[ridesteeps]

After spending last week playing with electricity it is time to start assembling some of my woodwork. Like everything else I am no carpenter but it is coming along. So far I have built a couple cupboards and a medium sized closet to hang cloths. I have not made the doors yet but am curious if anyone has any recommendations on hinges or latches that I could order from amazon or another retailer.I am thinking a traditional swing open instead of the airplane style that lifts up. I attached a photo of my interior thus far to give an idea of my setup.Cheers and thanks.

 

[baitbegger44##]

It looks nice....no recommendations....just a question.....why wood panels instead of white.....or even a mural......I am a Woodturners so I know and like wood color.....also at some point Brown becomes brown.....I have been experimenting with color in my "calabash Zia" series....white makes a room larger to the senses.....your build is impressive.....looking forward to u sharing your progress....

 

[MsNomer]

It looks nice....no recommendations....just a question.....why wood panels instead of white.....or even a mural......I am a Woodturners so I know and like wood color.....also at some point Brown becomes brown.....I have been experimenting with color in my "calabash Zia" series....white makes a room larger to the senses.....your build is impressive.....looking forward to u sharing your progress....

I was thinking the same thing. Looks like good quality workmanship is being cheapened by choice of finish. But if he paints it white, RD will think it's sterile. (Longstanding inside joke.)

You could use button catches like many do. They have the advantage of being almost flush when locked.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

baitbegger44##,
Your point about color and our perception of space is well taken. MsNomer has a good sense of it and when you step in her van it has an openness and a sense of being bigger than a 136 van might be. In ridesteeps and many others’ defense here I understand that material surfaces are ascetic choices particular to the builder and here we generally avoid any comment that might be seen as criticism.
In the 1970’s I built a stone house with a country-cabin interior that had nearly all surfaces of wood. Nice wood by the way, no plywood or fake panels. A friend with interior decorator skills advised me to add several interior walls with nearly white sheetrock to “give ones eyes a surface to relax on”. I resented it, but with my wife’s urging we did it and that house was such an improved space to live in I have since planned such surfaces into the finishes in anything I build.
My son has a sauna in his home in NH and it is about the size of a van. For an hour using it for its intended purpose it is a wood cave, a retreat, a comfort. But not for two! My van has the nearly black factory panels. Someday I must paint them some light color. Flaxen Fields by California Colors might be nice.
I like surface hinges in brushed or nickel to let the hardware show. I too recommend the push to lock hardware for catches.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Adiyer-Stainless-Cabinet-Cupboard-Jewelry/dp/B074P1KGGP/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1510282593&sr=8-24&keywords=surface+hinges[/ame]
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Package-Cabinet-Keyless-Cupboard-cabinets/dp/B01NBP67MM/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1510282672&sr=1-6&keywords=RV+push+catch[/ame]

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

baitbegger44##,
Your point about color and our perception of space is well taken. MsNomer has a good sense of it and when you step in her van it has an openness and a sense of being bigger than a 136 van might be. In ridesteeps and many others’ defense here I understand that material surfaces are ascetic choices particular to the builder and here we generally avoid any comment that might be seen as criticism.
In the 1970’s I built a stone house with a country-cabin interior that had nearly all surfaces of wood. Nice wood by the way, no plywood or fake panels. A friend with interior decorator skills advised me to add several interior walls with nearly white sheetrock to “give ones eyes a surface to relax on”. I resented it, but with my wife’s urging we did it and that house was such an improved space to live in I have since planned such surfaces into the finishes in anything I build

Interesting topic and probably worthy of another thread. When browsing through commercial class B's all around the same size, I was struck by how much larger some models felt than others and this all comes down to interior design. MsNomer's van is a great example of the use of negative space. Large windows and her well-guarded open space create much of that feeling. A similar trick is to use reflecting surfaces like mirrors, metal trim and gloss finishes. The white walls RD's designer friend recommended is a method of creating a focal point. Lighting is important as well as contrasting colors and shapes.

Putting this all together, I'd consider light colored or neutral doors for the cabinets with maybe the rounded edges that you see in some Eurocamper designs. Top it off with shiny hardware like nickel as RD suggests, and things could look brighter without changing too much of the fine work you've done. Since you've made the choice of side opening doors, sliding latches would be another option to the push button latches.

Something like this maybe:

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/St-Simons-11041-015-Professional-Quality/dp/B0193VWYRI/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1510307528&sr=1-3&keywords=Sliding+bolt+latch+nickel[/ame]

These are my aesthetics, but above all choices made should be personal to make it your own. Tastes may vary, but as I understand it, good design principles do not.