TruFacts Newsletter - March 2009
TruStile Doors Elevate Design of Recent Trump Taj Mahal Tower
Visitors will find over 3,400 custom TruStile doors adorning the openings of the latest addition to Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Majal resort. The $255 million Chairman Tower opened its 780+ suites in December 2008, supplying guests with impressive shoreline views, high-stakes gambling salons and one-of-a-kind TruStile doors.
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The property’s artful conception has a contemporary Asian flair, with hallways clothed in rich reds, oranges and browns. Hired to realize the Tower’s decadence, Calvin Dix of Hirsch Bedner Associates customized the exotic suite entry doors. According to Dix, he pushed the design envelope by working with TruStile to create flush MDF doors with Macassar ebony inlays and nogal walnut ladder patterns.
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Echoing the unique ladder design of the entry, the interior suite doors offer guests another unique element of discovery. Bathroom doors feature a saffron 3form® resin insert that emits an artistic glow when the bathroom is in use, and French closet doors are outfitted with similar ladder inserts and modish handlesets.
Deriving his inspiration from his disdain for cookie-cutter doors, Dix continually creates designs that complement his projects’ architectural styles. “The only thing worse than a flat door is a door with applied moulding,” he says. “Doors are very important—and so are the handles. But the door is 1,000 percent bigger than the handle.”
Dix specializes in high-end hospitality design, where he says the critical design importance of doors is frequently neglected. “We take them for granted. They’re ubiquitous,” he says. “But doors greet you when you arrive and say goodbye upon your departure. They leave an impression on you.”
A long-time TruStile advocate, Dix trumpets TruStile’s products to architects, builders and designers. “There are all sorts of other MDF doors out there, but the difference between a TruStile door and another MDF door is like watching an analog television versus a high-definition television. With TruStile’s crisp style lines, it’s like seeing doors in high definition.”
Dix’s distinctive door designs join a number of other well-appointed amenities at the newly opened Chairman Tower. Suite features include spacious bathrooms, oversized walk-in showers, Brazilian granite countertops, iPod® docking stations and 50-inch plasma televisions.
TruStile Doors Add to Vintage Character of East Coast Cottage
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Located a few miles outside Saratoga Springs, NY, Mark and Lucianna Samu’s 200-year-old farmhouse has exceptional river views and abundant historic character. When they purchased the property several years ago, it was falling apart inside and out. After hiring contractors to secure the foundation and restore the home’s structure, the Samus turned their attention to the finer design details, including doors and millwork.
Mark, a long-time photographer, and Lucianna, a designer, partnered with TruStile to ensure their home’s doors matched its warm, classic architecture. Using a variety of MDF and wood door applications, the Samus selected panel configurations that offered a consistent, but uniquely vintage, statement. “We still wanted the house to feel like it was 200 years old, and we didn’t want the doors to feel like they were all ordered at the same time,” said Mark.
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Converting the cottage garage into office space, the Samus chose a unique glass option for the office’s double Dutch doors. “We replaced the top panels with glass to lighten the room and take advantage of the beautiful river view,” says Mark. The glass inserts also give the room a more inclusive feel. “If there were a solid door there, the office would feel too removed from the rest of the house.” The office doors are also a favorite of Lucianna, who says the rich, solid alder sets the room apart, raises the home’s architectural integrity and enhances the cottage atmosphere.
Capitalizing on TruStile’s made-to-order door options, the Samus also designed small, French doors to fit their standard bedroom openings. “Since it’s an older home, we needed to maximize room space,” says Mark. “To help with this, we created small, double doors that open into the hallway. That was the nice thing--if we thought of something and drew it up, TruStile could make it.”
“These are all heavy, quality doors. Our carpenters were really impressed. That’s the biggest beauty of them. They’re solid,” says Mark. “We just didn’t want hollow-core, pre-hung doors in our 200-year-old house.”
As a designer who’s renovated and remodeled many homes, Lucianna values not only TruStile’s quality, but the distinctive design options that make TruStile unique. “The combination of wood species and panel styles are nearly endless, making a singularly custom look for discerning clients,” she says. “And I know the doors will perform and last.”
Believing doors to be an often-overlooked design detail, Mark says TruStile products make a stand-out difference in a home’s quality and architectural style. “I photograph so many houses, and some of the most expensive homes—many worth millions of dollars—have hollow-core doors,” he says. “Those aren’t even doors! Are you kidding me?”
For more about the Samus and their innovative design ideas, check out their latest book—Can’t Fail Room Makeovers—available from Creative Homeowner Press.
