superior design, higher-quality materials, and smarter manufacturing processes, we’re able to build better doors and partitions—products that are as famous for their versatility and elegance as they are for their safety and efficiency.
Since we offer factory-to-field service, we’re able to control every aspect of the production process, from design to installation. That helps us ensure quality while allowing us to provide customized interior solutions that meet each of our client’s needs.
When you enter one of our North American showrooms, you get the chance to speak with someone who knows our glass doors and dividers from top to bottom—someone who is passionate about innovative interior design, rather than a middleman whose only goal is to push a product.
Need help choosing the perfect solution for your next project? Schedule a FREE consultation with one of our design specialists. When you’re ready, find your nearest showroom and get a first-hand look at our doors.
From color-coding your shirts to installing glass closet doors, there are many ways to tidy up and beautify your closet. Here are some great closet organization hacks that will make your life easier and your bedroom prettier.
Start Somewhere, Anywhere
Your bedroom closet is the most personal storage space in your home. It’s where you put your wardrobe, your shoes, your accessories, and other intimate odds and ends. For many of us, it’s a mess.
Unless you’re one of the brave few who lives a minimalist lifestyle, your closet is probably overloaded with stuff—old jackets you haven’t worn in years, shoes you haven’t seen for months, shirts you didn’t know you had.
Managing the chaos can be challenging. How do you keep this little space-within-a-space nice and tidy? Simple. The first step is to start—it doesn’t matter where or how. The key to getting the job done is just to begin.
Select the Right Closet Doors
Custom closet doors come in all shapes and sizes. Which door is right for you depends on the layout of your room, your personal style, and how much stuff you have. Some of the most popular choices include:
Sliding closet doors save both space and effort by gliding smoothly along the wall instead of swinging outward like accordion doors. That makes it easy to organize your clothes as well as to access everything inside.
Mirror closet doors are a conventional choice since they serve a double purpose. Instead of having to squeeze both mirrors and closet doors into your bedroom, you get a two-in-one deal. That saves space and enhances the beauty of the room.
Glass closet doors provide a more modern, stylish take on the traditional sliding closet doors instead of mirrors or plywood. The best part is that you can stack them all to either side or in the middle with our Smart Track system and you can choose the type of glass from a large selection. We even have some that can double as a dry erase board for fun!
Opaque glass doors act more like conventional closets, offering full privacy and separation. Semi-transparent glass, on the other hand, gives the room a cleaner, more spacious feel, which adds a modern and stylish flair to any bedroom.
Organize Your Walk-In Closet
There is no “best way” to organize clothes in a closet. Everyone has a different approach Everyone has different needs. That being said, if you want to keep your things tidy, start with these walk-in closet organization ideas:
Stow away old winter apparel. There’s no reason those parkas and down jackets should take up valuable closet space after the frost melts and the flowers start to bloom. Stow them away to make room for warmer weather clothes.
Arrange your shoes. Your shoes need their own home. If you don’t have a built-in shoe organizer, buy one or create your own by using makeshift shelves.
Color-code and purpose-code your wardrobe. It’s a lot easier to find things when you can sort easily through the colors. If you do have separate areas in your closet, go ahead and put all the jackets in one section, the shirts in another, the pants in another, and so on. Then arrange them by color. That will make everything easy to find!
Do a Summer Clean
Spring cleaning may be a long-held tradition, but, let’s be honest, most of us are too busy enjoying the nice weather to worry about dusting the shelves or throwing out old winter clothes.
Actually, summer may be the best time to get organized. After all, why not ride out the heat in the comfort of an air-conditioned home and get some stuff done while you’re at it?
It doesn’t matter how you clean—whether you dust the shelves, vacuum the carpets, fold your clothes, or do all of the above. The point is that a little clean will make your room more livable and your life more comfortable.
Get Your Summer Clean On!
When you’re done tidying up, come back and check out our blog to get more tips and tricks for making your home safer, cleaner, and more beautiful.
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