Sliding door in a small flat - space-saving and phenomenal style
Sliding door is a solution that not only surprises with its excellent style, but is also really clever. It allows you to save valuable space in small flats. Why? How it's working? What distinguishes sliding doors from classic hinged doors? In this article we will tell you about the tiny living concept and how sliding doors help organize small rooms, and at the end we will show you some inspiration.
Sliding doors and the concept of tiny living
What does tiny living mean?
Tiny living is a lifestyle concept that promotes living in small, usually very functional and effectively planned spaces. This approach is based on minimalism, economy and simplicity. It aims to reduce the consumption of energy, space and natural resources. Thus, it combines care for the environment and reasonable life planning. Sounds good? For us, yes, because both ecology and minimalism (especially in the context of building a functional space around us) are close to us. That's why we like that tiny living concept and sliding doors can go together.
How do sliding doors fit into the arrangement of small spaces?
Let's get down to the facts. Sliding doors in small flats mean:
Space-saving
- They move along the wall, instead of opening in the traditional way (i.e. on hinges).
- They do not take up additional space within the interior, because they do not need floor area for opening, unlike hinged doors.
- They are especially useful in those rooms where space is limited, such as corridors, pantries or hallways. Even in larger houses or flats, small rooms will definitely benefit from installation of sliding doors.
We talk a lot about saving the floor space - what does it look like in practice? This is a bit of a broad topic, but we'll try to explain it as simply as possible.
By choosing to install sliding doors instead of hinged doors, especially in the case of rooms with limited space, you can save a lot of space. Specific numbers will depend on several factors, such as the type of sliding door (system type, thickness of the door itself), the surrounding (what is on the floor, on the wall, how you can mount the sliding door, how the interior arrangement looks like) and finally the width and depth of the door opening.
Example
Traditional swing doors require a lot of free space to open, occupying both the floor and the wall (a matter of having to open the door to its full width). In turn, sliding doors move along the wall, without taking up additional space on the floor.
So if we have an opening in the wall 90 cm wide, the sliding door will only need a certain space on the wall to fully open (approx. 100 cm wide).
Swinging doors, on the other hand, will need both approx. 90 cm on the wall and the floor space corresponding to the opening radius, which is approximately an additional 0.64 m². More than half a square meter, which you cannot arrange in any way.
In apartments with a small living area, every meter or even centimetre matters, which is why sliding doors gain a significant advantage here.
Functionality
Sliding doors allow you to easily divide or combine different rooms depending on your needs. For example, you can use them as a solution to separate the bedroom from the living room. Then at certain times they will be closed to give you more privacy, but nothing prevents you from leaving them open when you want a little more common space.
Aesthetics
If you follow us on Instagram (we recommend it 🙂) or you had a chance to look at our Projects tab, you have no doubts that sliding doors are not only a practical element, but also a decorative one. Without a doubt! Properly selected sliding doors add style and original character to the interior.
Reno sliding doors are available in different variants, which allows you to adapt them to your own preferences and a specific interior style.
Comfort
You don't like wrestling with doors, and you're tired of snagging on door handles with every turn? In small flats, where the space for manoeuvres is clearly limited, sliding doors are perfect. They solve many problems related to the inability to rotate or move.
They do not require much physical effort - a little push is enough to open or close them, which is why, contrary to the concerns of many customers, even children can handle them perfectly.
An additional advantage: increasing the value of the property
Are you familiar with the term home staging?
Home staging is the process of preparing a house, flat or premises for sale or rent. It aims to attract interested customers, as well as to increase the value and market attractiveness of the premises. Home staging specialists make various changes to the interior design of the flat to make the interior more fashionable, stylish and generally visually pleasing, even at first glance.
And what does home staging have to do with sliding doors?
Well, quite a lot! We observe a lot of new trends in the sale of real estate, including activities whose main goal is to increase the value of real estate.
Do you know what can increase the value of a house or apartment? It turns out that sliding doors can be the quickest and easiest way to increase the value of your property. They offer great versatility. By choosing the right size, style and colour, they can be freely adapted to various types of interiors and decor. In addition, they increase flexibility in the design and use of interiors, allowing you to demarcate and separate spaces according to the needs of the household members. They can also be used to arrange storage compartments or recesses, hiding, for example, household items behind the door.
And this is really the tip of the iceberg of how interior design can increase the final sale or rental price of the premises. Therefore, it can be said that sliding doors are a good investment for the future. You cannot change the location, building or neighbourhood, but you can change the interior.
Inspiration for small interiors
We promised some inspiration - here they are. We have some fantastic projects to show you, that comes from our customers. Furthermore, we wanted the interiors we describe to be as realistic as possible, not catalogue ones, which is why what we will show you here will be a description of real small apartments. Flats where someone actually lives, and what's more, they're happy about it!
Bold turquoise in the bedroom
- It is an apartment with strong accents and unusual solutions, where each household member has a piece of their own space.
- Double sliding doors in green-turquoise lead to the bedroom.
- The strong, bold colour harmonizes beautifully with the entire arrangement, making the interior joyful and warm.
- The possibility of freely sliding the door allows you to enlarge the space of the living room during the day or create a separate closed zone in the evening.
Open living room in Scandinavian style
- In this small flat, the bedroom and the living room are separated by wooden sliding doors in classic white - simple, yet beautiful and charming.
- The door can be left open and optically enlarge the living room space. In turn, closed doors allow you to create a separate room to relax. A very practical and vital solution!
A small bedroom in a minimalist interior
- The flat is intended for long-term rental. Therefore, it was tailored to the needs of many potential tenants, and the owner focused on universality and functionality.
- The bedroom is separated from the living room with a sliding door in the form of a metal frame filled with transparent glass. Dark frames perfectly match the black details of the finish.
- The bedroom is small, and the door saves space.
- This is one of the most interesting proofs of how sliding doors can increase the market value of an apartment. Imagine this place without designer, aesthetic finishing elements - it wouldn't be so delightful any more, right?
Between the kitchen and the living room
- The door you see here was installed in the passage between the kitchen and the living room. This is one of the most common uses of sliding doors in small flats.
- The flat is full of natural wood and decorations, the doors also match perfectly in terms of colour to the whole maintained in a cosy, warm boho style.
- Let's not forget about the practical aspect - the kitchen can be open or closed, depending on the current needs of the household members.
Sliding doors in small apartments - is it worth it?
It's worth it! We have no doubts about it. They are functional, aesthetic, comfortable and practical. They save a lot of space and increase the value of the property.
If you have any questions - contact us, we will be happy to help!