Tag: interior pocket door

Interior Re-Organization For The New Year

This year is finally coming to a close, despite how, for many of us, it’s felt like a lifetime since things were normal, pre-COVID. Now is the time to start thinking about what kind of interior environment you want to enter the new year in. Interior remodeling or reorganizing is a great way to emotionally reset after periods of stress, uncertainty, or change. Cleaning out closet spaces, updating your wardrobe, or even tackling a yard project are all such cathartic exercises and act as a wonderful outlet for reorganizing your mind and your goals moving into the next chapter.

When we begin to go through older items or material possessions that no longer serve us, we are able to cleanse and release attachments to pieces or times of our life that we no longer need. So if you’re interested in tackling some interior spaces this fall, good on you! And to help you through the process, we’ve put together a list of tips to help get you going! First things first.

Start Small

Start by tackling the smaller spaces first, a.k.a. closets, and bathrooms. After all, an unorganized closet is like a runaway train, there’s no telling where it’s going and when it will stop. It’s a good idea, in general, to go through your closets at least four times each year in order to stay on top of all the chaos. It’s helpful to remind yourself what clothes and other items you have to pick from, and also to decipher between what is being used and what truly isn’t. Too many of us hold onto things that we don’t ever use or wear solely because they hold a certain sentimental value. And after years of these items collecting and compounding, we wind up living amongst too much. Having too many personal items can distract one from feeling comfortable and relaxed in their own home. And who would want that? Especially during this year, when we’ve lived indoors for the majority of the day, we want our spaces to feel fresh, clean, and comfortable, not packed with messy unnecessary items. Oftentimes, we fail to recognize when we are living in chaos and why we’re feeling overwhelmed. As if this year wasn’t overwhelming enough, having an unorganized, overpacked home is definitely not a good place to call a sanctuary. So what can you do about it?

Space Savers

Pull everything out of your closet and lay it out on the floor or on your bed so that you can get a full view and understanding of everything that you’ve been holding onto. After taking it all in, systematically go through each item and put them in different piles. Make a “keeping” pile, a “donating” pile, and also a “maybe” pile. After doing several rounds of this system of organization, you’ll be able to really hone in on what items you want to keep and what you can safely ditch. And before you put them back in the closet, make sure to thoroughly clean, dust, and wipe down the surfaces so you can return your belongings to a clean environment. Additionally, you should consider installing Sliding Glass Closet Doors to replace normal front opening doors. These sleek, modern closet sliding doors add an updated aesthetic to any space while simultaneously affording you more floor area than typical swing doors. This means more space to sprawl! The Sliding Door Company crafts beautifully designed, sturdy sliding doors, Bathroom Pocket Doors, and glass wall partitions that elevate indoor environments and help families organize their interiors one solution at a time. They can be professionally installed in a matter of hours and require no construction. See, there’s no reason to put off your closet reorganization when you have the help of the experts in the field!

Deep clean

After reorganizing and restructuring your closets, donating your unwanted items, and tackling your excess goods, it’s time to deep clean those interiors! Arm yourself with all the necessary cleaning equipment such as:

rubber gloves
face mask
brooms
swiffers
glass cleaner
surface spray
disinfecting wipes
dusters

Starting with the sweeping and mopping, you’ll then work your way onto windows, surfaces, bathtubs, the kitchen counters, and so on. Starting the winter season off with a clean, well-organized home will make a huge difference this year!

Now that you have the basics for transforming your home into a clutter-free sanctuary, it’s time to get to work! For more info on the floor to ceiling wall partitions and sliding glass barn doors from The Sliding Door Company, book a free consultation with one of our representatives and start your home renovation today!

Interior Design Push For a More Sustainable Future

Interior Design Trends

As we enter into the last quarter of 2020, it feels like we’ve hit a few benchmarks however abstract or concrete they may be. Starting this year out with unprecedented climate protests around the world, it became evident that there is no time left to wait. Climate change is an all-consuming, rapidly affecting issue that we must take action against. As many have found, the transition to a more sustainable lifestyle is not a difficult one. A personal evolution of purchasing behavior and daily consciousness is all it really takes to effect positive change.
So as an interior designer in America, how can you meet the modern demand for more sustainable home goods and decor when curating a client’s home? How can you source eco-friendly products and materials, and incorporate designers that craft sustainably? Research helps. Word of mouth is also great. But research can only take you so far when you know what you’re looking for. That’s why we’ve put together a list of things to look for when researching, sourcing, and communicating about environmentally intelligent home goods and decor. Below, we’ll go over the basics, from Material Sourcing to Relationships with Local Artisans, Relative Cost, and more.

Qubiglass workstations with sliding glass room dividers

Material Sourcing

As a designer, you know that one of the main tasks of your profession is material sourcing. Your insider abilities are essentially your bread and butter. Within a whole world of textiles, materials, furnishings, and art, it’s up to you to make the best sourcing decisions and think for your client’s needs, tastes, and their best interests. More than just knowing where to source your goods from, you must know about the goods themselves. Distinguishing factors such as thread count, bamboo versus cotton, real wood versus synthetic wood, chemical-free or cost-effective? These are everyday considerations you make while material sourcing. Now, with a sustainable lens placed over your work, you have a whole extra set of considerations, worries, and awareness guiding your search. Here is what to look for:

Textiles

When sourcing textiles, try to stay away from plastic-based “synthetic” fibers. Oftentimes, department stores such as Target or Walmart will carry pillows or blankets made with synthetic fibers that are heavily processed and will literally off-gas chemicals into your home and into your body.
“Toxicity is the degree to which a substance can damage an organism. Whenever we go shopping for our clothes, we don’t know how toxic and harmful that piece of fabric could be for our health. Neither do we think of its origin nor its manufacturing process and the toxic load on our body and on the environment… because of many properties like wrinkle resistance, easy to wash, easy to store but most of them are manufactured with tons of chemicals. These are highly toxic and are increasing the negative effects on our health. These synthetic fabrics also pose a serious threat to ecological balance.” -Sunita Bhalla, Department of Fashion Designing, PCM S.D. College for Women, India
The same is true for furnishing textiles. Synthetic fabrics are used widely in drapes, pillow covers, throw blankets, tablecloths, rugs, and more. Harmful to our physical and mental health, as well as the environment, these chemical textiles are quickly being replaced by safer options. Returning to the basics of material sourcing, choose from natural fibers like wool, cotton, jute, and silk, we can safeguard ourselves against chemical toxification, allergic reactions, and environmental damage.

Processing

Material processing is perhaps the largest contributing factor to water waste in the textile industry. Heavily processed synthetic materials, and even some natural fibers like cotton, require millions of gallons of freshwater each day in order to process these fabrics. Fast growth alternatives like bamboo or hemp not only solve a resource issue, but they also require up to 10x less water during processing.

Lifetime/durability

Most of our cotton or synthetic fabrics don’t last as long as we would hope. Especially in the interior design industry, this is a crucial factor when sourcing materials and furnishings that get high use, or are exposed to harsh weather. Most outdoor furniture today is made with a lot of plastic and synthetic coverings that claim to be water-resistant and durable. Yet these end up lasting only a season or two before the wear starts to show. Hemp and Bamboo are two of the strongest fibers available, while also being regenerative, sustainable, and cost-effective!
Sourcing larger interior goods like sliding doors from American-assembled companies like The Sliding Door Company oftentimes means enhanced durability and longevity. With 17 showrooms scattered all throughout every major U.S. city, it’s no far trek to source your client’s glass wall partitions and sliding room dividers from inside the country. These spatial solutions are beautifully crafted and built to last, while also providing easy-to-install solutions that require no major construction! A win-win for you, your clients, and the planet.

Where Are You Sourcing From?

One of the newest considerations is the location of your wholesaler. Are they local to your area or your client’s area? Supporting local makers and artists is a fast-growing trend that won’t slow anytime soon. By buying local and sourcing your interior art and furnishings, construction materials, and spatial dividers from companies, brands, and individuals in your city, you sustain smaller businesses and don’t require environmentally harmful shipping and handling from outside the U.S.
Check out The Sliding Door Company online today for an assortment of sliding barn doors, accessories, and other customizable options to suit your design needs.

TSDC 1027 – A

Top Interior Design Trends on the West Coast Entering Into 2020

Interior Design Trends

The west coast is long known to be the visionary mecca for innovative trends and artistic styles that ripple to the rest of the world. Being home to such influential hubs as Hollywood, Palm Springs, San Francisco and Wine County, California, has a way of paving the way for far-reaching creative fashions – especially in interior design. Below is a list of some of the top interior design trends carrying us into the roaring ’20s.

Hollywood Regency

This commanding interior style was born out of a culture deeply vested in all things luxury. From velvet couches to jeweled chest of drawers, decadent lighting fixtures to gold plated coffee tables. This look emulates grandeur and lends appreciation for the high quality finer things in life. It gives meaning to the word splendor. This design trend is one that we see throughout the homes of the rich and famous- yet it has successfully made its way into the average home. It’s so full of life that this look has been made accessible to everyone through beautiful, yet affordable statement pieces offered in department stores and furniture showrooms alike. We see the Hollywood Regency theme being explored in hotel lobbies, Airbnb rentals, and restaurants across the globe. Creative touches such as large Sliding Glass Mirror Doors, geometric glass furniture pieces, and sleek hardware throughout the home are a must. Think extravagant speakeasy luxury. With the ’20s just around the corner, an ode to the extravagant millennia benchmark is not only fitting- it’s here.

Mid Century Modern

Here is a design trend that is not only striking in its updated nod to worldly textiles and polished bohemia, but it’s delightfully accessible to all. Once this trend exploded as a major revisit to the ‘60s and ‘70s, just about everyone jumped on board. Mid Century Modern is an exquisite staple in any rental, high-end restaurant, hotel room, or quaint city loft. This trend thoughtfully pairs accent pieces such as Moroccan rugs and pillows, glass sculptures and evocative art with elegant yet comfortable furniture and calming wall color. MCM makes use of leather chairs and cow skin rugs to ground and add a dose of the earth to the home. It’s all about tranquility and sophistication when choosing Mid Century Modern. Simple houseplants keep the space lively and relatable. This style enjoys a bit of cross-over from the Hollywood Regency trend when statement pieces such as cushy velvet sofas and animal print divans make their way into the mod atmosphere. While there is little room for sparkly embellishments, Mid Century Modern is a fashion-forward staple in interior design that will continue to thrive throughout the ’20s.

Natural Luxury

This is one of the most recent, and most exciting interior trends of the moment. It is a fine use of distinct juxtapositions. The delightful pairing of two elements that otherwise would not be seen together. Comparisons of smooth and rough, heavy and weightless, polished and raw, geometric and natural. This use of industrial paired with earthy has become a fascinating style, tickling all with its contradiction and forward-thinking acknowledgment of the environment. Demonstrating a need and a utility in working with the natural, rather than against it. Utilization and employment of large-scale glass walls, for example, is a righteous move towards sustainability. Glass emulates a sense of letting the outside in. Utilizing this medium, such as installing inside glass doors and glass room dividers aids this elemental design. Being able to coexist in nature without braving the elements. Drawing us back to our humanity and catering to our inner outside. In Natural Luxury style trends, we see the use of large size house plants, inside greenhouses and rooftop gardens when living in larger cities. We are seeing a lot of luxury items paired with this green approach. Things like faux fur rugs, faux animal fur living room furniture, thought-provoking sculptures, leather dining room chairs, live-edge redwood dining tables, and amber bulbs in lighting fixtures. Paint color pallet typically stays in the greyscale or perhaps mature blues and natural creams, but refrains from anything too loud. This design trend aims to pull from the elements, from the earth and intends to ground the dweller with its soothing simplicity.

With these main interior trends setting the scene for the new year, there are a few more helpful tips to consider entering into the ‘20s. This year is not about playing it safe or going with the status quo. It’s moving away from generic art and useless material accessories. It’s not designing your home for anyone but you and your family.

It is about integrating pieces that make you truly happy. As Marie Kondo would say, “what is it in your home that sparks joy?”. This year is all about highly crafted materials, attention to fine furnishings paired with thought-provoking architecture. It’s about redesigning interiors to highlight the authenticity of the individual and reflect character and personality. It’s using these top trends and integrating them into your life in a way that makes sense and feels great for you!

To get inspiration and see some space optimizing solutions, visit our photo gallery to upgrade your interior entering into 2020. Contact us at The Sliding Door Company to get in touch with one of our team members for a free consultation.