2019-10-30

Design or functionality?

Design orfunctionality? Nowadays, by arranging our dream nest, we can find a kind of harvest crisis-there are so manydifferent materials and proposed solutions that we do not know what to choose. Many times I wasfaced with an impossible choice-I liked everything and at thesame time I did not know whichsolution I liked more. In this situation, we can accept the second selection criterion-functionality.Why did I choose this order? Design first and then functionality? We will be living with e.g. tiles,windows, doors, panels or curtains for many years, so in my opinion we should like it first and thencheck if the given item offers different functional solutions and adapt them to their conditions andneeds.

 

My favorite example, which I often quoteto my clients, is a kind ofdoor that has recently becomevery fashionable. I'm talking about a door without a door handle on the outside that instead has ahandrail:

 

 

 

Doyoulikethose?Surely you have seen a similar model with someone, maybe even with yourfamily. Few people know and even fewer people inform that such a construction has one bigdisadvantage-this door can only be opened with a key. Imagine the situation that we are comingback home from largershopping, we have several nets that need to be brought through this door.Each time you will need to lay these nets on the ground and open the door with a key. Anotherexample-we take out the trash and we didn't bring the keys with us. If someone stayed at home, it'snotmuch of a problem, but if we're just alone and the door slams, then we have choices such as: aska neighbor to make a phone call toyourspouse, break intoyourown home e.g. through a window orcall a locksmith to drill locks. Especially the latter can be difficult to implement if we just ordered asecurity door. Even theusual reception of guests can be tedious, because each time we will have topersonally go to the door and open it. The person-in this case our guest-will not be able to openthis door from the outside without a key. Of course, it would be different ifthe door had an ordinarydoor handle.

There are solutions that support such a door design-you can mount e.g. an electriclockerwithmemory and if you press the button,for some timethe door will remainin the open position, asinsome staircase doors, for example. The second solution can also have an automatic lock on theremote control, photocell, etc. The problem with this is only that modern automatic or semi-automatic solutions are still quite expensive.The use of a door handle isincomparably cheaper.
Similar dilemmas can also be found in other products-automatic garage doors can be equipped withan emergency key opening. Often quite aesthetically hidden. Windows can be double-leaf, but theycanalso be single-leaf with a wide strip imitating a post. In the Scandinavian system, the windowsopen to the outside which can be problematic on the first floor by single-leaf windows-there is noway to wash them then. Therefore, someone once invented TOPSWINGwindows. Similarly, many of us have roof windows in our home. However, please remember that I still strongly advise you to
choose what you like first and then consult a specialist-how to improve it.