Corridor storage 8109 BDI modern credenza corridor design story 1440
Design Stories

Behind the Louvered Doors: A Look Inside the Corridor Collection

Distinguished by its clean lines, minimalist aesthetic, and louvered door design, the Corridor collection is a feature-rich solution for those seeking beautifully functional furniture.

Designed by Associate Design Director Matthew Weatherly, Corridor debuted in 2013 with the collection's centerpiece, the 8179. The perfect example of multi-use design, this award-winning cabinet can serve as a full-featured home theater console or a versatile storage credenza.

Thoughtfully engineered from the inside out, the considerate mix of materials and attention to detail gives Corridor its timeless appeal. Here's an in-depth look into the design inspiration behind Corridor.

Key Takeaways: The Design Behind the Corridor Collection

Corridor combines architectural inspiration, refined materials, and thoughtful functionality in a collection designed for media, storage, entertaining, and the home office.

  1. The signature louvered doors are both beautiful and functional. Inspired by slatted architectural details, they add texture and visual depth while allowing sound, airflow, and remote-control signals to pass through closed doors.
  2. The floating satin-etched glass top creates a distinctive contrast. Its dark, softly textured surface emphasizes the warmth of the wood, resists fingerprints and smudges, and provides a durable surface for everyday use.
  3. Corridor helped redefine closed-door media furniture. The collection was BDI’s first to conceal entertainment components while still supporting clear sound, remote access, and proper ventilation.
  4. Integrated features simplify setup and protect electronics. Removable rear panels, flow-through ventilation, wire management, adjustable shelves, and vibration-dampening shelf pins keep components cool, organized, accessible, and secure.
  5. Hidden mobility makes the furniture easier to use. Concealed wheels allow cabinets to move for installation and maintenance, while integrated levelers provide stability once each piece is positioned.
  6. The Corridor aesthetic extends throughout the home. What began as a media collection has expanded into coordinated storage, bar, and office designs, allowing its signature look and functionality to work across a variety of spaces.

Thoughtful Aesthetics

Corridor's hallmark design feature is its handsomely crafted louvered doors. When developing the design, Weatherly said that he “always appreciated slatted architectural treatments on buildings and fences as a way of achieving texture, along with how light and shadows play on those surfaces. A slatted fascia on a media cabinet was a way to incorporate an architectural, but practical, solution for achieving airflow, infrared, and acoustic transparency.”

The slatted door feature also carries another benefit: it offers a stunning aesthetic in any interior space—traditional, transitional, or modern.

Corridor 8179 walnut louvered door design story
As both a design feature and practical element, the louvered doors mean Corridor’s design can easily transition from media cabinet to all-purpose furniture.
Corridor media BDI satin etched glass design story 720

Another unique element Weatherly incorporated into the Corridor collection's design was a custom-designed, floating satin-etched glass top surface.

This special glass is achieved by using a unique process that produces a lightly textured surface with a beautifully soft finish, making the glass resistant to smudges and fingerprints, but also tempered for durability.

"Using contrasting materials for the top panel and base gives the slatted doors a sense of warmth and focal emphasis for the design.”

Matthew Weatherly





“Though a matching wood top panel for a cabinet is an obvious solution, I was more interested in matching the darkened negative space between the wood slats. This is why I chose to go with a black glass top,” said Weatherly. “Constructed of 8mm thick tempered glass, the satin-etched top provides structural rigidity, along with a smooth textured feeling."

Now a distinctive feature of many BDI collections, this special glass top is made to withstand weight from components on top, resist scratches and smudges, and look beautiful for years to come.

True Function from Within

Integrating technological considerations to best provide the function and features that people really need is a core design philosophy behind every BDI collection—and Corridor is no different.

Corridor was designed so that users could accommodate, organize, and protect their home entertainment systems, while still maintaining a clean closed-door aesthetic—giving their media furniture greater versatility. 

Corridor 8175 chocolate walnut louvered door design story
Corridor was BDI’s first design to feature a closed-door aesthetic that permitted remote control signals, sound, and air to freely pass through.

Various features were also incorporated into the Corridor collection that have become standard on most BDI designs. These features not only protect and optimize the life of components inside, they also help to make setup easier.

Corridor Wire Management BDI

Vented and removable rear access panels make it easy to access ports, plugs, and connections while allowing proper flow-through air ventilation.

Hidden wheels and levelers in the base provide mobility and stability.

Corridor Media Console cable management louvered door design story

Corridor also integrates BDI’s proprietary wire-management system, which keeps cords and cables bundled and organized.

Power strip not included.

Corridor Adjustable Shelves BDI

Adjustable shelves with vibration dampening shelf pins allow users to tailor each piece to fit their components or storage needs.

Available designs also account for the latest technologies with such considerations as a built-in soundbar shelf or media storage drawer.

A Solution for Any Space

Though the first iteration of Corridor was for a media collection, Weatherly’s vision was to create coordinating designs that could be used for other purposes and in multiple spaces. This meant that fans of the collection could create a cohesive design for any room in the home.

Corridor Collection Story Standing Bar BDI
Corridor’s popularity inspired Weatherly to expand the collection to include standing bars that would grace entertaining spaces with the same beautiful aesthetic.

An expanded collection also meant Corridor could be at home in any entryway, living room, home theater space, or another area where storage is needed. The collection grew to include a smaller console, a corner console to fit various spaces and needs, and a matching audio tower.

Corridor Storage provides high-performing, feature-rich storage solutions tailored to your needs, whether you require a slim profile or a full-sized cabinet. Experience the perfect blend of innovative design and functionality with Corridor's versatile options.

Corridor Office BDI

Corridor Office—BDI’s first entry into the category — boasts the signature Corridor aesthetic and includes a desk, mobile file pedestal, storage credenza, and multifunction cabinet.

The office collection also applies such innovative features as wire management, adjustable shelves, hidden wheels and levelers, and functional storage spaces.

The award-winning Corridor Collection indeed set the bar for future BDI collections and has since inspired many additional award-winning designs.

Available for both home and office, Corridor is one of our largest and most popular collections and provides the versatility and first-in-class design principles that make BDI a leader in modern home furnishings.