Inspired glass

Dan Sullivan, MD of Doorco, talks about how effectively managing the glass supply chain has enabled the door manufacturer to launch a new and exclusive door glass collection.

Delivering just-in-time doors is a priority for Doorco; whether that’s just a slab, the door in part, or fully prepped and glazed doors.

One thing we’ve been able to offer our customers during lockdown is the flexibility to support them in the post-Covid boom, stepping in to offer a back-up to their door production with our added-value services such as painting, prepping and glazing.

We saw literally thousands more doors than usual pass through our factory in July and August. Never before has the critical role of a secure supply chain been more apparent. While none of us could have predicted this health and economic crisis, it’s been a relief to have Phil Taylor and his team managing our business-as-usual strategy, as well as working behind the scenes on creating an exclusive Doorco Glass collection which will be launching from October 26.

Doorco took the decision to widen the glass supply chain early this year with the main objective being to develop a robust supply chain for growth that protects and maintains continuity of supply, especially as customer demands become more complex and sophisticated. By making our supply chain more robust we can effectively manage our own stock and better deliver on our service promises. We also wanted to be able to give our customers something new and different. Working with Doorco offers our customers the competitive edge in a crowded marketplace so we must keep innovating to deliver.

Who else is better to turn to than Jeyda Heselton, our creative consultant.

During a discovery session early in January, we tasked Jeyda with creating her own collection of glass designs, some of which have you may have seen on The Pink Door Range. Jeyda describes the creative process behind some of the new glass being launched this year: “As a true doork, it’s been absolutely thrilling to be able to see behind the closed doors of Doorco. Early in 2020, before the world turned upside down, I met with the team to discuss ideas and I was challenged to create glass designs to complement Doorco’s plans for the coming year.

Just as I have seen the inside of a door company, I’m here to share how the creative process went, from start to finish.

“As always, Doorco’s style is to push the limits of traditional door design which gave me the freedom to pursue some creative glass ideas. Having spent years photographing residential doors but rarely being inspired by the glass panes, I decided to start by seeking inspiration from outside (and I mean quite literally). At the start of any creative journey, I head outdoors and just walk around, staring (some would say manically) at everything in the street.

“It’s a process I love doing and find extremely thought provoking. The trick is to take your time, no phone, no music and really just tune into the details of the world around you.

“As I wandered, I took photos of all the things I found visually interesting or that sparked particular trains of thought. When I got back, I uploaded them all onto the computer and started grouping them into categories.

“Two diametrically opposed themes stood out: natural world and manmade. Within those, the types of patterns and shapes then also fell into different narratives.

“With inspiration in the bag, I switched to sketching. Here, I marked out the shapes of glass that I knew were Doorco’s most popular sellers. I began simply experimenting, drawing inspiration from the photos of things I’d seen around the neighbourhood.

“Once I was happy with a few of the designs, I moved onto the computer. Here I could take the designs and try out endless colour combinations. My mild synesthesia meant I got stuck on this stage for several hours, constantly swapping and changing for new tones. Eventually, I realised I was probably getting carried away so forced the laptop shut and, in the morning, sent some samples over to Doorco.

“Admittedly, I was nervous to see what they would think, having never designed something of this nature before.

“To my delight, the feedback was really positive. We discussed our favourites and the marketing team helped to impose the designs into Doorco doors and then worked with RegaLead to find out whether the designs I’d created would even be possible to make. Thankfully, they were.

“Two of the most popular glass designs were integrated into the new pink door range, a project where Doorco is donating 20% of pink door slab profits to the charity, We Mind Kelly Matters.

“On one, glass features loud, abstract designs that celebrate human spontaneity. A huge pair of lips, somewhat reminiscent of the Rolling Stones, lies partially within the frame and large parallelograms shoot off diagonally, like a particularly confusing zebra crossing.

“On the other, bright, geometric shapes inspired by architecture and structural design. These are overlaid with playful flicks, which represent the mischievous crossover between the natural world and manmade design.

“There are a few more designs to come, which will be launched exclusively soon and added to the overall Doorco glass collection. I’m excited to see them become reality and to hear what you think.”

Doorco’s new glass collection, which includes some of Jeyda’s designs, is being launched to customers in October. Introducing these new designs to the collection, along with others from a wider supply chain, offers an opportunity for a reliable, robust and exclusive supply of door glass for the composite door mark.

www.door-co.com