How architects use pocket doors to improve spatial flow

In the realm of interior design, the humble pocket door has evolved from a resurgent functional feature to play a major role in how a building is planned and designed. But this is not just considering what a door looks like and how it fits in with an overall scheme visually, it is looking at the role a pocket door plays in the flow of an internal space, how a layout functions and how flexible space can be created. So today, a pocket door is an important tool that architects and interior designers can use to plan the basic systematic layout of a building.

What benefits does a pocket door bring?

Traditionally we have looked at pocket doors and taken note of how they can create space in a small room, or how they can help you create new rooms or a multi-purpose room. But increasingly we are finding new practical benefits to pocket doors. So in general terms we can say that pocket doors allow us to:

• Reclaim space
• Provide flexible layout options
• Provide seamless visual appeal
• Optimise light

All these factors help an architect who is looking to deliver spatial flow in a property. Spatial flow is an important ingredient which applies to most types of property, whether commercial or residential. It refers to creating natural, seamless movement and visual connections between rooms so that there is easy transition and interaction. So spatial flow is an invisible thread which enables a person to effortlessly navigate a property without hitting obstacles or a sense of isolation or disconnection. Spatial flow is more important in some properties than others, according to the nature and operations of the property, but essentially, moving between rooms should be seamless and harmonious, and the pocket door can help to create that.

How pocket doors improve spatial flow in a property

Pocket doors eliminate dead space in a property, because they slide open into a wall ‘pocket’ rather than opening into a room and presenting a physical barrier to light, storage and movement. Architects are particularly fond of utilising pocket doors in interior design, however, because they also provide flexibility and the ability to open and close spaces as and when needed. So here we will look at the four key benefits of the pocket door listed above:

• Reclaim space: In addition to opening up considerable floor space in each individual room, pocket doors allow you to reclaim wall space that would have been covered up by open doors. So this can be used for wall art, mirrors, furniture or features such as a radiator or towel rail, according to the type of room. These uses allow an architect to design rooms and introduce items which help to link each room.
• Provide flexible layout options: Increasingly people want flexibility and efficiency in a building. This means they want to use a space in multiple ways and to reduce dead space that isn’t used. Pocket doors prevent us having to construct permanent individual rooms and permanent open plan spaces, and instead give us the option to open and close these spaces according to the time of the day, or how we want to use a space at any given time. So effectively, pocket doors act as temporary walls to create small, intimate and private rooms, for meetings or study, and then we can open these up to use the same, larger space for communal activities. This retains all options and allows you to conveniently adjust spatial flow to suit your daily needs.
• Provide seamless visual appeal: Because the space options detailed above effectively involve the same space, it is easy to create a visual flow between rooms. Pocket doors disappear into a wall cavity, which is ideal for creating seamless flow, and even when the doors are closed, you have clean lines and uncluttered architecture so help maintain a unified and minimalist interior scheme.
• Optimise light: Replacing a solid wall with a pocket door, for example when linking a kitchen to a dining room or an office to a training room, allows natural light to explore further into a home or office space. You can even develop this further by installing glass pocket doors, which help spread light through a property and improve spatial flow instantly. Even a partially open pocket door allows more light to shine through than a partially open hinged door. Doors that swing into a room or into a communal space such as a landing or corridor, are physical obstacles which block light and movement, and therefore hinder the idea of spatial flow.

So pocket doors are an important tool for architects who want to maximise the options for people flow and interaction between rooms, to reduce isolation and disconnection and to improve the visual appeal and continuity in a property. However, it is essential that this kind of integral spatial flow is recognised and planned for at an early stage, and hence architects need to consider pocket door systems at the planning stages and think about them as an essential feature of property design.