The Wall as a Canvas: Camouflaged and Hidden Doors

Bob Dylan's “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” is about arriving to heaven, but it also speaks of the element of the door, which allows one to enter paradise (or not). There is a lot of symbolism related to this constructive component, such as opening, limits, transitions and transformations. Doors have been around since the time of the Egyptian tombs and we can hardly think of architecture without them. While doors play a prominent role and have an unquestionable function, they can also be seen as visual obstructions in certain interior projects, which can be at odds in some spaces, without really fitting in aesthetically.

However, there are products on the market that allow designers to combine walls and doors within a single homogeneous surface. This is the case of the Italian company Eclisse, which has developed an extensive product line for this specific type of request: from doors, pockets and hinges, to furnishing and technical hatches, to skirting boards. These products allow entire walls to become a single canvas, providing a space with the desired (and uninterrupted) style, color or surface, by seamlessly integrating the doors. All components can be painted like a wall, with the same colors and textures, and wallpapers can also be used with the same camouflage effect.

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Cortesia de ECLISSE

According to the company, "The advantage for the designer and the end consumer is to have a range of solutions to a variety of needs, offering 'turnkey' an aesthetically coherent and straightforward end result in line with current trends that focus on color and finishes. For builders and installers, on the other hand, they can install doors, hatches and skirting boards while completely equipping the room with products that are consistent in terms of construction technology and ease of installation." 

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Cortesia de ECLISSE

To cover as many different types of requirements as possible, the company has developed products that transform the door into a design feature. For example, the Eclisse 40 collection has a different solution for the walls on each side of the door. On one side, the door perfectly copies the wall, which can be finished with paint or wallpaper, as well as the surrounding wall, like a huge homogeneous panel. On the other, the door is inserted with a refined three-dimensional effect, with an angle of 40 degrees through inclined aluminum profiles, providing the door with a depth sensation that is relative to the wall, like a picture frame.

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Cortesia de ECLISSE

The Eclisse Syntesis® Line Battente line, in turn, allows designers to install flush hinged doors without jambs and architrave, completely leveled with the wall. The system is also designed to allow floor-to-ceiling door installation, with no top beam, for full integration between door panel, wall and ceiling, and can feature doors with single or double leaf. Eclisse Syntesis® Line is used for when sliding doors are more suitable for the space, while Eclisse Syntesis® Luce perfectly integrates with the wall, hiding the door and ready for the insertion of electrical wiring. The company also features solutions for Flush Wall Panels and the baseboards that follow the same clean lines that characterize the products.

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Cortesia de ECLISSE

To ensure that the door works well throughout its lifespan and remains perfectly aligned with its context, there are several innovations related to their installation and maintenance, many of them patented. These include, for example, the extractable tracks, self-centering door guides, components for the inclusion of switches and wires next to the jambs, or even details to achieve the most homogeneous surface.

By revolutionizing the concept of the doorframe, highlighting an element that was previously considered only structural and secondary, but also allowing it to blend into its surroundings, Eclisse 40 won the Red Dot Award 2020 and entered the ADI Design Index 2020 selection.

Learn more about all of Eclisse's products and solutions in our catalog.

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Cite: Souza, Eduardo. "The Wall as a Canvas: Camouflaged and Hidden Doors" [The Wall as a Canvas: Doors that Camouflage on its Contexts] 03 Oct 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/989495/the-wall-as-a-canvas-camouflaged-and-hidden-doors> ISSN 0719-8884

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