The Wilson's Bi-folding moving corner summer room

The Wilson’s wanted a contemporary design for an extension which would fully open up their home to their beautiful garden.

Julie and Richard Wilson chose to upgrade their existing patio doors, which lead out of their living room and onto a decked area, after deciding that the doors looked outdated when compared to the modern look of the rest of their home. Julie looked to homes and interior style magazines for inspiration and created a scrapbook of all the different designs she liked. She decided she wanted a room she could use throughout the year, and enjoy the garden, no matter what the weather was like.

Spacious Third Living Area

After discussing their options with their architect, the Wilson's knew that aluminium bi-folding doors would be right for their home and would create the light and spacious ‘third living area’ they wanted. The couple met Origin at the London Grand Designs Show and after consulting with one of Origin’s accredited installers, they decided to use the bi-fold doors to open up both sides of their extension. In order to achieve this, the Wilson’s opted for Origin’s moving corner post set-up, which enables the doors to be folded back fully on either side to provide a complete, panoramic view of the garden.

The Wilson's chose Origin’s doors due to the variety of RAL colours on offer and the fact that Origin offer the fastest lead time in the industry. “We had already started building our summer room, so the fact that Origin could manufacture the doors so quickly to our exact sizes, quicker than we actually needed, was a real plus for us. The variety of colours and elegant design were perfect for the type of transformation we sought.”

Strength and Style in Aluminium

The Wilson's chose a dark silver metallic frame for their 3 by 3 corner bi-fold set to draw the eye into the garden, rather than to focus the attention on the door frames. The set-up they chose meant that when the doors are open, the Wilson’s can enjoy an unrestricted view of the garden from their corner extension. Each door panel is 859mm wide to fill an aperture of 5345mm.

All of Origin’s doors are made from high grade aluminium, which means they not only provide a modern fresh look but they also offer the right combination of strength and weight. The innate strength of aluminium means that the doors can be manufactured with a narrow and more aesthetically pleasing frame.

The doors are extremely easy to operate as each section has its own long wheelbase solid aluminium carriage with four wheels that run inside a low, non-weathered threshold base concealed track.

Stylish Finishing Touches

Julie and Richard chose classic cream stone walls and luxurious finishing touches such as underfloor heating and integrated blinds to complete the look. The Wilson’s installed sand coloured tiles inside and outside the summer room to provide a seamless link between both spaces. The new summer room provides amazing views of the Wilson’s stunning garden and when the doors are open, the tranquillity of the garden flows through the inside space bringing a complete sense of relaxation to the room.

The unique open design of the summer room and the serenity of the space mean that the couple now spend hours enjoying bird watching or simply watching the weather change.

Julie explains how the doors have created a ‘third living space’, “The bi-folds match the existing style of our home and provide a smooth transition between the two spaces, even when you are sitting inside, it feels as if you are outside. We have a small garden so this extension works perfectly - our home feels transformed”.

The Wilson's extension has exceeded their original expectations and what was once a small, awkward area of their home is now flooded with sunlight and feels effortlessly spacious. Since the couple installed the doors, the value of their home has jumped from £650,000 to £740,000.