TopLine XL by Hettich, launched this year, is a concealed, premium sliding door system which handles doors weighing up to 80kg with ease. For soft opening, soft closing, three door applications, collision damping – whatever the scenario, TopLine XL’s quality and design excellence ensures that it will work beautifully and feel luxurious at the same time. The Silent System soft-close feature allows the damping force to be adjusted as preferred.

TopLine XL is easy to install. The doors are simply hooked into the top running profile, and a light press against the cabinet engages the bottom rollers which are fitted out of sight below the bottom panel. Integrated height adjustment guarantees perfect alignment.

There is maximum flexibility in the type and positioning of handles, because the degree to which the door is offset can be selected on the guiding component. This also makes for easy opening of internal drawers. The door reveal can also be selected by fitting the end stop wherever suits.

Hettich’s research into consumer preferences for accessing cabinets suggests that, from the kitchen to the bedroom, the sliding action is becoming ever more popular.

This is in tune with trends for other consumer goods, too. Car doors, tablet PCs and smart phones are all pushing the sliding theme in their latest designs.

According to Hettich, sliding doors open up a wealth of options for purist-style furniture and interior design, make excellent use of space and provide ergonomic and unobstructed access. With this in mind, Hettich has placed a spotlight on sliding doors this year with its ‘Slide it. Love it.’  theme, which was launched at Interzum.

For its research, Hettich interviewed a representative sample of consumers in Germany, where fittings purchasing habits tend to foretell global trends. The research revealed decision-making behaviour in buying furniture as well as on the immediate perception of the practical convenience which different door mechanisms offer.

Compared directly with side-mounted doors and flaps, sliding doors were clearly favoured because they stay out of the way when they are open, require no space on opening and closing, and make the ideal choice for open-plan homes.

Asked which doors respondents would opt for if they were buying a new piece of furniture, the results show that after coming face-to-face with sliding doors in a video presentation, these were the preferred option for all furniture - from wardrobes to living-room cabinets and kitchen wall units.

This summer, Hettich launched a new Sliding and Folding Doors UK Collection, with a brochure to accompany it, and also brought out the latest customer-friendly Furniture Fittings and Applications catalogue which can be ordered from Hettich. The latest edition reflects Hettich’s entire range of technology for furniture and is seen as the standard work for the target group of manufacturers and designers.

Tel 0161 872 9552
www.hettich.com/uk