Let there be Lite

Andy Grogan, associate sales director for Distinction Doors, explores how the demand for more light in our homes has led to the launch of the composite door supplier’s latest door design – the 3 Quarter Lite.

Natural light has become a top property demand in recent years as being confined to our homes during the pandemic has given us a craving for more space.

And this isn’t confined to larger, social areas such as kitchen-diners. With more people regularly working from home, we require light to filter deeper into our properties.

These requirements have led to a surge in property transformations. In May 2021, the Metro reported ‘…search volume data for Velux window installations have increased by 50% since the beginning of lockdown.’ As the UK’s largest supplier of composite doors, we too experienced a sharp rise in orders, most notably of our glazed door styles.

Glazed doors – front & back

Traditional door styles dominated Distinction door sales in 2021. Doors from both the signature and nxt-gen collections ranked highly, with Esteem (ES02) and Elegance (EL01) featuring multiple times in the top ten.

The popularity of these door styles is unsurprising. Both feature expanses of glass, allowing light to pour into entrance halls, kitchens, utilities and rear entrances.

To capitalise on this demand for traditional, glazed door styles, we are launching the 3 Quarter Lite, a new GRP composite door with large aperture. We are confident that the new design will prove a popular option for both front and back doors.

The 3 Quarter Lite launches in white and is also available in bespoke colours from the Distinction colour palette, on an extended lead-time.

It can be elevated with three glass designs from the Distinction glass range – Kara Zinc, Palma and Monza. This selection caters for different tastes and property styles, with a nod to traditional, modern and Art Deco styling.

With the glazed area measuring 558mm x 1,218mm, homeowners will reap the reward of a larger aperture. While the three glass designs offer privacy, they also allow light to pour into the interior, softened and fractured by the detailing.

Versatile blank

Fabricators will benefit from the door blank’s versatility. Available in two sizes, 838mm and 914mm, the 3 Quarter Lite blanks can be trimmed by 40mm off the top and each side, and 70mm from the bottom. Parameters extend from 914mm maximum to 758mm minimum.

The compression moulded panel features a high-definition design with timber characteristics. The stiles and rails are composed of water-resistant polymer which is bonded to the skin and filled with an insulating core of 100% CFC-free polyurethane.

The snap-fit cassette provides fabricators and installers with consistency in design, and more significantly, colour, where applicable. Distinction Doors coats its cassettes using paint with the same batch number as its associated door blank to ensure a perfect colour match.

Quality you’d expect

As with all our doors, buyers of the 3 Quarter Lite will benefit from its exceptional performance – incomparable security features; remarkable durability; excellent weatherproofing; superb sound insulation; and most important during these testing times, excellent thermal efficiency.

The 3 Quarter Lite door blank also meets the specification requirements of PAS 24: 2016 and is Secured by Design approved.

Coupled with the door’s large aperture and aesthetics, the 3 Quarter Lite will prove a popular choice with many homeowners. This makes it a must-have door design for installation and home improvement companies.

Proactive partner

Demand for this door has been driven by consumers. As a business, we are proud of our response to market demands; we closely monitor emerging trends – whether that’s door styles or paint colours, and we are extremely pleased to add the 3 Quarter Lite to our portfolio.

The 3 Quarter Lite will feature in the new Distinction Doors brochure, due later this Spring. It has already been added to the Design Boutique for all Distinction customers and to the door-designer for installers, home improvement companies and consumers, alike.

If you’d like to find out how your business can benefit from the latest in door designs, colours and glass designs, please get in touch.