A time-tested mechanism of weights and balances keeps this door in place as it slides up into the walls of a North Carolina vacation home. Architect Ellen Cassilly worked with contractor Todd Dickenson to make sure the nearly 6-foot-wide and 7-foot-tall door pushes easily into place and stays put at any level. “It’s similar to the weighted pulleys used to open double-hung windows,” explains Cassilly. The homeowners and their extended family have no problem manually manipulating the door via the handle at its base. Cassilly says that even though “it’s a family of basketball players,” they rarely push the door completely open and prefer to let it hang a few inches short of the ceiling. This door has a twin on the far side of the family room’s marble fireplace. Together, the recessed panel doors provide a traditional look to an unconventional solution for opening up adjacent spaces.
