Clients are sometimes surprised when home builder and designer Marnie Oursler starts talking about bedroom doors.
They expect to discuss things such as windows, wall colours and where a built-in bookcase might fit best. But many of Oursler鈥檚 clients hadn鈥檛 considered that creatively designed interior doors can add personality, improve the flow of natural light, and also serve as flexible partitions to break up an open floor plan or connect two rooms.
鈥淚鈥檝e been using doors to add character in houses for a long time,鈥� says Delaware-based Oursler, who hosts Big Beach Builds on the DIY Network.
鈥淢ixing up doors throughout the house is really important,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 easy.鈥�
We鈥檝e asked Oursler and two other interior design experts 鈥� architect Tamara Gorodetzky, an associate with GTM Architects in the Washington, D.C., area, and Caleb Anderson, co-founder of the New York-based Drake/Anderson 鈥� for advice on using interior doors to elevate a home鈥檚 style and function.
Doors as design features
Bedroom and bathroom doors can easily be swapped out for a different style, and you don鈥檛 have to stick with traditional wood.
鈥淚f you look at the magazines now,鈥� Gorodetzky says, 鈥減eople are doing really creative things like using a lot of steel in their doors instead of wood to give it an industrial look.鈥�
Another option is refinishing doors with paint, upholstery or other coverings.
Anderson updated traditional wooden doors in a client鈥檚 entryway using a metallic faux finish that turned 鈥渢his pair of double doors that were very traditional and stuffy鈥� into something eye-catching. 鈥淵ou immediately walked into the apartment and there was this unique finish,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was pretty spectacular.鈥�
For another client, he had a set of pivoting doors made and upholstered in leather, with nickel nail-head detailing. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be afraid to do something bold or different,鈥� Anderson says.
Gorodetzky agrees: 鈥淚 definitely like the idea of doing a feature door in a place where people will see it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you have an office flanking your front foyer, it鈥檚 a nice opportunity to do a French door.鈥�
Doors as optional walls
By adding a sliding barn door or a set of pivoting doors, you can break up an open space without adding something as permanent as a wall.
鈥淔or so long we鈥檝e been in this world of open, open, knock down this wall,鈥� Anderson says. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen a lot of people gravitating back toward the ability to close a dining room off 鈥� it adds this level of formality.鈥�
Sliding doors can be casual, rustic barn doors with heavy hardware, or something sleek and formal. No matter which style you choose, Oursler says, 鈥渢hey add a lot of character, open or closed.鈥�
For one client, Gorodetzky鈥檚 firm commissioned an artist to create a huge, dramatic piece of artwork made of steel and plaster, and then hung it as a sliding door that could close off one section of their home.
Let in more light
Most of us have solid wooden doors throughout our homes. But these designers all say glass doors 鈥� clear or frosted for privacy and beauty 鈥� are a great way to help natural light flow through a home.
For bedroom doors that lead to a hallway, consider brightening the space by switching to ones with frosted glass windows.
In large master bathrooms that have a separate enclosure for the toilet, or in small powder rooms with no window, a frosted glass door brings natural light and makes the enclosed space seem a little less tiny.
Anderson worked with a client who wanted a separate dining room and kitchen. The challenge was this: The kitchen lacked natural light, while the dining area had plenty. So rather than put up a wall, Anderson added interior partitions and doors made of textured, mottled glass. It was, he says, the 鈥渟olution to allow natural light in, but to be soft and this natural element.鈥�
What to avoid?
If you鈥檙e refinishing or upholstering doors, Anderson says, keep durability in mind. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e wrapping it in a wall covering, sometimes you just have to be careful you鈥檙e not choosing a material that鈥檚 going to peel or fray,鈥� he says. 鈥淒oors move and they function, so anything that you鈥檙e doing with them needs to be able to withstand that.鈥�
Also, Gorodetzky says, don鈥檛 go with too much contrast unless it鈥檚 truly your style.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really like the idea of doing different doors in every room,鈥� she says. You may be happier with a carefully chosen, consistent style throughout your home, with one or two more dramatic doors mixed in.
Lastly, if you buy a vintage door that was painted, be aware that paint used before 1978 probably had lead in it. You can buy a lead-based paint removal kit, Oursler says, or sand the old paint off in a well-ventilated space.
