Which Type of Door is Right for My Situation?
Following on from part 1 which illustrates how knowing the types of hinges can increase the functionality and storage capacity of your cabinets, here is a list of the main door hardware I use to solve spatial planning challenges.
Sliding Doors
Suit: All cabinets – upper, lower and tall.
Typical door width: Up to – 1200mm
Pros:
- No protrusion into the room
- Economical (except co -planar)
Cons:
- Cannot open all doors at once.
- Reverse side of doors cannot be used for storage.
Best For:
- Small rooms.
- Medicine cabinets.
- Where wide opening or door span is beneficial.
Photo Credit Gemma Groat The Styling Edge Design Sally Hart
Making the benchtop extra deep in my kitchen made space for a sliding door pantry behind the cooking zone. This makes excellent use of what is commonly dead splashback area and provides over 3 lineal metres of shelving for small condiments. Condiments are easily seen and within reach without taking my eye off the stove. It’s like a cooking dashboard.
*Practical Tip – The deeper the cabinet, the wider the door should be so you can reach your body through the opening. For example, a shallow medicine cabinet is okay with a 400mm wide sliding door because you just need your hand to get into the cabinet. However, you won’t get your shoulders through a 400mm wide opening to reach into a 600mm deep wardrobe.
* Practical Tip – Add depth to a cabinet to allow for a sliding track.
Hinged Doors
Suit: All cabinets – wall, under bench and tall.
Typical door width: 300-600mm.
Typical Opening (pair of doors): 600-1200mm.
Pros:
- All doors open at once.
- The reverse side is suitable for storage (subject to hinge strength).
- Mid-price range.
Cons:
- Door swing protrusion can conflict with traffic flow and furniture.
Best For: Providing access to everything at once.
Practical Tip Using a wide angle hinge (eg 155 degrees) provides greater clearance in passageways.
Photo credit Abe Bastoli Pennant Hills Studio Design Sally Hart
Lift doors
Suits: Cabinets above bench height. Includes folding, lift and pocket.
Typical Width: 500-1400mm
Typical Opening: Up to 1400mm
Pros:
- Complete, unobstructed access to the entire upper storage and workspace.
- Easy opening and closing.
Photo credit Abe Bastoli Pennant Hills Studio Design Sally Hart
The aventos door from Blum conceals the “junk space” in the entrance to the walk-in wardrobe. The minimal intrusion of the door makes passing behind the person in the doorway possible.
Photo Credit Gemma Groat The Styling Edge. Design Sally Hart
Blum Aventos doors give me total access to my upper storage without the need to duck around doors in my kitchen.
Cons:
- Higher cost than standard hinged doors.
Best For: Busy spaces for unobstructed above bench storage like workstations, kitchen and charging stations.
Tambour Doors
An up/down roller shutter style door that suits bench height storage with complete access and zero door protrusion
Typical Width: Up to 2400mm wide.
Pros:
- Full access to cabinet interior without any door protrusion.
- Cons: Doesn’t match other cabinet doors.
Best For: Zero protrusion concealment bench height objects like kitchen appliances and printers.
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Photo credit Abe Bastoli Pennant Hills Studio Design Sally Hart
Bi-Fold Doors
Suits: Situations where a very wide opening is preferred, or where the floor needs to be uninterrupted such as walk-in pantries or home offices. Also useful when a hinged style door is preferred with a reduced protrusion.
There are numerous bi-fold systems, for a range of configurations such as all banking left, or right or left and right.
Typical leaf width: 400-600mm.
Typical door opening: Up to 2400mm.
Pros:
- All doors can be opened at once for a very wide span.
- A range of track positions, e.g. floor or top mount.
Cons: More Costly
Best For: Where a wide opening to the entire space is required.
Spaces where an uninterrupted floor is required such as home offices and walk in pantries.
Photo credit Abe Bastoli Pennant Hills Studio Design Sally Hart
These bi-fold doors are absent a floor track, enabling chair and drawer units to slide in and out.
Tilt Doors
Suits:Below waist situations for giving single handed access to a functional when the opened door must sit lower than the cabinet e.g. slide and tilt out accessories such as ironing boards, laundry hampers or concealed electronics.
Typical leaf width: up to 1200mm.
Typical door opening: Up to 800mm.
Pros:
- The door is out of the way and below the appliance.
Cons:Usually doesn’t align with other doors
Best For: Concealing slide or tilting appliances that need the space above them unimpeded for access to the appliance within
