We had two bedroom openings, each 4' wide (2 grids) in the Gunning House that had no doors when we purchased it. The old photographs we have (thank you David) also do not have doors shown for these two bedroom suites, located at each end of the house. Since we had to remove the concrete floor and all interior walls for the new plumbing and hydronic system, we will have to build new walls to separate the rooms. We are thinking of using pocket doors that will appear as a continuation of the wall when closed and completely hidden when open.
Here is the '64 van Fossen addition opening that appears to have a track system in the ceiling and will close into the french doors on the ravine side of the house:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125471081 ... 444413635/
The other bedroom is the original carport that was converted to bedrooms in '49 but was gutted to this condition when we purchased it:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125471081 ... 444413635/
The old laundry room is located on the right of that photo and was closed with curtains. We will place a permanent wall that will enclose the laundry room/master closet.
The point room bathroom door luckily remained and will be restored and returned. Since this door that leads to the bathroom is directly in front of the front entrance it will remain shut all the time and appears part of the wall.
We are building new interior walls and have the ability to house pocket doors. Despite the wall of glass doors on the ravine side, the house is dark in the summer due to the canopy of trees overhead. I believe the pocket doors will allow the most light and give the wonderful open views of the ravine when open.
What are thoughts about using pocket doors for these two bedrooms? Thanks in advance.
Thoughts on pocket doors
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
I can't think of a reason not to use pocket doors . . .
If you haven't poured the floors yet, a shallow groove, perhaps made of an angle iron set as a V, would allow you to use rollers on the bottoms of the doors rather than the usual overhead track. Guides for the tops of the doors would be simpler to arrange than the standard track. This set-up would work well with wide doors, I believe. The wheels could be hard rubber if silent running was a desire. Wheels of Delrin or Nylon would last longer than rubber and be quieter than metal.
SDR
If you haven't poured the floors yet, a shallow groove, perhaps made of an angle iron set as a V, would allow you to use rollers on the bottoms of the doors rather than the usual overhead track. Guides for the tops of the doors would be simpler to arrange than the standard track. This set-up would work well with wide doors, I believe. The wheels could be hard rubber if silent running was a desire. Wheels of Delrin or Nylon would last longer than rubber and be quieter than metal.
SDR
Ro
Roderick, I have a hard time finding information on the search function on this site, so I googled "pocket doors" and "usonian", and found a citing that they were not used. I would have thought that given the Japanese influences in Usonian houses they would be the perfect choice. I also thought since the only original doors to a bedroom (the house was originally a one bedroom house and that bedroom was the point room) was a traditional door, it might be a questionable decision. That said….I love light and the openness that the pocket doors will allow!
Thanks SDR! I will share that with my husband and carpenter. We're getting close to pouring, but have not yet.
Thanks SDR! I will share that with my husband and carpenter. We're getting close to pouring, but have not yet.
Often the partitions terminated with a window wall or band of casements with only a 2x mullion separating them. The thin section partition could terminate on center with the mullion (and unit line) and not break the cadence of the windows.
At Sweeton, the 3/4" thick partition meets the 1-3/4" wide 2x6 mullion on center with vertical trim to either side of the plywood forming a stop for the partition. Out to out of the partition/ trim sandwich is 2-1/4" which centers on the cap trim at the inside face of a typical window wall mullion. All a system.
At Sweeton, the 3/4" thick partition meets the 1-3/4" wide 2x6 mullion on center with vertical trim to either side of the plywood forming a stop for the partition. Out to out of the partition/ trim sandwich is 2-1/4" which centers on the cap trim at the inside face of a typical window wall mullion. All a system.
Pocket doors- there must be a more appropriate Usonian solution. It's just not a part of the vocabulary. I would look closely at the sliding doors at the Hanna house in Palo Alto for inspiration...
The closest that Wright came to this was the use of "accordion doors" in several Usonians.
The closest that Wright came to this was the use of "accordion doors" in several Usonians.
Last edited by peterm on Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Hanna house ? Isn't that a Usonian -- albeit a rather grand one ?
Pocket doors are associated with Nineteenth-Century residences; the accordion door was up-to-date in the 'fifties. Would Wright have been that keen to keep up with the times ? Perhaps so . . .
It's true that the pocket door is a bit heavy-handed for such a light construction. On the other hand, Wright seems never to have adopted the shoji screen, either. Maybe a simple middle ground -- the orthodox passage door, albeit with an unorthodox knob placement -- was good enough.
SDR
Pocket doors are associated with Nineteenth-Century residences; the accordion door was up-to-date in the 'fifties. Would Wright have been that keen to keep up with the times ? Perhaps so . . .
It's true that the pocket door is a bit heavy-handed for such a light construction. On the other hand, Wright seems never to have adopted the shoji screen, either. Maybe a simple middle ground -- the orthodox passage door, albeit with an unorthodox knob placement -- was good enough.
SDR
Ah, yes -- the former playroom, later dining room. Wright's small-scale floor plan (Hanna book, p 80) does not show these, but a later plan drawing (p 100) shows two pair of these doors, one outside the wiggle-wall and one inside. The inside ones appear on p 106. This whole affair, and other french doors in the house, come closer to the shoji screen perhaps than any in other Usonian -- largely because of the multi-pane nature of the glazing.
SDR
SDR