Screen scene
Internal doors and screens can be used to create a better sense of flow in our homes but the choices you make in how you move from one space to another can offer discreet decorative add-ons to the personality of your home. On a grand scale, designer Andre Fu created these Charles Rennie Mackintosh-like steel screens to break up the look of the lobby of the Saint Regis hotel in Hong Kong. These are enormous, over 6m high, estimates Colm Bagnall of Bushy Park Ironworks and would probably cost from about €30,000 per two-panel screen to make and install. The designs pictured don't have any glass panels and he estimates that a more modest-sized panel, say standard ceiling height of 2.4m-2.6m, will cost in the region of €7,000-€10,000 for two panels, depending on design and finish. afso.net, bushyparkironworks.com, marriott.com
Light touch
Textural details are celebrated at Roselind Wilson Design's Eaton Mews North project where doors are clad in a leather-effect finish from Xylocleaf with satin chrome handles from The Brassware Company, now G Johns & Sons. "This combination of textures conveys the sense of elegance and sophistication our client was keen to achieve in this high-end contemporary mews development," says Wilson. "As ever, it's the textural contrasts which make the real impact here, pleasing the eye at every turn and creating a warm and stylish welcome." roselindwilson.com, xylocleaf.com, gjohns.co.uk/the-brassware-company
Sliding doors
A simple sheet of MDF, 3cm thick, cut to size and suspended on a sliding track, concealed by a timber lip, is how this sliding door was made, says architect Declan Scullion of Scullion Architects. The door, in a one-off house in Blackrock, Co Louth designed by the firm, is about 2.4m tall, the standard ceiling height, and painted a Colourtrend shade called Peat Basket from its Historic Collection. scullion.ie, colourtrend.ie
Hip to be square
Dowsing & Reynolds began life selling vintage-style light bulbs and has expanded into lighting, taps, showers, switches and sockets and door hardware. Its Lowry handles show that it's hip to be somewhat square. The angular lines have rounded edges and in four fashion colours, black, graphite, luxe silver or luxe gold, about €85, or without a key escutcheon plate, about €68, ex delivery from the UK. Dublin-based Ecco Architectural Hardware and Knobs & Knockers are other good sources. dowsingandreynolds.com, eccohardware.com, knobsandknockers.ie
Hotel chic
In the suites at the Dixon Hotel, London, ribbed glass steel doors and a screen divide the living area from the bedrooms. The glazing offers a degree of privacy while also letting light through. To the left is an open door and fixed steel panel screen, about 1.8m wide and 2.3m high, while to the right of shot is a screen, a room divider that doesn't open, about 90cm wide by the same height. Dún Laoghaire-based Aru Joinery can design and fabricate something similar from about €14,000 depending on design, dimensions and ironmongery. The built-in furniture pictured is from Italian firm Lema Mobili and can be ordered through Arena Kitchens. Lemamobili.com, arenakitchens.com, arujoinery.ie,
Get a handle
Croft is an architectural hardware company based in the UK. It offers a myriad of door hardware choices but it is its sliding door furniture that will give homeowners real choice to customise this style of simple, room-dividing doors. This collection, pictured, features round handles, from €34 to €70; rectangular, from about €75 to €322; or square, from about €68 to €149, in different depths, from plain to stepped to pillow and in 27 finishes and can be ordered through Heiton Buckley and Chadwicks, Brooks, JP Corries and other independent hardware merchants around the country. croft.co.uk
Go gondola
The door handle in this bedroom at the Hilton Molino Stucky hotel in Venice is custom-made and illustrates its location in a beautifully nuanced way. Designed by CaberlonCaroppi studio and fabricated by Concreta, it is inspired by the shape of the gondola, the narrow boat with a raised point at both ends, used on the canals of this floating city. The hotel, in a former flourmill, features fabrics by Rubelli, wallpapers and floors by CDRI, chairs by Fornascarig, carpets by Brintons, and lighting by Italamp and Tooy. The walls and doors have been handpainted by Picta Lab Milan. pictalab.com, fornasarig.it
Smart shutters
While Hillarys is best known for its bespoke blinds and shutters, the Dublin-based firm also offers an interconnecting, tracked shutter door system that channels mid-century modernism. The Henley waterproof finishes, from €855 per sq m, work really well leading from a bedroom to an en suite bathroom; or to create a broken-plan kitchen, where you can close off the cooking area from the dining or lounge spaces, using its Richmond system, from €562 per sq m. For an additional €84 per panel these can also be painted in any RAL shade, which also allows you to play with colour. Prices include measuring and fitting anywhere in Ireland. hillarys.ie
