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SHED Architecture was recently hired for a unique job: transforming a stables—clearly a past home for many horses with its stamped-smooth dirt floors and old wooden planks indented by equine teeth—into a multiuse space.
“As the conversion occurred in concert with a remodel of the main house, the stables became a site for big ideas and a more open-ended project brief,” said SHED Principal Thomas Shaer. “Our goal was pretty simple: don’t overthink it and have fun.”
The idea was to create a straightforward space that avoided precious materials, was utilitarian, and could meet many divergent needs. Shaer and his colleagues decided to keep the stables’ division of the space—two large horse stalls, a feed room, and a tack room—in the new design, but it was the huge door panels on Krownlab’s Axel sliding door hardware system that truly unlocked the space.
Axel, a modern interpretation of the traditional flat-track sliding barn door hardware that has been around for over a century, features the same raw steel material and track construction as those original systems, but has been redesigned to be quieter, safer, and more durable. Its ¼” carbon steel will patina beautifully with age, and is solid enough to hang the large doors SHED architects envisioned.
“With the exposed mechanics and fasteners and its overall straightforward assembly, it was the best option for this contemporary application of an age-old solution,” Shaer said.
The project came off beautifully and was featured in Dwell.
The CYRK Building is a 14,500 square foot commercial and residential gem located in southeast Portland. DECA, an independent architecture and interior design studio, designed it as a live-work environment. The owner maintains a primary residence on the second floor and a business office on the ground floor.
“The idea of creating a sustainable live-work building in a close-in, walkable neighborhood seemed like a smart way to use time, space, and resources,” said homeowner Bonnie Serkin. “It turns out we were right to consolidate our lives in one beautiful structure just down the street from the rest of our family and only a couple of blocks from restaurants and shops.”
For their second-story residence, Serkin wanted a guest wing that offered privacy to their visitors but was an accessible part of their home when vacant. The DECA team designed a central gallery that connects the main stairwell entry to the dining room and living room. With Krownlab’s Baldur sliding door hardware system, featuring iconic, industry-unique hubless bearings, the space is a versatile and adaptive, capable of opening or concealing the kitchen and guest suite as needs arise.
“We designed two sliding resin-panel walls,” said DECA principal David Hyman. “One was 9’ long and the other 14’ long. The large one weighed several hundred pounds and needed to be effortless for any of the homeowners to use. Krownlab’s rolling door hardware fit the ticket. It is both beautiful and extremely well-built. With the superb craftsmanship of the hardware, the overall effect was stunning.”
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When Portland Architects Giulietti/Schouten replaced a 1938 property in Lincoln City with a modern home, they wanted to take advantage of the stunning Oregon Coast views and have design features like wide door frames that would allow their clients to age in place through retirement and into their golden years. A sliding door was the easy choice for the upstairs master bedroom. Not only did it fit the overall aesthetic of the home, it checked the boxes of ease of use and compatibility with oversized doors. With guidance from the clients, the Baldur sliding door hardware system was picked for its iconic design and 400lb door panel weight limit.
“The main reason, honestly, was the look, the aesthetics of the hardware,” Giulietti said. “The clients had an amazing eye for detail and immediately were drawn to the Baldur system. And they are extremely happy with the end result. It allowed us to create the function and the feel for the spaces that they were striving for.”
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