A Japanese Translucent Sliding Doors 02

Remodeling House Ideas : A Japanese Translucent Sliding Doors 02

Since the paper "breathes," ventilation is not impeded when shoji doors are closed. Heat loss, on the other hand, appears to be minimal.

Usually the paper is put onto the outside of the shoji, so that the beautiful wood latticework can be seen from inside the room. Should it be desired to have the lattice visible from both sides, rather more elaborate handiwork is necessary, since a double frame must be constructed. On the other hand, should one want both sides of the shoji to be papered, it is a simple matter to apply paper to the two sides of the frame.

Before glass became widely available, sliding wooden shutters were placed outside the shoji for protection, and at night or at times of strong wind or rain, these would be closed. Although the shoji could be left open on hot days, during cold spells they had to be kept shut, preventing people indoors from looking outside or into the garden. The advent of glass provided a solution. One method was to incorporate glass in a portion of the shoji behind the paper. By making that part of the shoji movable, it became possible to see outside without allowing the cold air in, and this kind of shoji came to be called "snow-viewing shoji" (yukimi-shoji). When making this kind of sho-ji,one must bear in mind that the line of vision will be determined by whether people will be sitting on the floor or on chairs.

Applications

For the American home, there are infinite possibilities for incorporating shoji. Shoji may be used like a curtain simply to control the amount of light entering a room by installing them next to regular glass windows. Being similar to double glazing, this arrangement provides good insulation.

Installing shoji over a window is another possibility. In cases where it is difficult to make shoji that fit nicely into the existing window frame, one shoji may be instead suspended from above, or fixed onto the wall. This kind of suspended shoji can be used in other ways inside the home. For example, it may be hung as a screen between the dining and living areas, and if a plant or flower arrangement is then placed in front of it, the completely white background provided by the shoji can make it look like a painting. Seen from the other side of the room, it appears as a beautiful silhouette.

SHOJI CONSTRUCTION

Ordinary shoji.

Shoji with vertical-moving section.

Shoji with horizontal-moving section.