Back in the 50’s and 60’s Pella Corp. of Pella Iowa was manufacturing accordion doors of the highest quality. They used real wood faces, concealed hinges and heavy-duty hardware.
They also accomplished one very important feature: They saved the room or square footage used by a swinging door. A 3’ wide swing door takes up to 16 sq.ft.
Pella stopped producing this product many years ago because it was too expensive to make and the margins didn’t match the market place.
Today, retro is in and bigger than ever. Two great companies are now manufacturing accordion doors; Woodfold in the northwest and Panelfold in the southeast. These companies make custom sized folding doors that are extremely functional. Not only do they save floor space, but they also reduce heating and energy cost by a huge amount. In today’s economy we have seen folks taking on roommates by using accordion doors as room dividers.
The very latest is called the “Nuvo Designer Series” by Panelfold. This modern accordion series includes translucent, full lites or transparent lites with white “frosted” squares. One of the coolest features of the Nuvo Series is that it can allow light in while still providing visual privacy. Great for bathrooms!
So it’s true, old ideas resurface in time and become new again.
