Unique, chic steel doors bring new life to the heart of your home
Visually delicate, but materially robust, Porta steel doors are the perfect addition to any home.
In the quest for that exquisite balance between the private and communal, STEELIT® doors crafted in Belgium, and newly introduced to the Irish market by Porta Steel Doors, are proving clear winners for residential clients looking beyond the expected.
This month Porta brings STEELIT® steel-framed doors together with their bespoke collection of steel framed internal doors and partitions to the most exciting design event in the country, The Architectural and Building Expo 2022 at the RDS.
Sleek, slender-frame steel doors and windows are heritage inclusions seen in landmark buildings since the Industrial Revolution. Characterised by largely uninterrupted glazing with sophisticated traces of glazing bar, these architectural elements of the classic steel door style are not just elegant and aesthetically appealing, but deftly share views, amplify lines of sight, and pour illumination between adjacent spaces.
Shane Crowley is Managing Director of both Porta Steel Doors and Dlight, his original sister company founded in 2007. Based in Tramore, County Waterford, Dlight provides lighting solutions to the commercial, hospitality and residential market. The team has participated in delivering some of the most recognised office fit out contracts realising the lighting design on many projects. This would include projects with the largest architectural practices in Ireland providing designs for blue-chip companies with sites here including Horizon, Mount Juliet, Shire, Core, Yahoo, Google and Twitter.
Classic, cutting edge? Why is STEELIT® a worthy addition to the portfolio of Porta?
“We feel that Porta is meeting the demands of a client who is not led by trends but by design aesthetic. What we offer is timeless. The industrial style has been around for a long time and we don’t think this trend is going anywhere. There may be cheaper alternatives but they won’t offer the same quality, durability and longevity. The timeless design can fit into many interior styles, allowing customers to partition rooms and divide up space but all while not compromising on light.”
Craftsmanship, perfect engineering and what Shane terms “artisan beauty” is at the heart of the products available both at Dlight and Porta Steel Doors. In terms of internal doors and partitions, why is Shane so determined on steel over say aluminium, a material with a very different price point?
“We have carried out extensive research, chatting to many providers of doors throughout Europe and finding the right manufacturer and partners,” Shane explains. “It’s a large investment, so our customers are looking for longevity. Steel, in its true form, has a long lifecycle,” he continues. “For this reason we always assist the client with the best option. Buying a steel door is not a quick decision, you might only consider one in your home, others consider a set and we have had clients consider more than ten.”
We’re all familiar with the interpersonal advantages of teasing open the typical office layout into lighter, brighter work areas with a sense of originality and connectedness. Shane’s work demands acute “design awareness” and he has seen this revolution-of-light develop in plain sight. Visually delicate, but materially robust, Porta steel doors reflect an enduring move to top-flight glass internal doors and partitions — harmonising, as a low key addition to the surrounding architecture. Shane explains this journey as the Shoreditch Look.
“Many years ago when Jamie Oliver started to open his restaurant chain he developed a Shoreditch look. Many of the local factories of times-gone-by in Shoreditch, London, were printing presses/chemical colour providers. Wooden doors would not have worked in these environments, overtime we have seen this look and feel being interpreted as the “Loft Look”. From that, this trend developed and steel doors were definitely one of the by-products of that success.”
“The process — selecting, finessing, ordering and installing these doors is a collaborative experience, expedited by the highly experienced team at Porta," Shane explains. "STEELIT® of Belgium offers standard solutions, a range of high-quality steel interior doors with fixed dimensions, with a short lead time of four weeks. Our STEELIT® option offers various styles, choice of design and finish in modern and classic, single or double doors but within standard dimensions. The doors come in a kit format which allows for easy installation (look up installation videos on our website). They come pre-glazed, sitting within their own frame and are finished.
“Our bespoke range of doors comes with a 10-12 week lead time, Porta offers full customisation allowing the client or designer to be creative. Our custom option allows us to configure a design to fit any space the client wishes, from full height, floor to ceiling, or partitioning areas, breaking them up into zones, keeping the feel of open space but keeping it warm yet stylish and modern. In terms of glazing, we have multiple options. Glazing options have become another recent trend, and some are enduring. Fluted glass, also called ribbed glass, has become very popular, giving privacy without blocking light, notably for shower screens and bathroom doors.”
Steel framed doors from Porta Steel Doors inevitably appeal to a new generation of home owners, many now working within the hybrid model. These home owners are looking for a lasting, architectural punch and solid environmental credentials. Shane adds, “Our doors can work in any type of home fit, from mid-century, industrial to modern and Scandinavian.”
Porta will shortly offer a service for clients to configure their own bespoke doors online, and there’s more clear sighted products to come. Shane explains, “We currently offer internal doors. Later this month we will also be offering a complimentary suite of external doors. All our doors come in many guises.” One of Shane’s favourite types of system is the modular concept which can fill a larger doorway adding side or top windows to a single or double door.
Shane adds, “From a wellbeing perspective, many people are still working within the hybrid model and have realised they need to adapt their homes, Porta Steel Doors can make the spaces work for the family of the future. We continuously look at the sustainability side of what we offer. Steel & glass is fully recyclable as well as all the packaging that our doors require during transit. We are moving towards a more sustainable future, replacing business cards with smart cards and collaborating with a planting company to plant a native Irish tree for every steel door sold. ”
Porta Steel Doors will be exhibiting at The Architecture & Building Expo 2022, 5th & 6th of October at the RDS, Dublin. You can follow Shane Crowley and his team on Instagram, explore the Porta collections at www.porta.ie or email them at info@portasteeldoors.com to discuss how Porta or Dlight products could contribute to your project.
