When people focus on interior design, it’s common for them to overlook their doors. People take more care in selecting their entry and exterior doors than their interior ones, and yet, your interior doors play a significant role in the overall look and flow of your home. Many who undertake a home remodel or want to replace their interior doors are faced with the surprisingly difficult decision of what types of interior doors they want. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you choose interior doors for your home.
Considerations For Interior Doors
When you choose interior doors for your home, you have a great deal of freedom here. You can opt for different door styles and materials and colors depending on the space. You generally want some similar elements throughout your doors in order to ensure that your home maintains a good flow. It’s important to consider the space when you choose interior doors, in order to ensure that they can both look and function their best. You’ll want to look into design, how much space you need, and privacy.
Design
If you have a small room, you likely won’t want a big and ornate door, as this can overwhelm the room and make it seem smaller than it is. Unless you are someone who loves everything big and bold, you likely wouldn’t want to pair an ornate door with bright statement wallpaper. If you want the focus of the room to be on your wallpaper, you’d be better off if you choose interior doors that are more simplistic. If you want the door to be the focus, consider a more subdued wallpaper or paint job.
Space
Similarly, if space is a concern of yours, you likely won’t want to choose interior doors that swing into your space. You may want to consider space-saving options, such as sliding doors or pocket doors. You’ll also want to take into account those who may need wider door openings to get around the house, such as older family members or those who need mobile aids, like wheelchairs.
Privacy
You will also want to note how much privacy a space needs. That way, you can choose interior doors that account for that. You may want doors with more soundproofing in order to provide more privacy in spaces like bedrooms while you may consider less-soundproofing options for more open areas of the house.
Define Your Aesthetic
Your doors may not initially seem like they matter much for your home design, but in reality, they play a significant role. Once you know your style and the overall design you want your home to have, it is easier to choose interior doors that bring that to life. When you have your style pinned down, you can select elements for the doors throughout your home that will create cohesive flow, such as the frames, the hardware, and more.
Interior Door Styles
You don’t need to select the same type of interior door for all areas of your home. Different door styles can significantly change the overall look and feel of a room. Some of the most common interior door styles are as follows.
- Barn doors glide along an upper rail and may have a bottom track to keep them from swinging. These can look rustic – barn is in the name, after all – or polished and contemporary.
- Pocket doors are great for when you need to save space, as they slide into a pocket in the wall, rather than swinging open.
- Hinged doors are the most popular type and very simple. They have a hinge on one side that they swing open on.
- Sliding doors slide open, rather than swing, which makes them another great option for saving space.
- Bifold doors fold into two as they open. These are most commonly used for closets.
- French doors are two doors that open in the middle as they swing away from each other.
- Dutch doors, also known as stable doors, have both an upper and a bottom portion, which you can open together or independently of each other.
Types Of Construction
There are two main types of interior door construction: flush doors and panel doors.
- Flush doors have a flat surface without any detailing. They are ideal for more contemporary home designs. They can be inexpensive and make decorating your home easy.
- Panel doors are divided into different panels or panes. They come in many different styles. The panels can be raised or recessed into the surface. They give you many different customization options, such as glass panels.
Door Materials
When you choose interior doors, the type of material you opt for can greatly impact the overall look and feel not just of the door, but also of the room it’s in.
- Wood doors are durable but expensive. They are very sound-proofing and offer a classic design. These doors can expand and contract, so they are not the best for bathrooms or other areas that get damp.
- MDF, or medium density fiberboard, is very popular. It looks and feels like wood, but without the cost or fear or warping.
- Glass doors can have glass panels or be made entirely out of glass. These are very modern, but can be difficult to install.
- Hollow core doors are a more affordable option, that, as the name suggests, have a hollow interior. These are more affordable but still perfectly functional.
- Solid core doors are more expensive than hollow core, as they are solid all the way through, but have more sound protection and temperature control.
Door Framing
When you choose interior doors, framing is one of the most important design aspects. If you opt for a simple frame, it allows for a bolder door to stand out. If you have a more simple door, more ornate framing can add some lovely detail to your home.
Pick A Color
Your door color is one of the ways you can really personalize it. Many people choose door colors that fit with the rest of their home design, while others like to opt for bolder door colors so that their door is more of a statement piece.
Do You Need Interior Doors?
There are so many different factors to consider when you choose interior doors. Peak Windows offers all sorts of different interior door options. If you need more information on how to choose interior doors or would like to learn more about our interior doors, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!