Black Panels Add Sophistication

In a hilltop location in Lincoln Heights north of Los Angeles, some new homeowners recently commissioned Zen Door to create shoji to reveal a sensational view. With four doors and four tracks to cover an entire wall in the living room of the home, the track was an unusually long 23 feet. The upper and lower tracks were custom made by Zen Door out of a single piece of douglas fir.

While they appear painted black, the doors seen here are actually a very dark ebony finish, with some wood grain visible. Thanks to Zen Door's exclusive track hardware, the sliding action of the doors is effortless, and adjustable stops keep the doors within a desired area of travel.

From order to installation generally runs 45-60 days, depending on our workload.

How Are We Gonna Get It Up There?

Zen Door Company recently installed room divider shojis consisting of two small, fixed side panels and one large sliding door for a Westwood apartment . The sliding door's dimensions were 7x8, so using an elevator or stairs to get the door upstairs was not an option. The only way to get the door onto the fifth floor was to lift it up from outside balconies by rope. Not a problem, though, since shoji doors are comparatively lightweight.

The owners made a conscious decision to keep the design simple.. But the primary challenge of this installation was the concrete ceilings, which required a special drilling technique to mount the track hardware.

Instead of a base track with channels, Zen Door used door guides for this install, which keep the door in place but occupy minimal floor space. Four small guides in strategic locations are all that's required to keep the door in position as it retracts along a wall. The double-sided panels were completed in solid oak with a natural, semi-gloss finish.

Living Rooms That Glow and Shimmer

In Torrance, Sara Hamayoshi wanted to install shoji sliding panels in a window to cover a parking area. Zen Door company came up with a four-door, two track solution in vertical grain douglas fir. These tall, slender doors have small hipboards and an upper and lower facia board on the tracks.

The south-facing exposure makes these shojis ideal for light distribution. Each shoji panel consists of two parts: a frame of solid wood, and the shoji screen which fits inside the frame, inserted from the back.

Almost all of Zen Door's installs are custom made by Zen Door, although we sometimes install used shoji doors for our customers, and repairs and repapering are a specialty.

Large Ojai Home Installs Shoji

One of our clients, Linda Morris, recently installed custom design shoji doors in a bedroom closet of her Ojai home. Zen Door used red oak stained with a precise color value to match Linda's floors. She specified a "wave" grid design, as well as the number of rows and columns she wanted in her shoji panels.

Zen Door installed the base track with only two screws at the periphery of the install, to minimize any impact on the oak floors. Even though the built-in header was uneven, our install team inserted shims under the track to level the path of the doors across the 9 foot opening.

The final fit on this install met very high tolerances, with a very snug fit and close spacing between the doors, straight and consistent frames, excellent squaring to the opening, and extremely smooth performance.

We're Changing Our Name

Fanfare, please. For those of you who know us as West Valley Shoji, we've changed our name to Zen Door Service Company. You'll still get the same great service and attention to detail. There has been no change of ownership or staff. We did it to achieve better name recognition, since it may surprise you (or perhaps not) that even folks of Japanese ancestry went "huh?", when they heard the word "shoji" coming from us. "What's that?" they said.

Tell your friends about Zen Door Company. Then give us a call. Or email.

New Ocean View Locations Go with Asian-Inspired Design

Zen Door has installed full-wall sliding panels for an exclusive ocean view condo in Montecito, in association with interior firm Kathryne Designs of Studio City. These panels are 8 foot tall and run floor to ceiling on the north and south walls. Zen drilled carefully into the custom floor tiles and concrete base to install track elements. 

Zen Door created a matching stain and finish to the designer's specifications. The client was thrilled with the results. In the photo,  the doors are still covered in their protective delivery wrap. 

Further south in the city of Ventura, Zen recently created three, glossy black shoji doors which enclose a bar area with a built-in sink.

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Transforming your home with natural light and timeless design.                     

Zen Door Company sets your home or business apart with the elemental, intricate look of intelligent Asian design. Gain the luxury of privacy while also enjoying the benefits of diffused, natural light, which can significantly enhance the look of your space. 

In recent months, Zen has made shoji for some of the most distinguished homes and offices in Southern California, including locations in Westwood, Brentwood, Hollywood, Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Moorpark, Ventura, Laguna Beach, Santa Barbara, Downtown LA, Hawthorne, and Santa Monica. We also have shipped our shoji work across the country to happy clients in Virginia and Chicago.       

Achieve a delightful aesthetic for home or office, interior or exterior. No job is too small or too large. All labor and materials are local. Owner works on all jobs. 

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CONTACT INFORMATION: 818-882-8887 or john@zendoor.us

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