fearing of sounding a bit like miss elsie, but the open plan philosophy has been one of my greatest difficulties - a kind of love-hate relationship. foregoing walls or other such divisions have resulted in the floating furniture phenomena that although highly successful in creating the illusion of space, it increases an atmosphere of exposure and diminishes the effects of intimacy or romance. the traditional benefits of a pokey multi-roomed space is long forgotten, and one most important to remember is making an entrance… it is impossible to do to in the open plan, and what is more is that phenomena of raising the noise level… because of the visible connection one now assumes that you can speak / shout freely across the entire space. modern interior design philosophy has also not been mindful of the insulation properties of what is generally deemed as a waste of space - the passage.
recently i have had the opportunity to convince some clients of the charm of discretion, and since we are riding a wave of neo-romantisism and surreal trends, they understood perfectly the beauty of the concealed or less used jib door.
unlike what is generally presumed, the jib-door can be equally at home in contemporary spaces as it is in period interiors. the secret of the secret is obviously attractive, but the catch lies in it’s practical application as well.
imagine as an architect you are able to poke a hole anywhere in a space to connect to the adjoining one, in this case it removed the need for a passage which was generously added to the guest cloakroom, bedroom and storage. too dandy…
the surprise of the unexpected may make this less considered design alternative look something of a parlor trick, but i find the introduction of intrigue indispensable…
