Open Walls Widen Home Possibilities
Doing away with the boundary between indoor and outdoor living, open walls add space, light and drama to a home
Samantha Schoech
June 3, 2012
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design.... More
My dream house has an open wall with a door made of glass. It opens to a deck and a pool and some sort of sunny, spectacular view, preferably with the Pacific Ocean in the background.
But, truth be told, I'd settle for a garage door that opens onto my own work-in-progress backyard.
Open walls are the ultimate embodiment of indoor-outdoor living, blurring the lines (well, getting rid of them actually) between the two. They are a fresh-air fanatic's dream come true, and there is something about them that is just positive and friendly. They are the ultimate invitation.
But beware, the houses pictured below will likely make your own home feel small and closed in and may induce acute house envy. Consider yourself warned.
But, truth be told, I'd settle for a garage door that opens onto my own work-in-progress backyard.
Open walls are the ultimate embodiment of indoor-outdoor living, blurring the lines (well, getting rid of them actually) between the two. They are a fresh-air fanatic's dream come true, and there is something about them that is just positive and friendly. They are the ultimate invitation.
But beware, the houses pictured below will likely make your own home feel small and closed in and may induce acute house envy. Consider yourself warned.
I'm pretty sure my dream-house fantasy is just a rip-off of this house. You might ocassionally find a deer or squirrel in your living room, but the spaciousness and the openness make it worth the trouble.
Where an actual open wall doesn't make sense, wall-size windows can do the trick. It looks as if you could dive right out of these chairs and into the bay, but the fog is kept outside.
A garage door doesn't have to be hiding your car and boxes of junk. It can just as easily hide your living room. And it's a relatively easy and inexpensive way to create an open wall.
Indoor kitchen, outdoor dining room. This glass garage door is so modern and clean; it makes sliding glass doors seem positively old fashioned.
These multipane modern cottage windows open onto the garden and make this small dining room feel ever so much larger.
Another wall of paned glass. The view doesn't have to be spectacular for a wall like this to make sense. The light and space and feeling of openness are enough to earn the wall's keep. And don't you love how the clear acrylic chairs play off the glass?
This sliding accordion door that opens up floor to ceiling, turning a small kitchen into a bright, expansive space with an outdoor dining room.
A house doesn't have to be ubermodern to work with an open wall. This traditionally decorated home also gets a boost.
This bathroom takes some real guts. I mean, someone in one of those houses down there could own a pair of binoculars. Still, why should living rooms and kitchens have all the fun?
What is there to say about a room with two open walls overlooking rolling green hills except, "Sigh."
Nearly all the exterior walls here open onto the backyard, turning a segmented home into one open, convivial space where the outdoors are as important as the indoors.
Not having an open wall here would be weird.
A wall doesn't have to open onto a large, expansive space. Just a little tropical extension for this bathroom is reason enough.
The urban version of the expansive view. No need for art on the walls.
Creating a small breezeway between the house and the open air can keep a room from getting too hot in the summer. It also provides a nice visual transition between inside and out.
I don't think it opens, but I don't care. Magnificent.
More:
Opening Acts: Folding, Sliding and Pivoting Doors
More:
Opening Acts: Folding, Sliding and Pivoting Doors
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If you want high-performance, energy-efficient, award winning and reasonably priced large folding or lift and slide doors or tilt turn windows, check out zolawindows.com this is the company that works with green designers and architect, builders with certified Passive Homes.
We recently used a sliding glass wall for a full construction remodel on Maui. The kitchen opened up to their pool and an ocean view. The result was phenomenal and our client was extremely happy!
You can see what a huge difference opening the kitchen up made in the before and afters on our project. Maui Remodel
Beautiful. Thankyou for sharing. Can i get Dimension and info on pool please.