Emma and Ross Perkin Emil Eve Architects

For the duo behind some of the chicest kitchen extensions, bi-fold doors are the ultimate gateway to the garden

East-London-based practice Emil Eve, which has awards including the AJ Retrofit Award 2023 and the RIBA London Award 2022 under its belt, describes itself as a studio ‘with a focus on imaginative contemporary design’. ‘We create inspiring buildings and spaces for people who love architecture – from design-focused homeowners to creatively driven developers and commercial clients,’ say founding duo Emma and Ross Perkin. The studio specialises in meeting challenging briefs – from obtaining complex planning grants to finding solutions for listed buildings – and, across its portfolio of modern yet playful residential houses, full-height bi-fold doors play a crucial and recurring role. They are the design feature that links Emil Eve’s architectural interventions to their surroundings. And, despite whispers in some design circles that they have become ubiquitous, demand for bi-fold doors (which, unlike sliding or French doors, can be stacked neatly out of the way) shows no signs of slowing down.

Expert advice The Perkins’ ideas for adding bi-fold doors Think about the orientation of the extension when placing bi-fold doors – there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and your choices should respond to the house and its context. We always want to bring in as much natural light as possible. As an example, on our Waghorn Street project, we created an extension with a splayed form to maximise daylight, following the sun’s path. It also meant we could create interesting sight lines through and across the house and exterior, rather than only framing views straight to the garden.

Combine bi-fold doors with bi-fold windows. This gives you the opportunity to create a generous window seat that can form part of a dining or socialising area – a place where you are close to the kitchen, but have the feeling of being outside. They’re also a great option if you’re short on socialising space, as the seating area is integrated into the architecture. At Manbey Grove in Stratford, the kitchen and dining area is quite modest, so we installed aluminium bifold windows with slimline frames to create a compact yet comfortable soft-seating area while opening up a connection to the garden.

When an extension is south facing, it’s important

to consider shading. Maybe incorporate an overhanging roof to provide shade above your bi-fold doors – it will create a covered area perfect for sitting out, and will also allow kids to play outside in all weathers. Pay close attention here to how the old meets the new by choosing the right materials.