A Place for Family, a Place for Self (ARA) -
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Today’s families are a whirlwind of activity, running to school and work,
to and from meetings, events and get-togethers. Research has shown that because
today’s families are so busy, home has become a retreat, a place to escape and
relax. The desire to be at home -- sometimes referred to as “cocooning” --
has driven many of the architectural and design changes seen in today’s new
homes. Today’s homes are much more informal and versatile than homes of the
past. The great room has replaced what was once a collection of individual
rooms. Designers have proven that walls are not the only way to create separate
areas. Individual spaces can be established by arranging furniture or décor, or
by adding private areas like window seats.
To create a true family home, there should be a balance of public areas and
private retreats. While kitchens, living rooms and outdoor areas are usually
areas of group interaction; bedrooms, bathrooms and hobby rooms can be areas
dedicated to personal time. Since a home’s spaces can vary widely, one of the
keys to effective home design is finding a way to tie these areas together.
Some of the new ways homes transition from room to room includes floor
elevation changes, ceiling height differences or simply the way furniture may be
arranged. But the oldest, and still most common way to move from one room to
another is through a door. Fortunately, homeowners are no longer stuck with
choosing the same, simple door throughout their home. There are hundreds of door
choices today and it is common for a homeowner to use different types of doors
throughout a single home.
Transitioning
In order to select doors that will work best for your home, consider what
kind of transition you want between spaces. Looking to create complete privacy?
Select a solid wood panel door. Looking to make a seamless transition from one
room to the next? Try a French door or a door with a lot of glass. Looking for a
formal feeling? Opt for a door with decorative accents like moulding, raised
panels and hefty, ornamental hardware.
Let in the Light
One of the current trends in residential architecture is to open up a home
with large windows or by grouping multiple windows together. This exposes a home
to views and permits natural light to flow in. But what about rooms toward the
center of the home or rooms that aren’t positioned well in relation to the
sun?
French doors are a common solution. French doors come in a variety of designs
from those that feature one large piece of glass to those that feature many
smaller pieces of glass. And each design can be made with dozens of glass
options.
Obscure glass options like frosted glass and reed glass let in light yet
still provide privacy. In fact, French doors with obscure glass are a popular
choice for private areas like bedrooms and bathrooms. To get an idea of the
obscure glass options available, visit your local building retail center. If you
have Internet access, a good resource for viewing a number of options on screen
is www.simpsondoor.com; just click on “products” to find what option might
work best for you.
Getting Decorative
Obscure glass is not the only non-clear glass option available to you. There
is also decorative glass, sometimes referred to as art glass. This type of glass
combines leading -- something typically used in stained glass windows or in
front doors -- and smaller glass pieces of various sizes, colors and shapes. The
lion’s share of decorative glass is used in period homes like Craftsman,
Bungalow or Victorian-styled homes, but is becoming more common as homeowners
attempt to differentiate their homes from their neighbors’.
Using decorative glass interior doors can create a sense of architectural
consistency if the front door has decorative glass. And decorative glass is a
good solution for matching other elements of the home like light fixtures, tile
and hardware. The popularity of brushed silver and black metal used for hardware
and lighting can be carried through to your doors by selecting decorative glass
with silver or black leading.
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