Beautiful doors, whether interior or exterior, are an important element of your décor. Ideally, interior doors should complement their surrounding architecture and help create a sense of harmony between all the other interior elements. Front doors should suit the style of your home too, but they are more about big, impactful first impressions and of course security needs. Similarly, service doors (such as from the backyard to the garage) also need to be more secure than interior doors do. But no matter what kind of door we’re talking about, it should be high quality and durable, lasting many years of daily use.
If you’re looking for internal door ideas, below I’ve got a selection of both hinged and sliding doors. When it comes to slide door ideas, these can be doors that are integrated into the wall (pocket doors) or those on a rail system (including barn doors). Double French doors are another gorgeous option being used increasingly indoors, but they also make wonderful welcoming front doors.
So whether you’re looking for bedroom and bathroom door ideas, laundry room door ideas, garage and basement door ideas, front door ideas or perhaps something different like secret or hidden door ideas, have a scroll through these 50 door ideas for inspo. Oh, and what about doors for those four-legged family members? Don’t worry, I’ve even got a couple of homemade dog door ideas in the mix.
Doors with curves and arches convey a feminine or vintage vibe and the organic roundness is very satisfying to the eye. Let’s take a look at some examples.
Pocket doors are ideal for when you don’t have the wall space to accommodate a swinging or hinged door. They come in so many styles and my favourite is in a French door style with glazing above and solid lower panels. An arched double pocked door is an elegant and formal way to perfectly frame your living room.
If the rustic or coastal look is for you, then timber doors will bring all the organic flavour you need. Old wooden arched doors give so much character to a space. Rough and raw timber doors also look beautiful contrasted with a decorative element that is more sophisticated, like a crystal chandelier.
Interior doors can make a strong visual statement, especially if they are black steel framed arches! They look simply stunning, especially juxtaposed with natural timber built-ins or floorboards. Glazed interior doors also have other practical advantages, like reducing noise transmission and controlling temperature.
Arched double doors with lattice panels are truly gorgeous. If you’re lucky enough to find some reclaimed ones, they’re perfect for a contemporary Boho beach house.
If you love a Boho home, check out these Boho living room ideas and also these Boho bedroom ideas.
Another option is white metal frames, which look beautiful in a light or whitewashed colour scheme and with pale timber floors.
Now let’s consider doors that have a linear design. Doors with straight lines tend to give a more masculine look (though not necessarily of course as you’ll see with some of the romantic designs below). They also often appear more contemporary than vintage (again, not always!).
For a classic look, opt for white pocket doors which saves you space since the doors don’t swing outwards. This is a look that really suits the modern coastal or farmhouse aesthetic. Combine with an industrial brass pendant light and gorgeous timber flooring. Then just add a woven basket full of flowers or foliage to really drive home the organic flavour of the space.
This is a good option for those who like a stark and minimalist interior. Swing doors are often chosen because they won’t hit the walls or furniture when they open. And further, there’s no need to install a door frame as the doorway opening itself remains untouched.
For a vintage-inspired look, paint your pocket doors a pretty pastel-pink. It will add the subtle sophistication and charm of your typical chic Parisian apartment. For help with having your sliding or pocket doors installed, you can find a local expert in door installation.
French doors really open up the space between adjoining rooms. They’re not only aesthetically pleasing but they enable views between spaces. And the flow of light gives the illusion of more space. They come in any finish or colour but I think fresh white is such an attractive look.
If your style tends towards a modern farmhouse, you can’t go wrong with a set of reclaimed timber doors. Look for ones with intricate panels. Rustic and full of character, reclaimed doors can be found if you’re lucky by scouring salvage yards, or you can source them from dedicated vintage door suppliers.
I like the idea of adding smaller reclaimed timber doors to your home, such as for your kitchen cabinets. These add a sense of history and lots of charm while allowing you to blend vintage and contemporary elements in your kitchen to create a rich layered effect. Get some help in installing doors or windows to your home.
To add character to a modern farmhouse laundry room, why not add a vintage pocket door in a pretty pale turquoise blue?
Industrial-flavoured black steel framed interior doors are really popular lately. You could go for a Crittall glass partition with hinged doors, which shows off the sophisticated clean lines that this style of door boasts. Or maybe a black raw steel partition with hinged French double doors. The more modern aesthetic is to have less divided lites (those being the individual panes).
Show off a dramatic hallway with a series of black steel framed partitions and doors. Chunkier metal frames and trims are less common than the slimmer profile frames but are a good way to add a powerful black accent to your space. Once again this is a stylish way to define or separate an area, that suits many different décor styles. And it lets you close off a space while still keeping that open feeling. Speak to an expert in glass doors who can customise your doors for you.
For a lovely warm touch of organic timber in your décor, how about a beautiful panelled raw wood door with a matching timber door trim. When it comes to door trim ideas, people actually often choose to combine a more ornate door moulding with a simple door, or a plain and simple casing if it’s the door that is to be the more dramatic element. But you can also make the door trim as minimal as your door.
Barn doors are popular for homes with a rustic modern farmhouse aesthetic, but they’re also great for adding an urban industrial vibe to contemporary style homes. A simple, chic and minimal barn door can look truly sophisticated. These days you’ll find a barn door for your farmhouse bedroom, farmhouse kitchen or even a farmhouse bathroom.
You can create a sliding ‘barn door’ using any kind of door, made of any material and with any finish. Even reclaimed vintage French doors can be hung on a track system for those modern farmhouse vibes. However, it’s less common to have glass-paned doors to a bedroom, since more privacy is usually desirable.
Barn doors are great for large doorways where you don’t have sufficient space for big doors to swing open into a space. You can also make things more streamlined by using single-track bypass hardware which enables two doors to slide on the same track, as opposed to traditional double-track bypass barn door systems.
Lots of people love the barn door for its modern farmhouse vibes, as popularised by Americans Chip and Joanna Gaines and their US reno show “Fixer Upper”. Copy the Gaines’ barn door style by updating it with a diagonal board design or by painting it black. But there are many different readymade barn doors on the market if you aren’t handy with DIY.
Barn style doors don’t have to be rustic—for a chic contemporary living space that has a distinctly elegant feel to it, add long brass pulls on the sliding doors.
Need someone to hang your sliding doors? Find a local tasker who can help.
There are lots of different types of obscure glass, with the term referring generally to any glass that is semi-opaque or has translucent properties.
Ah, frosted glass. There’s just something so pleasing about it. Frosted glass is wonderful for interior doors to create privacy while still allowing the natural light to flow through.
Reeded glass, aka fluted or ribbed glass, is another kind of decorative obscure glass treatment that provides a layer of privacy, as well as plenty of visual interest. There’s loads of texture, interesting and subtle shifts of light, and an inherent mystique.
Wired glass is a particular kind of obscure glass that has a metal mesh grid integrated. Once again it provides more privacy than plain glass, while also adding an interesting graphic touch and lots of pleasing texture. This kind of glass was originally chiefly used as exterior safety glass (because if it breaks, the mesh holds the glass pieces together) but is increasingly popular in interiors.
A frosted glass partition has a beautiful effect, just giving a faint blurry silhouette of the next room. It can give a space Mid-century flavours that you can amp up with your furniture. The patterned glass has a natural retro feel which fits perfectly into the aesthetic.
Another popular kind of decorative frosted glass is stippolyte glass, which has a tiny dimpled look. Offering a high level of privacy (also called ‘obscuration’ in the trade), this kind of glass has a wonderful pattern that suits many different styles, from contemporary to period.
Another decorative door option that increases privacy is to have mirrored panes (or ‘lites’ as they are technically called). Adding a mirror to your door also amplifies the light and makes a space appear larger than it is.
Frosted glass doors are perfect for hiding unattractive mess like piles of laundry clutter while still maximising the light flow through your home. For flavour and personality, you could embellish your door with stencil lettering indicating it’s a laundry.
A new door doesn’t have to be an expensive outlay. You could also grab an old door from a salvage yard and upcycle it. Why not give an old door a new life with black chalk paint? And if you love the look of frosted glass, you can get it on the cheap too with a frosted glass spray—these add a semi-transparent coating that emulates the look of frosted glass.
Have an old door that needs its paint stripped? You can get a paint stripping expert to handle that for you.
Framing your door properly is really important not only to conceal the seams and transitions between your doorjamb and the wall but also to enhance the visual beauty of your doorway. The material around your door is called the door trim (also known as door casing) and you might also hear it called molding when it’s more elaborate and decorative in nature. An ornate doorway molding will add plenty of visual interest to a space.
When it comes to door trim ideas, you can use the trim to really define your doorway space. Don’t be afraid to add colour! You can find a local house painter to help spruce up your home with a brand new colour palette.
Hidden or secret doors are intended to hide a door in plain sight by seamlessly blending it into a home’s surrounding architecture. Flush-mounted doors can virtually disappear into the wall, leaving just their ghostly outlines. Perfect for a really streamlined and minimal look.
Conceal a door with white shiplap panelling, to create a continuous looking wall. It may be as simple as covering your door with panels.
Doing a door DIY? Read our handy guide on how to hang a door.
Secret doors can add a little intrigue and mystery to your home, concealing a private space or, in this case, hiding a bar like some kind of contemporary speakeasy. Concealed behind a bookcase, for example, it’s very much the stuff of childhood imagination!
Not all internal doors have to be solid—you might like to install a fabric ‘door’ of some kind instead, such as a macrame curtain. You can find heaps of tutorials for these online and they’re actually not all that tricky to make! A macrame curtain lets the light through while adding texture, and brings plenty of beachy Boho vibes.
Below I’ve got a range of exterior back doors and service doors, from simple and minimal to ones that are a little bit fancy.
A classic timber framed glass door leading from a mudroom to the backyard is perfect for a cool coastal aesthetic. The natural timber emphasises the connection between the interior and the garden, framing the garden view like a painting.
Another option for a service door is to give it a contemporary update with a black steel insert featuring multiple small ‘lites’ (the little window panes in a glazed door). This style of door is a chic option for a modern home.
French doors are much loved for the way they can enhance the indoor-outdoor connection, how they flood a space with light, and because of their natural sophistication. Double French doors leading from a kitchen to a garden are perfect for a modern, coastal farmhouse kitchen setting.
For a modern home , you might feature a simple framed glass door with a modern black frame that contrasts nicely with all the typical crisp whites of a laundry. These doors are perfect if privacy is not an issue and allow you to enjoy your garden view when working in the laundry.
Pack a powerful punch of colour with a glossy fire engine red service door. It would look amazing in a black and grey interior colour scheme. Speaking of gloss, the finish of your doors is something to consider, since high gloss ones will highlight imperfections, but offer the benefit of being easy to wipe down. By contrast, flat finishes are harder to clean. You could go for something down the middle, like a semi-gloss or eggshell finish, which have a lovely sheen but are still easy to clean.
Now let’s take a look at a small sample of beautiful front doors but you might also like to look at our collection of front door ideas.
For a home that has an overall aesthetic preferencing natural materials, go for a stunning timber door such as a grilled/slatted design. It will give your home a gorgeous minimalist and earthy look.
If you love a statement door with a real sense of story, and history, you could look at sourcing vintage doors to set your home apart from the rest. A set of reclaimed oak church doors with ornate hand-forged iron hinges would lend so much character. It’s amazing what some of the stores have available on the market, with imported vintage doors many centuries old!
Finally, if you have a pet you’ll know the value of a good dog or cat door, but sometimes they can be quite utilitarian (even ugly!) in appearance. Make yours look charming instead by adding a miniature real door and trim. There’s nothing cuter than a pooch-sized door complete with mini doorknob and lock.
Not too keen on DIY? Find yourself a local expert who will install a pet door for you.
And one last one for the furbabies: a farmhouse styled back door with latch and chain style pet door. These ones, compared to the ‘flap” style pet doors, make it easier to control your pet’s access because you can fully close the pet door.
So there you have 43 beautiful door ideas, from service doors to secret doors and plenty in between. Are you inspired to change a door or two in your home? Let me know your favourite interior and exterior door styles in the comments.
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