This isn’t an exam question. Our kitchen is 2.82m high, 3.46m wide. I’m replacing french doors with a new sliding door, which will be 2.5m wide (a 1.25m sliding pane and a 1.25m fixed pane). I’m struggling with deciding what the height should be. I thought a 2.5m square to let as much light into the kitchen as possible (have to leave some space above for new lintel), but my wife thinks the proportions are wrong and has quoted the golden ratio. I had to look that up & apparently to be most pleasing on the eye the ratio is 1.618. So if the width is 2.5m, the height would be either 4.045m or 1.54m. Clearly, both are impractical. She is suggesting 2.2m which is the height of the current french doors but I think that is a wasted opportunity to let more light in. Anyone here an architect/ have any advice?

TTIUWOP

[/url]Golden ratio[/img]

The light balance in the picture looks a little over saturated!

Edit.. I can see it now

A tad taller sliding door, slightly wider than the current ones, and moved slightly more to the right as the current ones are too close to the wall.. is what I’d suggest.

In my expert (cough) opinion 🙂

The anti gravity lamps are also a bit last season 8)

If you’re gong to all that bother, why not turn the whole wall into glass?

I’d be inclined to make the doors wider. As wide as possible. Then higher.

sorry, was trying to put up a better picture!
[/url]Golden ratio v2[/img]

Thanks for the response.
I wanted to make door wider (increase from 1.78m currently to 2.5m) to get more light in to the room – 6.8m long. There is currently glass bricks to the right hand side which we will lose behind cupboards, and another side window that will become smaller to sit above work surface so losing all that light. Kitchen cupboards run all down right hand side, so 650mm from right hand side.

Standard height for doors is 2100mm…. might get expensive to have a “custom“ height for just 100mm more … ?

If it’s about aesthetics, then keeping the same ratio of proportions as the wall that the door is in is likely to look better than an off centre square.

If you want extra light, bling everything up with mirrors (Discoballs FTW!!!)