Using pocket doors to separate living and dining rooms

In the 21^st century people have become more aware of a need to be efficient with space. This means being realistic about what space we have got and what we can do with it. An outdated approach to this may have been to invest in a one or two-storey extension, so that we have all the individual rooms we need in a home and space for the different elements of our lifestyle. But today there are much easier and more creative ways to find and optimise space, and the key word in this is ‘flexibility’. And furthermore, the key factor in creating this level of flexibility is the pocket door.

The limitations of the home

A busy family home goes through a regular routine every day. Everyone gets up, often at different times, and gets ready for work or school. Some people may work from home, some people may come and go and have flexible schedules for work or college, others may leave and return at exactly the same time every day. Around late afternoon everyone starts returning to the home and the atmosphere changes from a quiet, peaceful and studious ambience to a communal hub of chatter and conversation as the family catches up on what has happened during the day and plans what is happening in the evening. A family meal will usually then occur before separate people disappear to study, read or catch-up with friends online, before the family reconvenes later in the evening to watch a film or a TV series.

This is a generalisation, but a not-uncommon everyday scenario. Another is enjoying a family home in this way, but also needing the home to be more open to communal activities for extended family or a gathering of friends at weekends. So maybe at Christmas or for family birthdays we need a home to be more open plan, and to have a link between rooms where people can move freely and connect more easily. This helps such an occasion become a success, because no one is isolated in different rooms and there is a better spatial flow. The pocket door allows all this to happen and enables you to design your home to suit all the different elements of your life.

How the pocket door links living and dining rooms

If you have the wall space, using double pocket doors to link a living room and dining room is an ideal solution to optimising space and creating a flexible living area. During a normal family day this gives more space for people to gather when they come home and to move around freely, before these doors can be closed for the family to enjoy a meal in a more intimate space. Likewise, after that, closing these pocket doors creates a more cosy atmosphere for watching a film, series or a live event on the TV in the living room.

Creating separate rooms in this way also helps to provide a home office that is enclosed, quiet and peaceful and away from the rest of the house during the day. At weekends, the home can then be opened up when entertaining so that all guests are visible, can talk to each other and the atmosphere is lifted and more convivial. Installing a pocket door to link a living room and dining room is a relatively simple exercise, and creates flexible spaces that can be used for working, studying, dining, cinema rooms and open-plan entertainment spaces. This is a much more cost-effective solution than building an extension or converting a cellar or loft space in order to create this extra space, and is an innovative use of space that is in line with modern trends of cutting out waste and finding multiple uses for one item.

The benefits of the pocket door

As well as enabling a home to have flexible uses, the pocket door is a practical and aesthetically pleasing addition to the home. The pocket door opens by running along an overhead rail and into an adjacent wall pocket. This means it doesn’t open in an arc into a room like a traditional hinged door and therefore limits the space in that room. The area immediately in front of or behind the door is now usable with a pocket door. This extra space opens up several possibilities for the room in terms of creating new rooms or making a room multi-purpose. The pocket door disappearing into the wall is good for light control, maximising natural light and preventing physical obstacles. The flawless appearance of a pocket door’s operation is also ideal for contemporary homes where minimalist styling is the aim.     

So linking a living room with a dining room is just one of the many solutions a pocket door provides, but it is perhaps one of the most common. This becomes a statement feature and opens up the home to a world of opportunities, namely providing flexibility to quickly and easily change the mood and ambience of the home as and when you need it, and to put you firmly in control of that.

Check out our range of pocket doors at Pocket Door Shop and choose the style that will suit your home.