(sponsored campaign) Making big decor decisions can be overwhelming. I know this through experience. What if you get it wrong or don’t like it after all? This is exactly what I went through when choosing patio doors. And that is one big decision that you don’t want to get wrong. That’s why I’ve partnered with Kloeber to share my tips on choosing patio doors, especially if you’re after a minimalist look.
The choices are plenty – should you choose sliding or bifold doors? Or maybe French doors? What about the frame – aluminium or timber? And finally, what about the finishing touches like colours and handles? Writing this takes me back to the time when I had to make these decisions. I ended up doing a lot of research and looking at a lot of pictures, only to get more confused! If you’re in the same boat, these ideas will help you narrow down your choices and hopefully make your decision a little easier.
STYLE OF DOOR
The first thing to think about is the style of door. Keep in mind your lifestyle, the space available and the look you’re going for. This is the biggest decision of all and like with anything, there are pros and cons to each type of door.
Bifold doors open in an accordion style if you like. When open, they offer completely uninterrupted views of your outdoor space. With bifold doors, when open, your indoor-outdoor space becomes one creating an unobstructed flow between indoor and outdoor living. This is the biggest advantage of bifold doors. There are many configurations and sizes you can choose but usually, each panel width is no more than 1200mm or 1.2m. Which means, when closed especially in larger openings, there will be several sight lines or interruptions to your view.
Sliding doors, as the name suggests, have one fixed panel and the other panels slide behind each other. Because there is no stacking required, sliding doors come in much wider panel widths than bifold doors. Kloeber offers panel widths up to a massive 15000mm or 15m. Bigger panel widths mean far fewer sight lines when closed, offering almost uninterrupted views of the outdoors when compared to bifold doors. Kloeber also have a range called ÜberSlide which are sliding doors with very slim frames, giving you the most minimalist sight lines.
Finally, French doors are typically a pair of glass doors (they can also be a single door) that can be hung so that they open inwards or outwards. These doors are usually best for when you have a smaller opening, or you want to create more than one small opening on one or more walls within a room. It may be that you can’t break a large expanse of wall to fit in sliding or bifold doors or you may only have a small wall. Either way they’ll let in a lot of light, so they are a great idea. Space permitting, French doors can also be hung with glass panels on either side, giving you even more light.
If you’re after the most minimalist look, sliding doors are it, if your space allows. This is what I went with for exactly this reason. While I did like the idea of bifold doors that open completely, I weighed up the amount of time the doors would be open vs. being closed. Living in the UK, my doors are closed for approximately 75%-80% of the year. This meant I wanted the least possible interruptions to my view when the doors were closed. Having the least possible interruptions, or sight lines, also means a clean, minimal aesthetic which was the look I wanted.
STYLE OF FRAME
The main types of frames for patio doors are aluminium and timber. Kloeber also offer alu-clad doors which are a combination of an aluminium exterior and timber interior — ideal for the indecisive amongst us! There really isn’t that much to differentiate timber and aluminium doors in terms of practical stuff so this really comes down to the look you’re after and the type of door you’re going for. Sliding doors are far better suited to aluminium frames because of the large amount of glass in each panel. But if you’re leaning towards French or bi-fold doors, then the choice is yours.
If you’re keen on a minimalist finish, aluminium frames are the ones to go for. Wooden frames are warmer and can look more traditional. For me, once I had chosen sliding doors the decision was made as they’re mostly made with aluminium frames. Either way I would have gone for aluminium because they look modern and sleek, giving you a more minimal look and feel.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Kloeber’s timber and aluminium doors come in an exhaustive range of colours. The timber doors can also be stained in your favourite wood finish or painted in your favourite colour. For most of their doors, you’ve also got the option of having different colours on the exterior and interior. And then you have the handle which comes in black, white, grey and a few other metallic finishes.
The most popular colours for aluminium doors are mid-grey, dark grey, jet black and white. While for timber doors it varies as they can be stained or painted. For a modern, minimalist look, the colour to go for is black frames with matching black handles. Stained timber, on the other hand, provides a more rustic look. What I especially love about the black aluminium finish is that it beautifully compliments both a modern building as well as more traditional architecture like Victorian or Georgian.
If you’re looking for a minimalist look for your patio doors, you can’t go wrong with aluminium sliding doors in black, should space permit. I would also consider Kloeber’s ÜberSlide slim style — unfortunately this wasn’t an option when I fitted my patio doors. If your space isn’t right for sliding doors, choose the most appropriate style of door with the slimmest possible frames and a black aluminium finish for the most minimalist look.
Have a browse around the Kloeber website and you’ll see the possible options. My final thought is whatever style you choose, if you can have patio doors, go for it. They let in so much natural light which is something we all want to maximise in our homes. We’ve had our patio doors for a while now and they’re still one of my favourite things in our home.
Sponsored campaign – all words and opinions are mine.
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