One step ahead
Nick Ballinger and Mike Wilson, regional sales managers at Everglade Windows, talk about how the introduction of a steel-look sash option for its aïr 900 bi-fold doors and how it is helping its customers stay ahead in the market.
When it comes to design trends, it’s apparent that steel-look industrial glazing is becoming the new standard in the interior design and consumer market.
If you flip through inspirational home magazines or scroll across Instagram, you’ll see more and more industrial inspired glazing appearing throughout the home in the form of room dividers, shower screens, in kitchen designs and now for external doors – a clear sign that it is becoming a pivotal design element.
The appeal of increasingly-slimmer sightlines, beautiful aesthetics, high-performing thermal efficiency and security is apparent among homeowners, so it’s vital that installers have the right products to supply this demand now and not later.
Investing in the future
An installer having on-trend products at their fingertips is a surefire way for them to stay ahead of competition. Homeowners are constantly looking for the next ‘in’ design trend and falling short of being able to provide them with the products they want can mean installers are losing orders.
It’s our job as a fabricator to stay on top of changing behaviours, so we can create the products that provide our customers with an edge.
At Everglade Windows, it’s in our DNA to continuously look for ways to innovate. A large part of our success in providing excellence for our customers lies in our dedication to continued research and development when it comes to both products and homeowner demands. We’ve seen the value of that in our most recent product introductions, that we launched in 2023, which included our aïr 900 Contemporary bi-fold door.
Initially created in response to growing homeowner demands for natural light and a seamless connection to outdoor spaces, our aïr 900 bi-fold door has delivered our customers with an on-trend, modern glazing system that their customers are looking for. In addition, the aïr 900 bi-fold door comes with PAS 24 certification; sash sizes of up to 1.2m x 3m; a weight limit of 120kg; configurations up to 14 panels wide; and achieves U-values from 1.0 W/m²k.
Our aïr 900 Heritage bi-fold door is an extension of this popular range and has been meticulously designed and manufactured from the ground up. Every element – including the addition of specifically designed steel-look profiles and astragal bars – reflects our commitment to going one step further to provide a door that fully emulates the industrial Art Deco trend, while offering the highest-quality product expected from Everglade Windows.
Product design
We know that design preferences never stay the same. Since 1980, we’ve seen trends come and go, but by tracking consumer behaviour and assessing when and where the newest trend will land has helped inform our decisions around what kind of products we need to design, in order to service that demand.
Thanks to this investment into product research and development, the diversification of our aïr 900 bi-fold door range – now available in Contemporary and Heritage options – gives our customers multiple design choices so they can offer homeowners a cutting-edge doorset, no matter their preferred design aesthetic.
Our latest product development is another example of our dedication to providing our customers with the products they need to remain competitive in today’s market. They know that by partnering with Everglade Windows, they are buying from a fabricator that is leading the way with product innovation and making them a leader in their own right.
