Dear Leanne: What is your opinion on french doors verses sliding patio doors off of a family room?
ANSWER: When deciding to incorporate sliding doors or french doors into any room of your home, there are a few points to consider. Your room's decor should be a source of guidance when adding structural details.
French doors add presence to a room and are versatile from the perspective that they can complement a traditional as well as contemporary design, depending on the door's details and the hardware selected. For a traditional European style, french doors add architectural detailing that cannot be captured with sliding doors.
Sliding doors can, however, offer clean lines that are perfectly suited for contemporary designs. A benefit that sliding doors offer is the minimal space required to open. As one door slides in front of the other there is no swing space required to consider.
This means you have greater furniture placement options. With french doors you must have one metre of unobstructed, 180-degree swing space. This could potentially limit furniture placement both inside as well as outside (if this door exits onto a patio or porch).
Depending on the design of the french doors, there is an option for one or both doors to be functional. A double door entrance may be beneficial for deliveries that are wider than a single door width.
Although both systems offer the ability for additional outdoor screen attachments, sliding doors provide only a single door screen as only one of the doors is functional. With french doors, a system such as the Magic Screen can be expanded to fit a double opening.
Either option is great, your choice needs to be determined by considering decor and functional space.
Dear Leanne: Our living room faces north and we find the room dreary. As a result, we rarely use it. We are considering changing the wall colour in the room and wondered what colours might make it more cosy?
ANSWER: Wall colour is a fundamental element in a room. It becomes the canvas from which the decor and ambience of the room emerges. Colour reflects light, both natural and artificial, and can be affected by the tonal quality, intensity and direction of the light entering the space.
North-facing windows tend to bring in a bluer light than those positioned with southern exposure. This is not your imagination. It's due to the manner in which the sun is angled and the light waves are refracted when they hit the Earth's surface.
Since you are already experiencing a bluer light, the best way to warm or brighten up a northern space is to warm up the colour. To see the effect directional exposure has on colour, take a look at a simple white tone.
White is not just simply white; it has undertones that are more obvious when reflecting light. White that has any hint of blue, grey or purple will be exaggerated in a northern room.
These walls will appear to be greyer or a little dingy, rather than crisp and bright. White tones that have cream or pink undertone will counter the blue light and appear warmer and brighter.
An interesting study conducted by the University of Illinois physics department showed that individuals who were deemed completely blind (not only impaired, partially or legally blind) could identify differences in colours due to the thermal energy levels the colours gave off. Needless to say, it was noted that warmer colours were perceived to emit greater thermal energy compared to cooler colours.
If this is applicable out of the lab, then wall colours not only look warmer or cooler but could possibly be perceived to feel warmer or cooler, depending on the tones applied.
Consider this when you are selecting wall colours not only for this room, but also for your entire home. Wall colour should provide continuity from room to room, particularly when they are visually joined. Keep with a colour theme and use lighter and darker versions of the colour in various rooms throughout your home.
To enjoy your front room to its fullest, select a wall colour that will exude warmth. This does not need to be intense; no need to pull out the hot chili pepper red if that is not within your comfort zone.
In fact, intense tones, even warm ones, can make the room feel very dark. Opt for a light or medium tone in a satin or gloss finish to reflect the available light. Incorporate lighter or darker tones of this colour throughout your home and you will find your front room will become a welcome haven in your life.
Leanne Brownoff is an Edmonton interior design consultant.
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