Choosing a topic for our first blog post was a bit of challenge. We asked ourselves what recent work best exemplifies what we do? Plenty of shops produce beautiful work. What separates our work from those other shops? After some back and forth we decided to start with a simple project which demonstrates our attention to design, function and craft.
We recently designed, fabricated, and installed a collection of sliding doors in a brownstone in Brooklyn. The home had gone through a complete gut renovation a little over five years ago. The space is beautifully designed around a double height kitchen with a mezzanine. The client was eager to remedy the unforeseen aspect of the renovation – acoustical privacy. The open core of the home, coupled with large plate glass windows and the steel mezzanine caused the sound to be reflected throughout the house.
We like to begin any project by listening to the client and teasing out what we call "the functional requirements." The primary functional requirement in this case was to mitigate the sound reflection. A secondary requirement was that we ensure that these doors seamlessly integrate with the existing architecture.
Once we had our functional requirements established, we proposed a series of design solutions which referenced the existing architecture while also incorporating features like mirrors and acoustic panels. After the client approved a design approach we created detailed production drawings which integrated unique site conditions including slight slopes in the floor, existing built in furniture and HVAC registers. Moving forward through this process, each of these stages reference a more fine grained set of considerations to ensure success.
Meanwhile, with our drawings complete and verified, we proceeded to fabricate and finish the door panels, install the mirrors, sound management panels, handles and hanging hardware. Prior to delivery and installation we removed the existing doors, patching and painting the door frames so that the mortises from the original hinges were no longer visible. With the site prepared and ready for delivery we delivered the doors and installed them - carefully tuning the hardware so they would slide smoothly and quietly. Once installed, the client commented that the doors looked like "they had always been there."
The incorporation of these sliding doors eliminated tight spaces and choke points that standard hinged doors commonly create. This simple change created a more flowing path of travel from space to space while also adding large scale mirrors where needed. The client was so pleased that they contracted us for more doors which are currently in ethics's design phase. We take great pride in our work and this project demonstrates our process and attention to detail.