While choosing interior doors for your home is not rocket science, there are still some things you must consider to avoid headaches later.
Well, yes, trying to find a front door is much harder since your choice is directly related to your security, whereas with interior doors, all you worry about is your privacy, right? Hmm, yes and no. Although security is not an issue indoors, there’s often a need to protect children. Or to facilitate indoor traffic for people with disabilities. So, there’s quite a lot to put on the table before you take such decisions. So, let’s walk together and see the best way to select interior doors, taking into account the considerations and without leaving out the fact that both aesthetics and function are important. Should we proceed?
Here’s how to choose the best interior doors for you.
Swing style
Naturally, one of the first things to consider is the door type. And there are quite a few choices when it comes to that – French doors, pocket doors, etc. And while the type of the door defines the style – at least up to a certain extent, it is vital because it determines the way the door operates. Most interior doors are swing doors. And so, the question you need to answer is whether you want the door to open toward this or that side – inwards or toward the other room! It all has to do with the space available and if there’s no room, there’s always the solution of pocket doors, which hide into the wall.
Door design
The door design is very important and must match your home style. It’s also important that there’s consistency among all interior doors in the house. Yes, you can get a barn door for your office, a pocket door for the kitchen, and French glass doors to separate the dining room from the living room, but although they are different types, such doors come out in similar styles.
Door material
The door material choices range from real wood and MDF to vinyl and glass doors – just to mention the most popular products. Your choice depends on two things: your overall home style and your pocket. A solid wood door costs much more than a hollow laminate door. But real wood or glass interior doors are more elegant and luxurious – no doubt.
Door size
If you can fit a pivot door indoors, it means you’ve got lots of space. If you have no choice but to get a pocket door, you are likely tight – in terms of space. The width of the door is always related to the space available in this part of the house. But you should also consider your needs. For example, if this is the laundry room, the door must be wide enough to let you move the appliances in and out.
When it comes to the size of architectural elements, like doors, the golden ratio of interior design should be considered. To keep it simple, this ratio has to do with scale and proportion. All things around you must be proportional to the space and to you. And so, it’s important to consider the space – not just for function, but also to keep things in proportion. A tall room won’t look good with a standard size door; it will need a taller door.
Color options
Remember when we talked about consistency before? Color plays a major role in that, too. Unless you have a really colorful, maximalist interior, it’s best to stick to one color – for the required flow and consistency throughout the house. Or stick to neutrals, like having wood and white doors around the house. Not that intense colors, like blues, greens, yellows are not nice. But here it’s best to keep one color, unless you want to create a statement by having one colored door at one particular part in the home.
Hardware
Part of the interior door’s design is the hardware. Levels are more functional choices than knobs, especially by people with some disabilities. But whatever you choose, remember – when it comes to styles, consistency is the rule.
Door casing
The frame of the door will also define its style. Of course, you can choose a frameless door. Nowadays, there are flush doors that are truly hard to distinguish from the wall – no frame, no ornate, not even apparent hardware. Isn’t it awesome? But if you love your doors and want them to stand out, you can get some fabulous casing styles. Now, your choice here is also shaped by the style of the wainscoting (if any), the crown molding design, and the base style and size. You still need some uniformity. Also, if there’s wall wainscoting, it must stop where the casing begins.
