The doors in your home may be the last thing on your mind when it comes to interior design, but they can have a profound impact on how you move through and relate to your space. An interior door should not only give you great function, but is an opportunity to provide unexpected surprise and ray of happy.

Here are a few things to consider when thinking about the style of the doors you’ll be replacing or adding to your home:

1. What’s the function of the door? Is this a passage door (for access between spaces) or is it meant to cover storage (closets, pantries, etc.)? Do you want it to look like a door, add to the decoration in the room, or be a secret door (like a bookcase door)?

2. Is visual privacy a priority? Are you trying to let light in through this door? If you need to hide things (or yourself) away, or limit distractions while trying to work or relax, then you’ll need a solid door, or at least a glass door that is somewhat obscured. On the other hand, if you are trying to separate spaces while letting light in from room to room, a clear glass door might be all you need.

3. How much sound privacy do you need? Barn doors look awesome and can be a great space-saver in the right application, but they offer the least amount of audio privacy since they hang from a glider above the door which leaves a small gap and lets sound through. Likewise, glass doors are a great way to let light in from room to room, but definitely don’t soften sound like a solid door. A solid wood, hinged door will offer the most sound privacy since it offers a fully closed barrier, with a solid wood pocket door close behind in sound privacy.

4. Do you need a space-saving solution? Pocket and barn doors are terrific space savers, but don’t forget to think about your electrical! Pocket doors slide in and out of a hole in the wall, so you can’t place outlets or light switches on that same wall. Likewise, barn doors cover the wall when open, so you won’t want a light switch hiding behind that barn door! If space-efficiency is on your mind, watch out for double swing (french) doors. If you have enough wall space for them to open and tuck against the wall they might be out of the way, but remember that to open and close them you won’t be able to place any furniture in that swing zone, and just like with barn doors, make sure you don’t place any light switches awkwardly behind the open swing door.

5. Thinking about an element of surprise or an interesting feature? Paint your pocket door with a surprise pop of color, or add an artful barn door to your space to add a little extra happy to your home! A feature door like these amongst a sea of more simple doors can really highlight a specific area of your home, or even function as an art piece!

Want a secret surprise? Why not hide a room with a bookcase door? So fun! This one is from The Hidden Door Store, but if you have a unique opening that needs a custom-fit solution, local finish carpenter Aaron Hawkins of The Creative Carpenter can help!

Although the doors in your home don’t all have to match, try to keep your hardware consistent throughout (except for on feature doors like the textured metal barn door above or any other door that is basically a piece of art!).

Not thinking of remodeling any time soon but really want to change up the door story in your home? No worries! It doesn’t take a full renovation to achieve a new and exciting result – a can of paint can do *wonders*! Check out this simple transformation featured on Bright Green Door, and the fun update our founder Rebecca did to her Seriously Happy front door with a can of Benjamin Moore’s Polka Dot Pink paint!

The doors in our homes can be both functional *and* fun! If you need some help choosing the best interior doors for your home- a Design Helpline might be for you! I hope this helps you think through this important design detail in your home, and open the door to some creative thinking! 😉

 

May your home (and your DOORS) always BE happy!