The 8 Steps an Interior Designer Uses to Choose Interior Doors
Learn from the expert and follow this eight-step process to choose the right internal doors for your home
Larissa Davis
11 September 2018
Houzz Australia Contributor and Principal Designer of Lewisham Interiors in Melbourne. With an appreciation for quality and an obsession for detail, assisting in the designing of lifestyles is always a rewarding experience, however it is the people I meet along the way who bring me the greatest joy!
Houzz Australia Contributor and Principal Designer of Lewisham Interiors in Melbourne.... More
Internal doors are one of the most visual design elements in a home, contributing to the architecture as well as the overall aesthetic. They have the important task of tying each of the rooms together, so it is vital that their style and profile is considered carefully when building or renovating. Not all doors need be the same, but when walking from one room into another, consistency in design is key. When selecting internal doors for a client’s home, I ask myself eight key questions.
1. What is the home’s architectural style?
In most cases you will be selecting from either a flush- or panel-style interior door, so establishing the architectural style of the home is an important first step in deciding which path to proceed down.
Flush door: The plain, sleek appearance of a flush-panel door is ideally suited to modern homes as it provides a clean, flat surface. Usually made from particleboard or laminated timber, flush-panel doors are faced with sheets of plywood or MDF to achieve a flat surface, which may be painted, veneered or laminated.
In most cases you will be selecting from either a flush- or panel-style interior door, so establishing the architectural style of the home is an important first step in deciding which path to proceed down.
Flush door: The plain, sleek appearance of a flush-panel door is ideally suited to modern homes as it provides a clean, flat surface. Usually made from particleboard or laminated timber, flush-panel doors are faced with sheets of plywood or MDF to achieve a flat surface, which may be painted, veneered or laminated.
Panel door: This style of door is typically suited to period homes, as they have a classic look and can range from a single panel to eight or more. Panel doors consist of rails, stiles and infill panels in construction, with six-panelled doors being the most common.
Note that a panel-style door may be adapted to suit a modern interior featuring strong sharp lines, while maintaining a more streamlined appearance. The design itself, the thickness and materials used, are all contributing factors.
Tip: When I want to achieve a classic or high-end look in a new home, I will select a panel door with one to three panels for a smart, understated appearance.
2. Should the internal doors blend in or make a statement?
Is the aim for the internal doors to blend in with the architectural surroundings, or for them to be a bit special? The profile design, colour and finish, as well as the surrounding setting, are all important factors to consider when deciding whether the internal doors will blend in, contrast or make a statement.
Is the aim for the internal doors to blend in with the architectural surroundings, or for them to be a bit special? The profile design, colour and finish, as well as the surrounding setting, are all important factors to consider when deciding whether the internal doors will blend in, contrast or make a statement.
Painted doors: A neutral paint colour, or one specially selected to match the walls and ceilings, will allow the doors to blend in for a uniform look. To achieve more interest, finish the doors in a gloss set against low-sheen walls (or vice versa).
13 instances where a painted interior door works
13 instances where a painted interior door works
When striving to make an impression, vibrant paint colours offer an abundance of exciting possibilities. Keep in mind that there is no rule that all doors have to be the same colour.
Timber doors: Natural timber doors, whether solid or veneer, can introduce rich, sophisticated appeal into an interior. Drama can be introduced by having the grain running in varying directions, differing colour stains, or choosing a feature to highlight in a particular timber species such as cherry wood or oak.
For a more rustic statement, an aged or recycled door could be adapted to highlight a particular style, or feature an important part of a home’s history.
Barn doors also add character, making them well suited to everything from a country cottage setting through to an ultra-modern interior.
Glazed doors: Glass panels can transform the look of a panelled door, encouraging natural light to flow from one room into another. Clear, translucent, textured and coloured glass all make for an abundance of exciting design possibilities.
Steel-framed doors: Steel or metal-framed doors are a popular choice when looking to introduce a modern or industrial edge into an interior. They offer a sharp, streamlined finish and work well with glazed inserts. Steel-framed doors are also wonderfully hardwearing.
3. What level of quality is needed?
The quality of the interior doors should be commensurate with home’s architecture and surrounding finishes. Within this, important factors to consider include thickness, weight and construction.
The internal doors selected for a grand old house will likely be made of a solid or solid-core construction. The feel of a door as it opens and closes is also a determining factor when it comes to style and level of quality. Closing a door made from solid wood, as opposed to one made from a synthetic material, is an entirely different experience.
The quality of the interior doors should be commensurate with home’s architecture and surrounding finishes. Within this, important factors to consider include thickness, weight and construction.
The internal doors selected for a grand old house will likely be made of a solid or solid-core construction. The feel of a door as it opens and closes is also a determining factor when it comes to style and level of quality. Closing a door made from solid wood, as opposed to one made from a synthetic material, is an entirely different experience.
Alternatively, in the case of a home with a limited budget, a hollow-core style that is lightweight and cost effective might be best. A plain flat panel door may be painted up to be in keeping with a modern home’s aesthetic with a clean-lined look, or an MDF door may be routed and painted to achieve a more traditional design.
11 reasons why you should paint your interior doors black
11 reasons why you should paint your interior doors black
4. What height and width?
The height of a ceiling will impact the internal door height options (bearing in mind height levels may differ from floor to floor). For a new build, a higher than normal door with a wider than normal opening size will appear generous, having a profound impact on the aesthetic value of the home. Wider doorways also allow for walkers and wheelchair access, which could be important should there be elderly or disabled people to consider.
For a home with standard-height doors undergoing a renovation, it’s worth considering lifting the height of the internal doors to achieve a greater level of quality in the home, even if it is restricted to the downstairs living areas. Alternatively, should there be doors in the same area of varying heights, making them all the same height will provide a look of uniformity.
Tip: Don’t forget to consider the cornice and door architrave size, as a taller doorway may not allow for generously sized mouldings above, depending on the ceiling height. If you find that all fits together well on the ground floor, don’t forget to consider lower ceilings upstairs, as you could be caught out.
The height of a ceiling will impact the internal door height options (bearing in mind height levels may differ from floor to floor). For a new build, a higher than normal door with a wider than normal opening size will appear generous, having a profound impact on the aesthetic value of the home. Wider doorways also allow for walkers and wheelchair access, which could be important should there be elderly or disabled people to consider.
For a home with standard-height doors undergoing a renovation, it’s worth considering lifting the height of the internal doors to achieve a greater level of quality in the home, even if it is restricted to the downstairs living areas. Alternatively, should there be doors in the same area of varying heights, making them all the same height will provide a look of uniformity.
Tip: Don’t forget to consider the cornice and door architrave size, as a taller doorway may not allow for generously sized mouldings above, depending on the ceiling height. If you find that all fits together well on the ground floor, don’t forget to consider lower ceilings upstairs, as you could be caught out.
5. Are the doors for a formal or informal space?
Not all door profiles need to be the same throughout a home. The front, formal areas may contain greater detail to complement any grand cornices, decorative mouldings and tall ceilings, whereas the informal living spaces and bedrooms may have their level of detail minimised to relate to a more informal setting.
Tip: Should you have a limited budget but would still like to introduce quality and detail, consider including solid, decorative interior doors in the main living and formal areas, sticking with a lesser grade upstairs and in the rooms that experience minimal traffic.
Not all door profiles need to be the same throughout a home. The front, formal areas may contain greater detail to complement any grand cornices, decorative mouldings and tall ceilings, whereas the informal living spaces and bedrooms may have their level of detail minimised to relate to a more informal setting.
Tip: Should you have a limited budget but would still like to introduce quality and detail, consider including solid, decorative interior doors in the main living and formal areas, sticking with a lesser grade upstairs and in the rooms that experience minimal traffic.
Double doors leading into a room enhance the grandeur of the space and work especially well in a formal sitting room, library, or master bedroom.
Tip: Pay attention to the door hardware, as decorative handles and feature back plates add even more gravitas, or pare back the formality with simple knobs or flush pulls for a less formal, modern finish.
Tip: Pay attention to the door hardware, as decorative handles and feature back plates add even more gravitas, or pare back the formality with simple knobs or flush pulls for a less formal, modern finish.
6. Are the doors required to provide a function?
Particular doors within the home may need to vary from the main internal door style selected, if they are required for a specific purpose.
French doors: Versatile and attractive, glazed French doors are an effective way to divide a space while achieving an open-plan feel that would not be possible with a single conventional door.
Shop Houzz for doors
Particular doors within the home may need to vary from the main internal door style selected, if they are required for a specific purpose.
French doors: Versatile and attractive, glazed French doors are an effective way to divide a space while achieving an open-plan feel that would not be possible with a single conventional door.
Shop Houzz for doors
Glass doors: Glass doors invite natural light from one room into another and make a small room or dark passageway feel less closed in.
Sliding doors: Sliding doors are particularly useful where there is limited room available for a hinged door. Double sliding doors work well when between two rooms to create the illusion of an open-plan effect.
Pocket doors: Pocket sliding doors perform a disappearing act as they are designed to slide seamlessly into a wall for a flush finish. This style of door is great if you want to feel as though there is no door between two spaces, but want one to magically appear when privacy or insulation is required.
Hidden doors: Hidden doors also perform a disappearing act when closed and their style, profile, colour and finish are determined solely by their background.
Bi-fold doors: Bi-fold doors are made from a series of door panels that slide open like a concertina and stack neatly onto one or both sides, generally to the outside. This door style is useful when a generously sized opening requires doors to close the room off on occasion.
Bi-fold doors are an excellent choice should you like to hide away a kitchenette or laundry where space is limited.
How to open (and close) your kitchen whenever you need to
How to open (and close) your kitchen whenever you need to
7. What style of outer casing?
How the doors are framed is as important to consider as the door profile itself. Relating the outer architrave encasing the door with the internal door style, its profile, surrounding mouldings and any architraves in a room is a must.
Any formal rooms in a home will likely require a wider, more detailed frame. Slimmer, simpler profiles usually work for informal areas, with the style of moulding depending on the style of the home. The width of the door architrave must also balance with the door proportions and ceiling height.
How the doors are framed is as important to consider as the door profile itself. Relating the outer architrave encasing the door with the internal door style, its profile, surrounding mouldings and any architraves in a room is a must.
Any formal rooms in a home will likely require a wider, more detailed frame. Slimmer, simpler profiles usually work for informal areas, with the style of moulding depending on the style of the home. The width of the door architrave must also balance with the door proportions and ceiling height.
A modern home that features simple, sleek lines may not need a framework at all, with flush plastered door recesses and flush-finished skirting boards instead achieving a seamless, understated look.
8. How to match handles and hardware?
Door hardware, including the handles, knobs, locks, rails and hinges, adds considerable aesthetic appeal to a door. While important for functional purposes, the style, finish and level of quality of the hardware – particularly the handles – will complete the look. Plain or elaborate, classic to modern, fun and playful, a designer statement, recessed or flush or simply no handles at all – the options are endless.
Door hardware, including the handles, knobs, locks, rails and hinges, adds considerable aesthetic appeal to a door. While important for functional purposes, the style, finish and level of quality of the hardware – particularly the handles – will complete the look. Plain or elaborate, classic to modern, fun and playful, a designer statement, recessed or flush or simply no handles at all – the options are endless.
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Excellent article, very informative and gets me thinking more about the aesthetics of doors and hallways!
We engaged Larissa for our renovation project this year. Her attention to detail is fantastic - just like this excellent article. Thanks Larissa!