Using pocket doors to hide utility rooms and storage spaces

In recent years, pocket doors have become an essential feature of architect plans for new-build properties and renovations. They help to create flexible spaces and spatial flow in a property, and they make space so that new rooms can be created and rooms can become multi-purpose. On top of that, of course, they look great and help to create a flawless elegance in contemporary properties. But sometimes a pocket door provides a purely functional purpose, and that is where pocket doors are ideal for blocking off space, eliminating dead space and creating important functional space, and a good example of that is creating utility rooms and storage spaces.

Pocket doors can be used as a partition wall in a large room or corridor, which effectively hides what is located behind it. This provides scope to store or locate items that are not necessarily too attractive or visually appealing, and certainly don’t fit in with the interior theme of your home, but are absolutely necessary. Although you don’t always need extra room to enter these spaces, the pocket door allows you to maximise the space for storage of these items.

Examples of utility rooms and storage spaces

A utility room is usually an extension to a kitchen, but with a pocket door you don’t need to spend money on a physical extension, and as a cost-effective option if you have the space, can partition-off a section of your kitchen to use as a utility room. This can be used for a variety of functional purposes:

• Washing, drying and ironing
• Storage of tools, equipment, paint and DIY gear
• Storage of boots and footwear
• A place for pets to eat and sleep
• Storage of ‘occasional’ items, such as kitchen appliances or chairs and tables that are only used on big occasions
• Kitchen overflow – storage of bulk purchases and house essentials
• The location of a boiler or a heat pump tank
• A cloakroom for coats and winter outdoor clothes

Storage is also sometimes useful elsewhere in the house. This is often required upstairs and the pocket door is a great way to eliminate dead space and fully utilise every inch of your layout. So if there is a small annexe or alcove, you can install a pocket door and use this space as storage for:

• Bed linen
• Towels
• Occasional clothes
• Sleeping bags or extra duvets for when visitors come
• Bathroom products
• Christmas decorations
• Kids toys and games
• Travel equipment, such as suitcases and bags

How the pocket door is ideal for hiding storage and utility spaces

The primary benefit of the pocket door is that it opens in a horizontal plane by sliding along an overhead rail. This means it opens into a wall cavity known as the ‘pocket’ and therefore doesn’t open into a room or out into a hallway or corridor. This immediately opens up around ten square feet of space because the opening arc of the door doesn’t encroach on this space, like a traditional hinged door would. In a normal room, this means you can fit more in it and a small room suddenly becomes much more usable, but for utility rooms and storage, it means you can hide unsightly things and keep the home neat, tidy and clutter-free.

Installing a pocket door for utility rooms and storage provides the space in which you can install shelves which are easily accessible, and in some cases can still have floor space in which to locate a washing machine, a drier, perhaps a boiler and in which you can set up an ironing board. You don’t necessarily need lots of space for these things, just enough practical space in which to carry out these important functions. With a boiler, you will need sufficient space around the boiler for air to flow, but this is still possible in a small space thanks to the pocket door.

Choosing the right pocket door for storage and utility rooms

When considering the right pocket door for your needs, you can still think about your interior scheme, given the outside of the door will be visible to the rest of the home and to visitors. In most cases, a single classic pocket door is perfectly suitable, while a Syntesis flush pocket door might be ideal if these are used elsewhere in the home. For obvious reasons you wouldn’t use a glass pocket door as you are wanting to hide what is behind it, and unless you have vast storage space you wouldn’t need double pocket doors either.

But you can check out our range of pocket door systems at Pocket Door Shop, and choose the right style for your storage or utility room needs.