Putting Fairy Doors Into The Design

In Ann Arbor, MI, fairy doors have started showing up at shops. According to National Public Radio, a six-inch white wooden door with a carved jamb framed by miniature bricks was the first to appear, outside Sweetwaterz Cafe. Since the spring of last year, seven more doors have appeared at businesses around Main Street.

Fairy door alongside the real door at the Red Shoes Shop in Ann Arbor, MI (from NPR.org)

Of course, these doors have no functional purpose. They only serve to delight customers and other folks who pass by, giving them something unexpected and different.

Little touches like this, in an otherwise mundane world, can serve to bring a smile to our faces, but they also have the ability of strengthening our bond to the attached brand. The shops, and even the city of Ann Arbor, now have something special about them: the fairies have moved in.

Finding ways to make our users life extend beyond the mundane is an excellent idea. It strengthen the bond the users have with our designs, making them that much more interested in accomplishing their goals.

What fairy doors have delighted you in designs you use? Have you put any fairy doors into your design?

Update: Jonathan b. Wright, the illustrator and creator of the fairy doors pointed us to his website. Definitely worth checking out. (I love how the kindegartners created fairy traps.)