Pivoting pocket doors

[dog_party]

A client has some precise ideas about what they'd like for a large piece of office furniture: at the end of the day they want to be able to close it up with a set of louvre doors, but while at work they want those doors opened up and stashed away in the body of the unit. I've attached a couple of screenshots from the initial plan that they sent.

I'm scratching my head over how to actually build it -- their initial request was for a bifold / pocket system where the door on each side would pull out and then slide shut along a rail, but those are formidably expensive, out of the price range (eg the Blum 'Revego'). It occurred to me that a more standard pocket door system could be installed in a wider pair of openings, and the doors could be hinged to each other without being on bifold rails -- like window shutters instead -- but the various suppliers of pivoting pocket door hardware have said that would be impossible, although I don't understand exactly why.

Standard non-bifold doors are obviously too wide to cover the required space and then sit back into a 600 deep cavity. This brings me to my first question: is there a way to have a pivoting pocket system with folding doors? A friend has suggested something like drawer runners on which a long MDF stretcher is mounted, to which the doors are hinged, but I'm having trouble imagining that working.

Then my second question: The clients have suggested that if necessary they wouldn't mind having the central desk area divided into two, so that a separate pair of pocket doors could cover each half. That's less ideal, and I'd prefer to deliver on their initial request, but at least I can get it successfully built. Can I just check with anyone who has experience of this kind of thing -- how deep does the cavity for the hardware have to be, compared with the door itself? Eg. If the door is 610 wide, does the cavity need to be something like 700 deep to accommodate the hinge and carriage? I've had trouble getting a straight answer out of suppliers.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! J

 

[Cabinetman]

Sorry can’t really help with what you are puzzling over, but how about a tambour roller shutter? There looks to be room above for one and I’m fairly sure I’ve seen one in a magazine once for this type of situation.
I only once got involved with a pocket door and I really cannot recommend doing one!
Ian

 

[Ozi]

I have never done anything like this but would it be possible to make a pocket door in the normal way that had a second leaf mounted behind it. So slide forward, close leaf one slide leaf two out from behind one to meet in the middle with it's mirror image. All that weight would need some support, I am imagining something like the roller system from a shower door, a straight section only supporting the two middle leaves.

The more I think about this the more I like Cabinetmans idea - who has the advantage of knowing what he is talking about.

 

[dog_party]

Thank you both! I was thinking about a shutter as well, but unfortunately the clients said no- the louver doors are what they're after. They did however accept a modification of the plan so that there's a double leaf door on each side that will fold back and lie flat against the shelves on either side. I've attached a little sketch to show how it will go. Can I ask quickly what hinges you'd recommend for attaching the doors to each other and to the frame?

 

[Spectric]

Maybe parliament hinges .

 

[Jacob]

My first thought is that you could do the doors as a separate item, not built in with the furniture. A foldaway room partition, independently covering a space for the furniture.

 

[HOJ]

I had a job in lockdown to make a pocket door walk in pantry, looked at the propriety systems, Salice was one, priced it all up, then
ditched the plan, far too expensive for the gain, went with simple doors, using normal euro hinges, in your case would a continuous (piano type) hinge work.

 

[XTiffy]

We used Blum pocket door hardware several times for TV cabinets (when TV sets were big and bulky). I can't remember the sizing details. We also made furniture for the Four Seasons, Hotel, Park Lane, for their business centre, which was alongside reception and they wanted everything hidden when not actually being used, using same setup of pocket doors.
I am sure that all technical details are on the relevant company websites. Hafele are particularly good for that.

 

[Ollie78]

What about a vertical tambour that rolls away into the sides, it would be really cool. you would obviously have to introduce curves to get it to work around the corner but it could be amazing looking.

 

[dog_party]

Thank you for all the thoughts! Ollie The side tambour would be extremely cool and I'll save it for a future project (for myself if needs be) and Jacob unfortunately the room divider idea worked very well for one half of the pair of clients and was immediately and firmly shot down by the other.

Am I overthinking it, is there any reason why ordinary butt hinges would be inappropriate for having the doors swing out of the opening and fold in on themselves? Is there a particular reason to prefer parliament hinges or another kind?

 

[Ollie78]

What about Soss or Tectus concealed hinges that fit in the end of the leaves. I have used them for butterfly leaf tables before.
I am about to use some myself for a job where some old victorian 4 panel doors will be cut in half to make a bifold sort of arrangement, the hidden hinges make it less obvious they are cut in half when closed but should allow enough articulation. At least I hope so, will do a test first.