Each home interior has it’s own personality. When it comes to decorating inside our homes – paint colors, furniture, and throw pillows are usually the first things that come to mind. During a more extensive decor remodel – the floors, walls and ceilings will typically get special attention. But many times an important element is overlooked.
Interior doors.
Choosing the interior doors for your home can be a challenge, but finding a type and style that flows with the rest of your interior can add an extra detail that will really make your home feel pulled together and unified. The great news is that there are many interior door choices available (both for purchase and as DIY endeavors) – and finding the right match for your home should not only be possible, but fun.
I have put together a little guide, complete with inspiring images, to help take the guess work out of your decision making.
DOOR OPERATION TYPES
Choose which will work best for the function and space you are trying to serve. Each has it’s own benefits. Listed below are the most popular types available in today’s market.
HINGED/CONVENTIONAL SWING
This door type is the most common used for home interiors. They can be hinged on either the right or left side of the frame, and swing into or out of the room – depending on how you want them to function. These doors are readily available in a large variety of sizes. The most common residential size is a standard 2′-8″ wide by 6′-8″ high.
BI-FOLD
Bi-fold doors are also called folding doors, and are most commonly used for closets in homes. The door, when closed, fills the entire cased opening – but, as the name would suggest, fold in half (outward) when opened. The benefit of the bi-fold door is that you do not need as much space in front of the door to be clear when opening.
FRENCH
A pair of doors that swing either into our out of a room, hinged on the outer edge of the opening. When both doors are open a large opening is created. This door type is very popular to use between rooms – for privacy when needed, or the feeling of an open floor plan when privacy is not a concern. Generally french doors utilize some sort of glass panel configuration.
Pocket doors are considered the ultimate space savers. The door travels on rollers that are suspended in an overhead track. When fully open, the door is completely hidden in a cavity created in the adjacent wall. This type of door is becoming more common as the function has improved over the years. Pocket doors have the ability to lock, making them useful in a variety of applications – from closets to bathrooms.
BYPASS
Bypass doors also come in pairs, or in a three door configuration (as shown). They are set on a track that fills the opening, with one door mounted slightly in front of the other – so that when they open they will slide past one another. These doors are almost exclusively used for closet applications. The benefit of this door type is that it does not take up extra floor space with a swing; But, you will only have access to those things behind the door that is open – making them a bit inconvenient.
SLIDING BARN
This type of door has been made very popular recently by the tv show ‘Fixer Upper’. Barn doors hang from a track outside the room/closet that will be accessed. Because of this, the doors themselves need to be wider than the opening – and the track needs to be long enough so that the door can slide completely out of the way. Essentially, the track needs to be at least double the width of the opening you want to access. Be sure that the hardware used to mount and operate the door is high quality – so that you don’t end up with clunky (or squeaky) operation.
INTERIOR DOOR STYLES
You can find the above door operation types in a variety of styles to match the preferences for your home design. Listed here are the most common styles.
FLAT
This style of door is also called ‘flush’. Essentially these are doors that have no extra ornamentation, and have a smooth simple finish. They are most commonly used in modern styled homes. They can be made of a solid piece of wood, but more commonly are composed of thinner veneer pieces of wood – which creates a door that is more lightweight.
SHAKER
A shaker (or craftsman) style door is composed of a flat center panel and square edge raised panels. These doors have a clean, simple look and are one of the most popular varieties used today.
RAISED PANEL
This type of door is a bit more ornamental in that the panels themselves are created with more detail – sometimes with arched top panels.
PLANK
Plank doors are composed of a series of boards, or planks – either in a vertical or horizontal application. They are popular for homes with country styled decor.
CROSS BUCK
When you see this type of door, you will most likely have visions of barns going through your mind. That classic ‘x’ pattern is called a cross buck. These doors are also becoming very popular with homes designed in the ‘farmhouse style’.
LOUVERED
This style features a door that has slats, or louvers. They are a perfect choice for areas that need ventilation but also require a bit of privacy or screening, such as a laundry space or electrical closet. The filtered light that the louvers allow can be a benefit for some design applications.
Again, there are so many choices when it comes to interior doors! I hope that this mini-guide can help you determine the differences between the doors, and allow you to choose the perfect version to accent your home!
