AND THE WINNER IS.......

This will be my last entry for this year. 

Stay tuned as I will be announcing the 2013 DOOR OF THE YEAR winner.
  
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FEDERATION HUT

Razorback Track, Mt Feathertop

Visited: 12th December 2013

Design: When I started this blog I had an idealist view as to what a door should be if it was to be judged as appropriate in the search for the best door to eat behind. Images such as The Havannah, St Ali North or Friends of Mine, (all mentioned previously in earlier posts of this blog) filled my mind and guided me in my search. Along this quest to find the perfect door, I have slowly discovered that a door can come in many forms such as, classical, grand, standard or no door at all. Another thing I have learnt, is that beauty can come from the most amazing craftsmanship where every single detail is painstakingly sweated over and refined to form perfection and yet beauty can also come from the simplest of practical forms. Now, I know this door goes against everything that this blog represents, considering this was not a business and there was no money exchanged for change return time. Nevertheless, I was so fascinated by this door that I had to include it. My reasoning behind including this door was, I still ate behind it and it was a beautiful door in design and functionality. 

What was it that drove me to include this hut door in the Victorian Alps, you may ask?

Let me just say there was a duality within this door where it revealed and yet concealed the mystery of what the hut contained. There was a sense of romance and intrigue in its design and appearance. It provided a feeling of protection from the enduring harsh elements such as snow and gail force winds that hikers are faced with in this terrain. This was practical engineering at its finest, made from local timber, the door handle was a section of gnarled tree branch, crafted to fit flush against the door. Nothing feels better in the hand than natural materials such as wood, especially when the wood has worn back to a highly polished surface due to continuous use over an extended period of time. A result of thousands of hands grasping and pushing in the same area to seek protection. The next feature was the locking system, a simple piece of dowel that slid within a routed chamber. The most amazing feature of the door was the self closing mechanism in which a piece of wire at the top of the door was latched to the top so that when the door was opened the wire was twisted within a closed chamber behind the door. The tension put on the wire then forced the door closed as it released the tension. Pure genius. The door had a relaxing squeak on the open and close and was surprisingly well sealed from the cold.

There is no better place than this door to represent the very nature and probably the origins of the title of this blog than a hikers hut where someone has yelled at fellow hikers when the door has been left open or too long, 

"Were you born in a tent?"

Door resistance: 1

Closure mechanism: Self closing wire spring

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 2

Change return time: 0 sec

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

HANNAH

141 Chapel St, St Kilda

Visited: 10th October 2013

Design: Palindromes? Let me ask this question. If you were to stand on one side of a door on the exterior of a building, then walk through the door to the interior of the building and look at the same door, are you still the same person or has something changed in you?  Can I be two people and the same person at the same time? These are the questions I asked myself as I entered the door of HANNAH @ 141. Weird!!! You read it from the outside, you read it from the inside. Nothing has changed, except the perception of where you are. Are you opening the door to go in, (to go outside, in)? Or are you opening the door to go out, (to go inside, out)?....................WHAT!
For such a simple door it has created such complexity.
Black aluminium framing, full panel glass and a u-tube stainless steel handle, all standard characteristics of a shop front door. The clean lines and lack of clutter allow it to frame the interior of soft moon lamps and palms like a dream. The open is smooth with a soft close and click on the end. The metallic silver lettering is a nice touch with the capitals leading the mind to ponder, "are you reading it correctly, or is it reversed?" Pure fate that this door HANNAH should be at 141. Two palindromes working in unison.

Door resistance: 3

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 10 sec