An entrance to interiors of any confined space which is a house, a flat or a public facility is a meaningful element of creating an aesthetic image. Combining functionality, durability and beauty may be ensured by an appropriate design of door, unique and precise finishing and selection of a suitable design.
External door whose layout is related with the appearance of elevation, should not interfere but harmonise with the ambience of interiors, and form a coherent unity. While selecting an entrance door among a wide range of available assortment, high quality of work and durability should be taken into consideration, which will ensure safety. Insulation parameters should also be considered, which are important for insulation from noise and loss of heat. External doors should be selected in terms of style, colour, roofing and external elevations. The doors made in accordance with an architect"s design enable you to maintain the unique character of the building but the production process requires great precision and selection of durable materials, protected against weather conditions. It is also important to consider protecting a house or flat against the risk of a burglary. It is possible thanks to special steel anti-burglar door which can be covered by wood and are offered in a wide range of colours.
Wooden door painted white, surrounded by glass walling is important for elevation and additional lighting of the interiors. It integrates the external world with room interiors. From the inside, doors are lit by lamps and embedded into a suspended ceiling. The glass walling may include transparent, mat, engraved or stained glass.
Accenting the entrance with an appropriate framework highlights the style of the door and is an invitation to the room interiors. In historical styles, present in the streets of Krakow, a door portal was an important decorative element, imposing the layout of the facade structure. At present, in the designed elements there is a tendency to return to this custom, accenting the entrance to a contemporary building. The accent does not necessarily have to be a flashy advertising board, but a discreet form and use of noble materials also present in the architectural elements of the interiors. Successful show rooms and service and commercial facilities attract their customers with interesting interiors, visible thanks to a wide, glass door and impressive lighting. The door is made of hardened glass, and protected with a special anti-burglar foil. It should be remembered that according to the Resolution of the Minister of Spatial Economy and Construction, the entrance and the internal door have to be minimum 0.9 metre wide. The resolution is not applicable for bathrooms and toilets in private homes, where according to standards the minimum width is 0.8 m.
Internal doors should guarantee proper communication between rooms, at the same time maintaining the insulating function. The style and finishing of the doors are also an important element of the interior design. The layout of the doors is often diversified and adjusted to the interiors where they are fitted or which rooms they separate.
In stylish interiors, wooden doors with a visible structure of growth rings perform best; their design may be enriched with engravings, coffers as well as engraved or stained glass. Modern interiors are excellently combined with entire mat glass, sometimes embedded in an aluminium frame or a laminated fibreboard door with modern elements. The design of a door wing may be also improved by mounting proper fittings widely available in the market.
The function and purpose of the room have a direct impact on the type of a used door. The bedroom is closed with a full door, so as to ensure the comfort and relax to all household members and the bathroom should be separated with a door opening to the outside of the room, minimum 0.8 m wide, with a ventilation hole at the bottom of the minimum area of 0.22 m. The kitchen and dining room are areas where swing doors will be excellent, allowing for quick communication and its partial glazing will make the design particularly attractive. A mirror may be installed in the door separating the anteroom from the dressing room, or in the doors of fitted wardrobes, thus enlarging the space visually.
Doors may be divided due to the opening method into hinged, one-direction hinged, usually to the inside of the room, or swing door with special hinges. In narrow rooms, for the sake of convenience, it is useful to fix a sliding door, where the wing is hidden in the wall, or accordion door with a wing made of narrow elements joined with hinges or flexible materials. A similar in operating is a folded door, where the wing consists of two, three or four parts.
Sliding doors in modern interiors separate the room from wardrobe. The front surfaces of the door are made of hardened mat glass, embedded in an aluminium frame. As a filling material of the door, laminated, veneer board can be used, as well as steel metal sheets or even wicker. The selection depends on the style of the interiors.
While buying a door, attention should be paid to the fire resistance, marked with EI symbol, determined in minutes - 30,60,90,120, which means the capability of preventing the fire from spreading, measured in minutes. A well designed door adds to the user"s comfort, due to high quality evidenced by valid certificate; such a door will last for many years and will not lose its attractiveness.
Author Kinga Śliwa, architekt.wnetrz@kingasliwa.pl The article is from the website www.architekci.pl,
