PROUD MARY

172 Oxford St, Collingwood

Visited: 25th October 2013

Design: Well, what can I say. I am not sure if it was the combination of red brick, cement and navy blue colour scheme or the design I can't put my finger on it, but this door didn't really grab me in any way. It was clean, uncluttered, symmetrical and well crafted, ( I should love it for those qualities) but I don't know what to say, maybe it lacked soul. Is that too harsh? The most interesting thing about the door was the portafilter grips curved to form a handle on the interior.

Door resistance: 2

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 12 sec

UAE

487 High St, Northcote

Visited: 21st October 2013

Design:  There is something I love about the v-shaped windows of shop fronts in the outer suburbs. Rather than a flat window, to be guided in by two diagonal lines to the central part of the door, I feel it's an unconscious homage to the door itself. The rustic wooden charm of this door is the first thing that instantly makes one feel welcomed and ready for an interesting experience. Like visiting an old friend or sitting in your favourite couch, the look and feel of this door is familiar and comforting. The term shabby chic has been thrown around so much lately I feel dirty using it, but this door holds those qualities in a good way. What looks like something that has been thrown together from scraps of wood, the construction of this door has been lovingly assembled and for me that holds a lot of appeal. The framing of the central window along with the patched nail holes and the gold art deco handle, unify to form a beautiful combination of materials. Up until this point, I don't think I have had the pleasure of opening a door from the right hand side. Great for the lefties in the world. The combination of pastel mosaic tiles, a retro shop number, stainless steel framing, natural timber and a brilliantly designed logo all work together in harmony. They shouldn't, but they do. An interesting feature was the OPEN / CLOSED sign displayed in English and Arabic Script. The squeak of the door once inside was soft and pleasing to the ear. I really loved the copper glazed lock on the interior. Above the door you are presented with some lovely ribbed glass, however I guess over the years one of these panels had to be replaced and they couldn't find the same glass which throws the symmetry off a little. Apart from that there is little to fault here. There is minimal fuss on the glass apart from a menu and some hand written trading hours, so there is little to distract the eye.

Door resistance: 2

Closure mechanism: Manual

Draft: Maximum

Squeak level: 2

Change return time: 47 sec

ORA-THAI

146B Station St, Fairfield

Visited: 18th October 2013

Design: Aluminium framed doors, I mean really how can you make these interesting? Well these guys have given it a damn good try. We have some Oriental styled vinyl graphics of flowers and oil paper, bamboo parasols, a simple push/pull sign and then on the interior a tropical fish chime to notify the owners of new customers entering. Colour choices for the surrounding wall of brick red I struggled with. However we are in Fairfield were red brick fills the landscape of most streets here. I guess they are subconsciously appealing to the home owners, clever. Now let's just work our way around each window. Starting on the bottom left we have an LED OPEN sign, some Thai figurines, a couple of menus, a notice, and some beautiful neon, with FAST in Italics and a tin for copies of takeaway menus. We then move to the top left window and here we have some lovely floral wrapping paper. Top centre we have some blue tac and paper sheets to make the phone number clear and easily visible for passing cars. Across to the top right, empty except for some led strip lighting cord. Then we finally come down to bottom right window and we have a collection of neon again with FAST italics, menus, some welcome pig statues and a sales corner of a magnificently framed photo of Dale Thomas in mid action shots playing for Collingwood. 

BEST OFFER CONSIDERED!! Not even taken, just considered. Interesting.

That's just the outside view.

Let's move inside. 

The best surprise is when you move inside to discover as you look back that the pieces of white paper in the top window are posters of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Uluru (Ayers Rock). The tropical fish chime on the door is a nice touch to alert the owners of new customers entering. The windows are filled with decorations of white plastic flowers and numerous other items, but you will just have to go and visit yourself to discover the complete collection of this sculptural masterpiece. 

All in all, despite being a rather dull run of the mill door, I was impressed with the amount of effort gone into bringing this drab piece of manufacturing to life. The door itself had a nice feel to it on the hand and the open and return were smooth with a gentle close. 

Door resistance: 2

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 8 sec

WOODS SHERBROOKE

21 Sherbrooke Rd, Sherbrooke

Visited: 16th October 2013

Design: One of the most unusual doors I have been through. From the outside you feel as though you are about to enter a Roman burial crypt. With its black facade pillars and the Parthenon styled pediment and ornate tympanum you can not help but feel austere. Encased within these features the door is framed by thick heavy timber beams, again black, then the black timber door. On the inside you have a bright red wall and an arch feature that once in the past referenced a Chinese temple gate as this may have once been a Chinese restaurant. 
The mid panel of glass is filled with clutter of seven Good Food guide references, credit card stickers, Dandenong Ranges Tourism member number, a no smoking sign, some local notice, trading hours and a Licensee notice. Hmmm!!!

The gold plated cast door handle cradled the palm nicely, the door had a good weight to it and a mid range resistance. Nothing really inspired me about this door. It almost felt like the miss matched architecture of the Portmeirion village that features in the 1967 production of The Prisoner. 

Door resistance: 3

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 49 sec