Fountainhead Ventures is a small construction and housing development company based in Harrogate, Yorkshire. The company specialises in full house renovations and conversions, for private clients, and developments of newbuilds up to ten houses at a time.

Fountainhead’s current project is a development of nine luxury houses at Church Farm, in South Stainley, near Harrogate. They’re eco-houses all built from structurally insulated panels (SIPS).

Compared to an average house, these properties could be considered palatial in size and design as they boast 450 - 500m2 floorplans, with very little expense spared in the construction and interior design. Each property has up to 20 doors made up from a combination of concealed hinge and sliding pocket doors, all from ECLISSE.

The ultra-sleek interior design that McMillian so effortlessly delivers eschews the notion of any kind of visible trim, architrave, or skirting throughout the house, so much so that even the lights are trim-less. In keeping with this, McMillian has installed units from the ECLISSE Syntesis Flush collection that are architrave free, with concealed hinged door frames, as well as using flush skirting board adapters. This has created clean lines and matches flawlessly with the style and décor choices that were chosen in order to create a minimalist interior. “We term this interior design choice ‘low fenestration’,” explains Andrew McMillian Director of Fountainhead Ventures. “We’ve used recessed skirting that looks neat and modern, and not used any architrave to create a look with the most minimal of detail. It’s inspired by Scandi-style housing and interior design, which is a style that people really value and want.”

The Scandi-style is continued on the exterior of the houses with Siberian Larch cladding, trim-free windows, and hidden gutters. Less is more, and the finished façade is immaculate.

“We believe that it’s important to live in a place that’s beautiful, a place that you just can’t wait to get back to,” says McMillian. “We’ve used skilled tradespeople to help us to create this effect.”

As to why McMillian decided to use ECLISSE pocket door systems on his project rather than hinged doors, he says that it’s a cultural thing to do with the way houses are made in the USA, as well as the convenience of the product: “In the States, where I’m from, we’ve been using pocket doors for decades, because we have timber constructed houses, which makes it simple to create the pocket for the door. I used to have a house that was a hundred years old, and that had pocket doors,” he says. “If you’re building internal stud walls, there’s no reason not to use pocket door systems. They should be used in all houses, not just luxury apartments. I believe that this is the way that everyone will go in the future. Even though they’re a little more expensive than a hinged door, the benefits are evident to anyone who uses them. I will be using ECLISSE pocket door systems on my developments as often as possible.”

ECLISSE pocket door systems are perfectly aligned with the type of luxury homes that McMillian designs and creates. They offer convenient connections between rooms, they save space and allow for enhanced floorplans, as well as the obvious aesthetic benefits. “There’s so many places where you don’t want to have to deal with the swing of a door, such as with a room that you would like to be able to close off, but most of the time it’ll be left open, you don’t want to have the door swing in the way,” explains the Fountainhead Ventures Director. “Pocket doors remove the arc of the door, so in terms of interior flow, if you leave a pocket door open, circulation works better. A hinged door limits the interior design, by simply being in the way. Pocket door systems also remove the issue of a hinged door opening up against a toilet or a sink. They’re also very convenient between bedrooms and bathrooms as they create an easier flow of movement between these rooms,” says McMillian.

McMillian will be using ECLISSE pocket door systems on future developments as he says that they are ideal for creating the style that he, and his clients love: “ECLISSE pocket door systems are my go-to product for any of my modern style developments. I love the clean lines of the Syntesis® Flush Hinged with its concealed frame and concealed hinges. I’ve even had special custom-made door produced for this system, and they’ve worked really well,” concludes McMillian.

Photography credit: Andrew McMillan