Interior design is about much more than paint colours, furnishings and flooring. While these are often the areas upon which people fixate, a modern design aesthetic really requires that some attention be paid to the more fundamental components of the property. After all, a chrome and white tile kitchen, no matter how lovely, is still going to look a bit odd when accessed via a country-style wooden door.

Sliding Doors in Interior Design

Doors are an essential element of design due to their function in dividing and closing off rooms, or opening them out to create a connection. A door should work as both a cohesive element of the design of the room it is in, and as a visual gateway to the next room which one might access through it.

Sliding doors fit perfectly into a modern aesthetic. Large glass-panelled doors can be used to give the illusion of an open-plan area while still providing sound insulation and division of various areas. When a true open plan experience is desired then the doors can be taken back for full access.

Sliding doors are also ideal for use in spaces where a traditional door might impact on the function of the room. Smaller bedrooms can be made more spacious by removing the need for clearance for a traditional door, and en-suites can be made more practical and space-saving by the same principle.

Sliding Doors in Exterior Design

Sliding doors and foldaway doors are also ideal for use with a modern patio. The melding of inside into outside and vice-versa has been an exciting design trend in recent years. The ability to feel as if you are in your garden while still benefiting from wind protection and insulation is delightful. Again, in summer months, the doors can be left open to bring the outside in and the inside out.

Large exterior glass sliding doors also help to provide one of the most important elements of the modern design aesthetic – natural light. The beauty of natural light simply cannot be underestimated, and is well enhanced with sliding glass doors.

There are a wide range of different sliding doors available that can be complementary to your modern home. Ironmongery Direct, for example offers a number of different options at their website, from folding patio doors to sliding pocket doors.

As energy efficiency becomes more essential to our homes, it makes sense that in future interior design trends will change to reflect this. Already many modern homes, which are made to be as green as possible, are finding ways to make energy efficiency as stylish as possible – from using natural materials wherever possible in the construction, to finer details like employing LED lights around the home instead of incandescent bulbs.

Whether you’re overhauling your entire property or just making a few adjustments to a room, see it as an opportunity to make your home more efficient at the same time. Even design choices that are practically invisible (such as double glazing from a provider like Safestyle UK) can go a long way to improving the energy rating of a home.

You can also consider whether you can redecorate in a more eco-friendly way. For instance, can you reuse leftover wallpaper and tiles? Finding creative uses for leftover products not only makes sound financial sense and reduces the amount of rubbish sent to landfill, it’s also a great way to inject a bit of quirkiness into a room.

If you’re changing the lighting in your home, it’s worth looking into LED bulbs. When these first came on the market, they were largely ignored because they tended to give off a colder, less pleasant light than standard bulbs. However, the technology they use has made huge leaps in recent years, and they now offer far more in the way of versatility and flexibility than the older bulbs ever did – as well as lasting much longer and using less energy.

Another way to increase the eco-friendliness of your redesign is to think carefully about the materials you’re using. In a kitchen renovation, consider replacing your cabinets with reclaimed wood or bamboo rather than hardwoods, which look great and are also usually a good deal cheaper. Countertop manufacturers have also started offering alternative materials that have the same properties as granite or corian, but are much kinder to the environment.

While not an interior design choice per se, it’s also vitally important to consider the things that power your house – particularly the boiler. Boilers account for around 60 per cent of what you spend on energy bills every year, so upgrading to a more efficient model can pay for itself in a few years, as well as making your property more attractive to potential buyers.