ABOVE: The saloon doors in question.
ABOVE: An artistic alternative
ABOVE: The noren is a familiar feature at the entrances of homes and storefront businesses in Japan, especially in summer.
A regular reader wrote me last week to get what sounded like the tenth opinion on a functional feature of her own 1970s apartment. Seems that her kitchen swing doors had suddenly come under attack. A tradesman suggested she lose them.
She had liked the way those doors (pictured here) concealed her kitchen from the entryway. Were they really that offensive?
The general consensus was they looked like something out of a Clint Eastwood movie, but I begged to differ, for many reasons.
First, they effectively remove the sightline of typical counter clutter without chopping up the flow or cutting out light. Second, their swing style allows her to move through them easily, even if her arms are full of groceries. Third, they’re clean-lined and cream-coloured, in keeping with the apartment. But the biggest reason they should stay is that she likes them.
Which brings me back to one of my favourite questions: style according to whom?
The designer is not the boss or you. Or me. There is no right or wrong way to set up your own space but endless possibilities. As the Groove Armada song goes, “If everybody looked the same, we’d be tired of looking at each other.”
Not everybody wants to live in a matchy-matchy display suite environment, but the space does need to be functional or you’ll be in a constant low-level struggle with your home. Removing that set of swing doors might compel the owner to constantly keep the kitchen counters clear of messy evidence of meal preparation — or feel guilty for not being on top of that high-maintenance routine.
The Japanese ‘noren’ is a sweet example of the form-function balance that answers the need for a permeable barrier between public and private space. Its practical purpose has evolved into an emblematic, heraldic art form, incorporating traditional and contemporary shibori, batik, block-printing and silkscreen techniques. But the noren endures because of its function. It keeps bugs, glaring sun and nosy neighbours at bay during hot days when the doors are opened wide for better air flow. It can be installed in a second and serves the same purpose as a welcome mat for storefront businesses and restaurants.
I suggested to the inquiring reader that she take advantage of her swing doors’ new function as a conversation piece by flinging them open before company with Clint Eastwood flair.
Good design never goes out of style.
