Doors Plus TV

When it comes to creating a family home to shout about, Natalie Sullivan and her husband make for a bit of a dream team.

Of course, it helps if one of you is a builder by trade!

Together, they visualised a Palm Springs-inspired property that would be home to them and their three children for the foreseeable future, and Natalie’s husband set about turning the dream into a physical reality.

They have spent the past three and a half years working their way through the house to infuse it with their own style and décor touches – with Natalie documenting the progress via room reveals on her blog, “This Sweet Life”.
The Harmonious Balance of a Sliding Barn Door
The main living space is a bright and airy, open plan area that harmonises seamlessly between kitchen and lounge, between functionality and free-flowing family living.

They knew from the start that they wanted to embrace the sliding barn door style to separate the central hub of the home from the hallway to the children’s rooms – not only for the aesthetic elegance of this popular look, but also to create a separation between the living space and the children’s bedrooms.

Natalie and her husband were drawn to the balance of understated style and contemporary charm, with the practicality of a door that glides smoothly into place when you need it.

It was just a question of finding the right sliding barn door to complement and enhance their already beautiful home.

Image Credit: Instagram @thissweetlife
Clean Lines & Effortless Chic
On the lookout for their ideal match, Natalie came across Doors Plus while browsing other accounts on Instagram.

Some beautiful door designs caught her eye, so she jumped onto the Doors Plus website to see what she could find.

Before long, she had her heart set on the Glengary barn door from Doors Plus. She says, “I really liked this particular door because of its nice, clean lines.”

They therefore opted to have their new door painted white, in keeping with the fresh and contemporary interior of their dream home.

From the various hardware options on offer, they chose the black carbon steel track as a stunning complement to the white finish.

As Natalie says, “It’s just a gorgeous, classic but modern barn door.”

As Natalie explains, there is a wide array of additional features and hardware that you can add to the Glengary door, but they decided to leave it as it is: “We love that clean look and felt that it’s beautiful just the way it is, and that nothing needed to be added.”

The effect is a sleek and stylish yet warm and homely door that slides to close when it suits the family.

This allows a separation between the main living area and the hallway to the bedrooms, keeping the noise down and maintaining privacy when needed, without sacrificing the flow of the open plan home.
A Truly “No Fuss” Experience
Being a builder, Natalie’s husband has more experience than most when it comes to installing doors into people’s homes.

He knows what the process should involve, and what a job well done looks like.

It is therefore testament to the quality of service and craftsmanship that they enjoyed from product selection to installation that he says he would have no hesitation in recommending Doors Plus.

Natalie says, “Honestly, there really was no fuss in organising this door and we’re just so happy that we went with this company.”

She commends the members of the Doors Plus team that they worked with to select, measure, deliver and install their door, describing them as “absolutely lovely and fantastic to deal with.”

As she reflects on the experience as a whole, she says she has no reservations: “If anyone is looking for any type of door in their home, they should definitely check out Doors Plus, No Fuss.

They’ve got a huge range for the entire house, and our experience was personally amazing. I could not fault it.”

Not only have Natalie and her husband created an idyllic family home, embodying both a classic warmth and an effortlessly modern style, but they also rent the property out on AirBnB from time and time and invite other families to benefit from the environment they have so intentionally curated.

Natalie says, “It makes me really happy to see other families enjoying the property.”

Credit: Instagram @thissweetlife

Black Zone Living Bi-Fold Doors
More often than not, you know whether a house is the right place for you within moments of stepping inside.

For the owner of The Mood Collective Janika, the thing that sealed the deal was that their new home was a blank canvas, with a bright, open and interconnected layout.

They loved that the living spaces were free-flowing and felt that it would work perfectly for their family.

There was just one problem: they needed their home to function well for both work and play, both office time and family time.

Juggling the corporate role with a side hustle in interior styling and content creation – Mood Collective Australia – and her husband also works from home.

Although they had fallen in love with the open plan flow, with three children and a dog in tow they didn’t always want that energy – and noise! – flowing into their focused workspace.

Sometimes you just need to be able to close the door.
A Discovery: Doors Plus Zone Living
Janika and her husband had previously enlisted the help of Doors Plus to install new front doors, to improve security at the front of their home, and had found it to be a really positive experience.

They then heard about the Doors Plus exclusive range of Zone Living doors and wondered whether this might be the solution to their open plan problem.

After visiting the Doors Plus showroom, they chose a set of bi-fold Zone Living doors in a contemporary black finish, to complement their home style.

The hinged panels extend from wall to wall when closed, and then fold away to one side to open up the space once again.

The large glass panes allow a steady flow of light into the office space, and preserve that interconnected feel with the rest of the living areas, while also helping to keep out the noise and create a peaceful and focused environment.

Janika says, “Having Zone Living doors means we can enclose the space and have some quiet time when we need to concentrate and focus on our work.”
The Fit: Getting in the Zone
When the day came, Janika found the installation process to be just as smooth and straightforward as it had been with their front doors.

The installers were friendly, professional and efficient.

She says, “Both times, the installers have come in, just got on with the job, and it has truly been no fuss.”

Once the work was completed, and the installers had cleaned up and left, Janika was able to take a step back and admire the transformation.

She couldn’t have been happier with the end result, and the difference it was going to make for them as a family.

Seeing the doors at the showroom was one thing, but seeing them installed in her home and in use every day fully exceeded her expectations: “The finished product is honestly better than I envisaged when we went to the showroom.

Now that I see it in my space it’s even better than I thought it would be.”
The Results: Best of Both!
The Zone Living doors have allowed Janika and her family to fully embrace the openness and flow that they first fell in love with about their home, while also facilitating focussed work that can be zoned off from the noise and chaos of a young family.

With both parents working from home, Janika explains that it was essential to have the option of “a quiet space that’s dedicated to our work and what we need to get done.”

At the same time, they weren’t about to sacrifice the interconnected feel of their family living space.

She says, “This product has just given us so many options with our home.

It gives us the ability to open up the space when we want to, and close it off and create a quiet environment for us when we need that too.”

Since discovering Zone Living, and all the possibilities these innovative door solutions unleash for them as a family, Janika hasn’t looked back: “I found the Zone Living doors to be a complete solution for our lifestyle and for our home.”

When Eleanor and her husband got wind that the owners of a certain NSW Central Coast property were thinking of selling up, they didn’t hesitate to pay a visit and check the house out for themselves.

Instantly, they fell in love with the place, but there was a lot of work to be done to make their country cottage dream a reality…
The Dream: A Coastal Country Escape
From their first visit, Eleanor could see that this property had the potential to become the coastal country escape they were longing for.

They loved the feel and character of the home, but they knew they were taking on a hefty renovation project.

All in all, with COVID-19 lockdowns to contend with along the way, it turned into a 5 month journey from vision to reality.

They dreamed of a more laid back, relaxed pace of life, with space to breathe, and this country cottage in a coastal spot seemed to completely embody that lifestyle.

“We really wanted to honour that country aspect,” Eleanor says, but they also wanted to uplift the interior of the home to make it feel brighter, fresher and more airy.

They set about looking for furnishings, windows and doors that would complement the cottage style, while also finding ways to open up the space and let in plenty of light.
The Search: From Instagram to Showroom
During her research, Eleanor’s eye was caught by a photo on Instagram of a set of beautiful French doors. She could see how this style would both suit the character of the property and create a fresh flow from inside to out.

After some digging, she was able to discover that the doors were originally from Doors Plus, so she lost no time in looking up her local showroom.

“When I went into the Doors Plus showroom I was really impressed by the customer service,” Eleanor recalls.

“They were really accommodating and showed so many different options for what we were looking for – both in terms of French doors and also for a front door.”

The Doors Plus specialist took some time to understand what they were after and then walked them through their options, demonstrating different styles, configurations and finishes.

Although she had a good idea of the doors she wanted, Eleanor couldn’t help being drawn in by the sheer variety on offer: “I love that there was such an array of different samples. There was literally a style for everyone.”

As Eleanor discovered, there really was no substitute for seeing and exploring these doors up close before making a final decision.
She says, “I loved seeing them in their raw form as well. I knew I wanted to paint them white but it was great to see them as they were, to see all of the different hardware options, and to see what could really be dreamed up.”

They identified the Claremont French doors as the ones that had grabbed Eleanor’s attention mid-scroll, and chose the 10 lite design with clear glass for the ideal combination of country cottage character and maximum light flow: “I knew it had to fit that cottage feel so I really wanted to find the perfect French door.”

They also chose a single Flinders door for their front entrance, to tie in the style throughout the home, and complemented their new entry door with side panels in InsulSafe decorative glass for the added touch of charm.
The Fit & Finish: Easy Does It
On the day of installation, they found the Doors Plus carpenter to be incredibly knowledgeable and helpful as he installed the frame and doors: “It gave me even more appreciation for the level of customer service.”

They had decided to paint the doors themselves, and found that the Doors Plus Paint ‘n’ Peel system made this easier than ever – especially as they had chosen a design with so many individual glass panes!

Eleanor says, “The French doors came with plastic on each of the window panes, so we didn’t have to mask and tape up every single pane within the French doors. It made the whole process so seamless.”

They painted their doors in a clean and elegant white, and then simply peeled off the film for a professional-looking finish.
Happily Ever After: Living the Country Life
For their first ever home renovation, Eleanor was pleasantly surprised by how smooth and easy it felt, from start to finish, and she couldn’t be happier with the transformation: “The end result has definitely exceeded my expectations.”

The front entrance looks elegant and charming, and the French doors make the living area feel bigger, lighter and brighter.

Moving through the home, they can now flow seamlessly from the cosy sitting room out onto a deck that overlooks the garden.

With the French doors open, they can enjoy plenty of natural light and fresh, coastal air, and can watch their son playing in the garden or sneaking berries from the mulberry tree.

For the family, it’s not just been a house move or a home renovation, but a complete change in pace and lifestyle.

As she sits beside her stunning new French doors, looking out at her country cottage garden, Eleanor reflects, “The quality of the products that we have got from Doors Plus has been fantastic. We are so thrilled with the results and we think that they have just added so much character to our home.”

Over the last 28 years of living in their home, Annette and her husband have worked their way through various renovations and home improvements, but the front doors lingered as the last job on the list.

It was when returning home from holiday with fresh and critical eyes, and approaching their tired old front entrance, that they knew the time had come – the doors had to go.
The Problem: Out With The Old…
Their old doors were outdated, worn and cracked, and covered by an unattractive screen door.

This obviously had an impact on curb appeal, and the overall look and feel of the house from the outside for Annette, but it also potentially compromised the insulation and security of their home.

As she began to consider their options for a replacement, Annette found her head turned by some other houses in the area that had extra wide front doors.

These caught her eye as an attractive and welcoming entrance, and she really liked the look of them.
The Solution: Elegance & Security in One
It was then that she heard about the Doors Plus Guardian 2 in 1 security screen side panel as a potential solution.

The fact that the integrated design would mean there was no need for an additional screen to cover the door really appealed to Annette.

She began to glimpse the possibility of a front entrance that was both secure and aesthetically elegant.

They had always had screen doors over their front entrance for enhanced security, and liked to be able to open up their doors to let in some fresh air while leaving the screen in place.

But, as Annette says, “To cover up that beautiful door wasn’t going to be an option, so when I found out about the Guardian that was great.”

This 2 in 1 solution has a built-in stainless steel mesh, so the window panel can be opened without compromising on security: “I could open it up but still have the security there, let the breeze come through but not impede the view of the front door.”
The Experience: From Showroom to Installation
The Doors Plus name was familiar to Annette and her husband as a trusted brand for household doors, so they went to visit the Marsden Park showroom to really kick their door search into gear.

At the showroom, with the help of a Doors Plus specialist, they were able to see the Guardian door in action and get into a lot more detail about the exact style and configuration they wanted to go for, as well as the finish, fixtures and fittings.

They settled on the 1200mm Guardian door with an additional side panel, in solid Pacific Ash timber and extra strong SafeGlass.

Now, they could start to see their vision of a beautiful, solid and secure front entry door becoming a reality.

Reflecting on how helpful it was to visit the showroom and explore the doors in person, Annette says, “When I saw the door on display with the Guardian side panel I could visualise what it would look like at the front of the house.”

Annette’s husband had originally planned to do the installation himself, but when they realised that they could get the whole package done through Doors Plus, at a reasonable price, it seemed too good to turn down.

Annette says, “To have someone come in on one day, finish it and be done…we thought it would be a better option just to get it done totally by Doors Plus.”

Sure enough, from their first introduction to the Guardian side panel through to installation day, their experience turned out to be smooth, effortless and enjoyable: “I’ve been very, very impressed with Doors Plus. I could not fault them.”
The Results: A Front Entrance to Turn Heads
Annette and her husband can now enjoy a warm welcome home, and be proud of their front entrance when visitors come calling.

Thanks to the new Eden Wide front door and the integrated design of the Guardian 2 in 1 side panel, they can let in the breeze or check who’s at the door without compromising on security, and their beautiful new door can stand proud in all its glory, without being obscured by an unappealing mesh.

As Annette says, “The new door installation has just totally transformed the look of the house and I’m really, really pleased with it.”