What’s a jib door? It’s a fun and very simple home interior design element that can completely transform the appearance of your home. Here’s everything you need to know about this design element and the home renovation projects in which it makes the most sense.
If you look at a couple of online pictures, you’ll quickly get what a jib door is.
Essentially, this is a concealed door that blends into the rest of the interior design. When a jib door is used, a wall appears to be uninterrupted. The effect can be achieved through the use of colour and pattern that helps the door blend into the wall. Special hardware will also be utilised to make the execution as unobtrusive as possible.
One piece of hardware that needs to be chosen carefully is the hinges – a big giveaway when it comes to the positioning of a standard door.
Soss hinges are typically the ones that work best as far as hidden doors are concerned. These hinges get hidden between the frame and the door itself. In a sense, they function like an accordion and when the door is closed, they become completely invisible.
Pivot hinges installed into the door’s header can also work really well to produce a smooth and seamless effect.
Concealed doors can enhance the appearance of many flats.
They make a lot of sense in a couple of scenarios.
Historically, jib doors were used to camouflage the entrance to a concealed room or a chamber in a house. Needless to say, most people have no need for such a feature in their modern home.
A jib door can be used to conceal storage rooms and pantries if you don’t want them to be gaining any attention. Through the addition of a jib door, the continuity of a wall can be maintained, thus making it appear longer.
Some interior designers use jib doors to create a canvass for the placement of large artwork pieces on the door. When covered in wallpaper or an adhesive print, the door will blend into the rest of the wall and it will not break up an image. Thus, if you consider placing a large and striking wall visual in one of your rooms, a jib door will be an excellent choice.
If you’re interested about the concept and would love to explore it, there are a few things you’ll have to keep in mind in order to make a jib door work and also camouflage it properly. As already mentioned, the door hardware is very important to ensure that seamlessness you need. Depending on the size of the room, you’ll have to determine whether the hinge goes forward or back. In some instances, jib doors are sliding – a perfect choice for smaller rooms.
Next, you’ll need to work with a skilled carpenter on the door itself. A good jib door needs to be flush with the wall when closed. To get that, you’ll need quite a lot of precision as far as construction is concerned.
It’s best to start from scratch and create a jib door that fits your space. Having a jib door first and attempting to create the space for it after that will usually result in an outcome that isn’t as invisible as you’d want it to be.
Now comes the fun part of choosing your camouflage.
Classic jib doors come in the form of book cases and that’s a design that’s still widely embraced today. A jib door with bookshelves on it (as a part of a large book case that covers the entire wall) isn’t just fun – it’s highly functional and it gives you storage space.
If you want to place a print on top of the wall and the door, you’ll probably need this large piece of art custom-made. For a good effect, you will have to choose a visual with a good resolution. Making some calculations and adjustments to determine exactly where pieces are going to fall will simplify the placement of the print on the wall and the door. Self-adhesive pieces and wallpapers are simplest and most practical. Depending on the printing solution you choose (if you go for a custom piece), alternative options could also exist.
And in case a large print isn’t your thing, individual wall stickers that are consistently placed all over the wall and the jib door will also work really well.
For some people, all of these ideas go overboard. In case you’re looking for a simple and minimalist solution, you can easily have the wall and the door painted in the same colour. If the jib door is designed really well, you’ll get a wonderful and visually striking result.
Jib doors provide a fun alternative to a traditional design element that very few people consider changing up. Do you feel drawn to such an idea? If so, the Home Guide interior design team can help you bring individualism and a ton of personality to your property. We are passionate about uniqueness, functionality and personalisation that matches interior design to lifestyle. Contact us now to explore this concept and all other fun design elements that correspond to who you are.
