Transforming a Dark Study into an Open Lounge with Origin

Husband and wife, Peter and Sarah Williams, first moved into their Uckfield home way back in 1997, where they lived for 2 years before letting it out for another 3 while they lived in Singapore. The couple embraced the move to South East Asia, which was made to accommodate Peter’s work commitments, but knew they would return to their much-loved home in the future, which is eventually what happened in 2001.

Fast forward fifteen years and it was decided that the back of the house needed a revamp – a dark study deprived the area of the house of natural sunlight. Bi-folds were the answer.

Shows such as ‘Location, Location’ and ‘Grand Designs’ had introduced the Williams’ to bi-folding doors, but it wasn’t until Sarah visited a friend’s home that they decided on what system to go with.

“We visited a friend’s house who had the Origin doors and they looked great - you could see the quality immediately.”

Although the couple originally wanted the slimmest sightlines possible, after a few viewings, they realised this meant compromising on the feel of the doors as well as the security. The Origin Bi-folding Door was the perfect middle-ground; slim sightlines but with an 8-point multi-point locking system, there were no concerns over security.

In fact, the Williams’ say; “The hardest decision was actually deciding the colour! We knew immediately after seeing them that we wanted Origin doors, but the range of colours meant we had a real decision to make.”

After visiting an Origin showroom, the couple opted for Black Grey (7021M) which has complemented the exterior of the house perfectly, offering a contemporary touch to a traditional home.

The actual installation of the doors was carried out by their builder, who was overseeing their extension, while the couple were on holiday.

“We went away for a week, when we left, there was a hole at the back of the house awaiting the doors and when we returned, they were all fitted, we were blown away!”

The most notable improvement the doors have brought to the property has been how open the new lounge feels in comparison to the small, dark study that used to occupy the space. Extending the lounge to make it feel like part of the garden has also made the room feel a lot bigger.

Raising the patio on the exterior side of the doors has also allowed the couple to enjoy a near-flush threshold, for ease of access both in-and-out, without compromising on weather-proofing, which was a key feature for both Sarah and Peter.

The response from family and friends regarding the new doors has been the same across the board; “Wow.” Peter and Sarah’s two children, who moved out a year and 3 years ago respectively, especially love the doors and have asked why they didn’t do the install while they were still living there!