Even plain contemporary doors can have clean proportions and an honesty of appearance that make them a pleasure to look at. Jane Drew reports
1. Classic choices
Doors come in innumerable shapes, styles and finishes. Flush doors (a relatively modern invention) are flat on both sides. Paneled doors have recessed sections often edged with moulding: two or six panels if Georgian or colonial, four if Victorian, three if early 20th Century.
2. Easy to revamp
You don’t have to settle for what you have. Paneled doors may have been covered on each side with a sheet of hardboard, which can be removed and the door restored. Or you can panel-up nondescript modern flush doors, at a fraction of the cost of replacing them, by adding decorative mouldings.
3. Extending walls
Flush doors are ubiquitous in most newly built homes — when painted white to match whitewashed walls, they are designed to merge into the background, without attracting attention. They can be fitted with special touch-control opening mechanisms so that no visible hardware is necessary.
4. Colour for contrast
Coloured paint can be used in any number of ways to draw doors into a decorative scheme. Paneled doors provide plenty of artistic scope, with recessed panels painted a shade darker than the surrounding mouldings to create additional depth.
5. Double duty
Often a door needs to be painted in different colours on each side corresponding to the decoration of the rooms or areas it links. Here, every part of the surface you see on one side of the door should match. Remember too, doors accessing the exterior will almost always need to be painted differently on each side.
6. Wood works
Woodwork doors in good condition can be left bare, or varnished, oiled or waxed to reveal the natural beauty of the grain. Liming, whereby the wood is given a milky white finish, is another good option for oak and other woods with a distinctive grain pattern.
7. Special features
Feature doors, covered with materials as diverse as fabric and sheet metal, need to suit the overall decor. For a fast textile cover up, simply face the door with a single piece of fabric such as green baize, coloured felt or leather. Padding gives an even more generous, sophisticated look.
8. Glass act
Glass, whether plain, frosted or coloured, works wonderfully for doors whether it is used to cover the whole surface or in panel form. French doors leading on to a balcony or terrace extend the sense of liveable space, provide an uninterrupted view and maximise natural light.
9. Space saving
Sliding doors and panels take up less space than double or even folding doors. Top-hung panels glide open and closed without taking up any of the surrounding space. They can be left bare or fitted with shelves or hooks to create additional storage space.
10. Security factors
Most doors — if they are needed — need to be solid. Think soundproofing, temperature control and privacy. External doors need to be impressive, as they provide a first impression of the home. Essential fittings include bolts and locks, a spy hole, a house or apartment number and a bell.
