Yes. You are reading it right. Australians built bifold doors in the US. But why?
In 2011, an Australian couple moved to Mill Valley in the US. Mill Valley is located within the heart of the US computer software and tech industry. Houses there cost a lot of money, as you will see at the end of this piece. When they moved, they planned on doing a major renovation but they wanted to keep some of their Australian roots.
At purchase, the home hadn’t been renovated in 37 years. It was of an older design, didn’t let in a lot of light and had a badly outdated kitchen. In 2012, they began the renovation. They designed everything themselves, with the help of internet resources such as Dwell Magazine for inspiration. When they knew what they wanted, they hired an architect to draw up plans for them.
The renovation included touches such as a staircase with stainless steel balustrades and a Caesarstone island in the kitchen, which was described as their “dream kitchen.” They used an open floor plan to let in light and better utilise their space.
The finishing touch: a “great room” with a huge fireplace and bifold doors opening onto a view deck. According to the couple, nearly nobody in the US had even heard of bifold doors at the time, though they are now becoming more popular.
The couple is selling the home now. For $2.6 million.
What it Means to You
We don’t know if it really means anything but we love the story for two reasons. First is that the bifold door is uniquely Australian. The second is that someone loves their Australian roots so much they incorporated it to their home by building and installing bifold doors.
We don’t know if the home would be selling for $2.6 million without the popular configuration of open floor plan and bifold doors leading to an alfresco area but we are guessing it certainly didn’t hurt.
To learn more or for a free design consult with your builder, call us today: (08) 6500 6888.