Interior Doors Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought — 11 Ideas That Will Actually Elevate Your Home’s Design
There are certain aspects of home design that regularly get neglected. These tend to be the smaller details — door and window furniture, electrical outlets and switches and curtain poles are all prime examples. These, however, are not too hard to switch later down the line.
Then there are those larger elements—interior door ideas included—that don’t get the attention they deserve, and these are not so easy to swap around. Distinguished ASID interior designer Sabrina Phillips picks up on this. “Interior doors are underrated and often not a priority, but they can really make a difference in how a space looks and functions,” she says.
Taking some time, early on in a remodeling, renovation or redecorating project to look into how to choose interior doors will pay dividends in terms of the finished look of your interiors — and there is no shortage of inspiration out there, as the following collection shows.
Sabrina Phillips is a distinguished ASID interior designer and general contractor with decades of experience. She established Designing Women in 1991, which became Designing Women of Orange County in 2012. She began her career designing doctor’s offices before shifting to residential design, specializing in kitchen and bath remodels and full home remodels alongside other areas. Sabrina’s portfolio includes projects from efficient, welcoming kitchens to multimillion-dollar estates.
1. Build a Storage Wall Around Them
Using the space around your door for storage is a great use of space and highlights the doorway as a feature.
(Image credit: Lenny Codd. Design: Studio Bark)
If you are after a chic storage solution, look no further. Building a whole wall of shelving around an internal door makes great use of space at the same time as turning your door into something of a feature.
Of course, there is no need to go full on — in many cases, building a simple arch of shelving around a door can be really effective in terms of storage ideas for small spaces.
This example sits within a house designed by Studio Bark. The entire structure is comprised of a unique system of flat pack wooden panels made from spruce plywood, including the shelving and door here. The result is a fresh, minimalist look.
2. Create a Sense of Grandeur With Rich Timbers
Everything from the timber to the scale of this door screams opulence.
(Image credit: Brad Knipstein. Design: Tineke Triggs)
The materials you choose for your internal doors can completely change the ambience of a space. In the same way that your front door sets the tone for the rest of your home, so too will the design of your internal doors hint at what lies beyond.
“The material and style you choose should match the home’s overall look,” begins Sabrina Phillips. “Traditional homes look great with paneled wood doors, while sleek, flush doors work better in modern spaces. MDF is a good budget-friendly option, but solid wood doors feel more substantial and timeless.”
The rich timber, set in a herringbone pattern, used for the barn doors in this opulent space, designed by Tineke Triggs, pairs perfectly with the deep blues used elsewhere in the scheme, as well as doing justice to the soaring ceilings.
3. Turn Your Doors Into a Talking Point
The playful design of this phone box door is perfect for its home movie theater setting
(Image credit: Marc Mauldin. Design: Blessed Little Bungalow)
Interior doors don’t have to play second fiddle to the rest of your design ideas — they can be the star of the show should you wish.
“Don’t be afraid to treat doors as part of the overall design,” advises Sabrina Phillips. “Double doors can make a space feel more grand, and unique colors, archways, or custom details can add personality.”
This bold home movie theater space, designed by Amber Guyton, the creator, blogger, and interior designer behind Blessed Little Bungalow, is full of quirky, playful touches. The phone box doorway that leads you into the room hints at the fun to come.
4. Allow Light to Flow With Glazed Doors
Glass doors are the perfect way to ensure light flows through the entire layout.
(Image credit: Christopher Snook. Design: Delve Architects)
There are so many benefits that come with using internal glass doors. “Glass-paneled doors are great when you want to bring in more light, for example to spaces such as home offices, hallways, or even pantries,” points out Sabrina Phillips.
Bringing light into the center of this Victorian property was crucial and has been delivered by Delve Architects. Light flows into the kitchen diner through a series of glazed arches and is allowed to continue through the layout thanks to the use of glazed double doors leading to the formal dining space beyond.
5. Set Doors Within Deep Sets of Shelves
Matching materials for the doors, flooring and shelves has here created a smart, cohesive look.
(Image credit: Max Burkhalter. Design: MKCA)
There are no rules to say that internal doors must sit flush with the walls — in fact, setting them back can add a little more intrigue as to where they might lead.
Using shelving ideas, such as deep open cabinetry built out from the wall, in a material that matches that used for the doors not only works on a practical level but also on a design one.
Throughout the spaces within this renovated apartment by Michael K Chen Architecture, doors have been designed to pivot and slide away to ensure the layout can easily be reconfigured. The design of the doors leading into the den and dining room involves paneling that swings closed as a pair of integrated doors with wood handles.
6. Use Doors to Introduce a Splash of Color
The warming orange of these sliding doors really pops against the all-white scheme of the room.
(Image credit: Fred Howarth. Design: Delve Architects)
While matching the materials or paint colors of internal doors to the walls can definitely create a sleek, modern finish – and is ideal if color drenching is your thing – there are other approaches to consider.
“Doors can either blend in or stand out,” states Sabrina Phillips. “If you want a seamless, modern look, painting them the same color as the walls works really well. If you want to make a statement, however, darker, moodier tones or even a bold color will impress your guests.”
Simplicity and the use of natural materials were at the heart of this project, by Delve Architects, but bright, vibrant color was important to the owners too. Windows and doors have been used as a method of bringing in strong shades, from the apple green window and door frames used externally to these burnt orange sliding doors internally.
7. Save Space With Sliding Pocket Doors
Pocket doors are the ideal choice where space is at a premium.
(Image credit: Anna Stathaki. Design: Indie and Co)
Pocket doors are the perfect way to create separation or add a level of privacy, without sacrificing space, a little like hidden doors.
“Sliding doors are extremely efficient when used for small rooms where the swing of a standard door takes up too much space,” explains experienced interior designer Alecia Taylor. “Pocket doors vanish into the wall, taking up minimum space without the grief of swinging doors. These can be used for ensuite bathrooms, closets, or even compact home offices.”
London-based interior design studio Indie and Co were able to find space for an ensuite to serve this bedroom through the use of an elegant pocket door.
Alecia Taylor
Alecia Taylor is an experienced interior designer, who, alongside four talented designers at CabinetNow.com, works closely with clients on kitchen, bathroom, closet, and other home improvement projects.
8. Get on Board With the Fluted Glass Trend
Fluted or ribbed glass remains a strong interior trend.
(Image credit: Felix Speller + Jim Stephenson. Design: BradleyVanDerStraeten)
Fluted, or ribbed, glass remains a strong design trend. Not only does it bring a vintage vibe with it, but it also makes sense from a practical perspective, adding a level of privacy.
Fluted glass works in all kinds of instances — for pantry doors, ensuites and even inner hallway doors.
Within this project, which involved the merging of two mansion apartments, by architects Bradley Van Der Straeten, some level of separation between spaces was important for factors such as acoustics, but light needed to be able to flow. Colored glass is another great tool for this.
9. Paint Them to Match Details Within the Room Scheme
The soft pink of the doors blends in beautifully with the rest of the decor scheme in this elegant dining room.
(Image credit: Gisele Parra. Design: Brittney Ferguson Interiors)
If it is a classic, timeless and elegant look that you are aiming for, painting baseboards and architrave in a shade that matches your doors is the way forward.
Planning how you will approach this early on really is key here, as Sabrina Phillips stresses. “Interior doors shouldn’t be an afterthought— they really add to the flow and feel of a home just as much as walls, flooring, kitchen or even furniture.”
Within the whimsical design scheme of this dining room, orchestrated by Brittney Ferguson Interiors, the classic paneled doors have been given a fresh look with a coat of the palest pink paint — a finish that has also been used for the door trim and baseboards.
10. Use Partially Glazed Doors for Separation
The partially glazed doors here physically separate the utility room yet leave it feeling like part of the space.
(Image credit: Anna Stathaki. Design: Fiona Duke Interiors)
Doors don’t have to be fully glazed to allow light through or provide a lighter approach to separation — often just smaller sections of glass can be equally as effective.
“Seamless transitions between spaces are key to a well-designed home, and there are many ways to achieve this,” advises Katerina Tchevytchalova, director and interior designer at K’Arte Design. “Crittall-style doors allow natural light to move freely while subtly defining separate areas, making them ideal for connecting kitchens and entrance halls.”
The clever design of this home, by Fiona Duke Interiors, includes a utility room which has been separated from the kitchen with a semi-glazed wall and door, giving just a glimpse of the space within.
Before launching her practice, Katerina worked in a number of design companies in London including 5 years at Kelly Hoppen Interiors. After 12 years of working in the luxury interiors market and a wealth of experience in projects ranging from London to Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to Mauritius, she takes pride in K’Arte Design’s ability to provide a tailored and unique proposal to each client.
11. Have Fun With Contrasting Colors
Painting just one face of a door can create an element of surprise when it is opened.
(Image credit: French and Tye. Design: BradleyVanDerStraeten)
There are lots of ways to bring bright color into your living room and the other spaces in your home — and using internal doors is a beautiful and imaginative way to stamp your personality onto your interior design.
Whether you decide to create contrast between the door and trim or to color drench the entire space by matching doors, walls and trim, the effect will be huge.
Color and texture were key elements within the design of this house, by Bradley Van Der Straeten. In this space, the red door sits in bold contrast with the blue Valchromat fluted wall panels.
FAQs
What Are the Latest Trends for Internal Doors?
In terms of interior trends for internal doors, it seems that both color and an element of glazing that allows a sense of free movement are very much of the moment.
“Whether through glass, wood, or clever spatial planning, enhancing flow between rooms creates a more open, cohesive feel while maintaining a sense of intimacy in each area,” says Katerina Tchevytchalova.
“I think in terms of interior doors, people are considering them far more in their designs as part of the full concept now,” says Fiona Duke, founder and director of Fiona Duke Interiors. “They’re not ‘just doors’ but part of the room design where you can decide to make something of them.
“Accent them in a strong color, color drench them to the interior decoration or completely change the material and juxtapose to their surroundings as a complete contrast and statement feature.”
Fiona Duke Interiors is an award-winning interior design studio that creates beautiful interiors in the UK and further afield. They have over a decade of experience working on commercial and high-end residential projects.
Your front door ideas are equally as important as those you use internally. Getting them spot on has an insurmountable effect on curb appeal and can enhance your experience of returning home after a long day.
