Gorgeous Glass Walls: 15 Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Living Spaces

Folding glass doors are ideal for opening an interior space to an outdoor living area — creating flow between a living room and deck, for example. “A folding system allows the panels to neatly fold accordion-style and remain 90 degrees to the opening for a wide-open, unobstructed view,” say the pros at LaCantina Doors.

Large expanses of glass are one key tool architects use to create a strong connection between a house and its surroundings. In this new house set on a vineyard, the team at Mihaly Slocombe strove to design a house that would “feel cozy when occupied only by our clients and their golden retriever, yet spacious during frequent visits from family and friends. The house also needed to establish a strong connection between indoor spaces and the natural environment.” To achieve these goals, the architects surrounded the living space with sliding and bifolding doors framed with western red cedar.

If you can’t incorporate a whole wall of glass, think smaller. “There are many areas in the home that would benefit from the features of a folding wall system, but may not have space to accommodate such a large opening. JELD-WEN® custom wood folding windows offer the same advantages of a folding wall system — increased natural light, easy access to the outdoors for entertaining, gorgeous views — in any room of the home,” says Jim Parello, Vice President of Marketing for JELD-WEN.

Enclosing an area with sliding or folding windows allows you flexibility in how you use and experience the space depending on the season, the occasion, or just your mood. When choosing a large-opening door, your choices are virtually limitless. Here, folding doors open an intimate dining area to a much more expansive space.