How to select the right interior door

I know from working with clients who are building their dream home that often the interior door is one of the last elements that they consider.  However to get the look and feel right for your home, internal doors are one of the most important selections you will make.  Don't leave it until the last minute, consider this selection as part of your overall plan.  Corinthian Doors has a wide range to select from and I have some advice from them here, together with some leading home experts, to help you to make the right choice.

Selecting an interior door – Firstly, define your style

Great home design relies on creating a consistent theme across material and colour choices, which should start with the door. Nat and Kristy of Norsu Interiors explain, “If we think of the door as the cover of your style story, then it follows that you should ensure it is represented in every detail. Door frames, picture rails and skirting boards all provide opportunities to add more texture to the home through the use of carved and embossed profiles”.

Consider the size and placement of the internal door

When it comes to doors, one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. Many entryways don’t have standard measurements, and installing a door that doesn’t fit an opening can either create drafts or prevent the door from properly closing, which will require additional work and expense to correct. “If you’re new to building and renovating, invest in using an expert to help achieve the best result. They should be able to assist with measuring and functional decisions such as choosing a door that uses sliding or pivot systems,” explains Amy Ryan, Marketing Manager of Corinthian Doors.

Spatial Awareness

One of the most important considerations when choosing a door is the surrounding space. Hinged doors require empty area to accommodate their swing trajectory, impeding on valuable floor space.

Corinthian’s new Moda Barn Doors are chic space savers, offering a range of popular designs that add eye-catching character to any home. They’re versatile in application, and make for an ideal transitional piece
between rooms from bedrooms to kitchens and even theatre rooms.

“How to get more out of your square footage is always a consideration. Barn doors have instant space saving advantages, while also adding an architectural element to rooms,” says Melissa Bonney, Director at multi-disciplinary design studio, The Designory.

For new builds or larger, structural renovations, Corinthian’s Platinum Cavity units can be built within a wall cavity, allowing the door to retract smoothly into the wall and conveniently out of sight. Platinum Cavity units are especially suited to tiled wall applications, in bathrooms and wet areas, as their steel construction ensures resistance to warping and bowing, white ants and rot.

Choose The Best Base

A door’s finish is key to defining a home’s look. The latest trend for bright, bold exterior and interior doors highlights your door as décor.  While palette choice comes down to personal preference, carefully consider the best base options for painting or staining and sealing.

Ideal for painting, choose Corinthian’s Madison entrance doors or Moda Primed interior doors. “Corinthian Moda Primed interior doors are factory primed on all sides and edges, and as a result deliver a superior finish for any paint sheen,” explains interior designer Kyal, one half of famed renovating duo Kyal & Kara.

During a recent Scandi-inspired home renovation, Nat Wheeler and Kristy Sadlier of Norsu Interiors found that the primed surface of Corinthian’s Balmoral interior doors was straightaway ready to add a smooth paint finish. This was “a real time saver, and ensured we could customise the door to the look we wanted” according to Kristy.

Equally, a light timber veneer, such as Corinthian’s Blonde Oak entrance range or Moda White Oak interior range, provides a blank canvas for painting or staining and sealing. A simple clear stain and sealant will capture its natural beauty by highlighting the intricate grain and knots. When you begin exploring stains and other finishes, you’ll find an array of options from honeyed hues to the heaviest of ebonies, and every shade in-between.

Ensure you choose the right profile

The door profile refers to designs created through routing, panelling, moulding and other decorative details that alter the surface from a fully flat expanse. Modern architectural styles benefit from doors with bold but uncomplicated, sharp features. Corinthian’s Deco collection is perfect for this aesthetic, as it features a crisp geometric routing, which evokes striking shadows within the line work. For Kara of Kyal & Kara, “the clean, vertical lines and geometry of the Deco door design added texture” to their Long Jetty design project on the New South Wales’ Central Coast.

Alternatively, the craftsmanship and simplicity of The Moda Collection, a range featuring 24 designs with horizontal and vertical rails that will match the lines of any interior from classic, Victorian and Hamptons  inspired homes. “Moda is a long-time favourite of ours. Its simplistic design ties in perfectly with our coastal style, whilst also providing a unique difference to an otherwise standard door,” adds Kyal.

“Far from an afterthought, the right door can provide an opportunity to pull a room or façade together and define your style. If you know how to choose, the right choice of door will open up design possibilities to define the property’s look, feel and function, ultimately turning it from a house into a home,” Amy Ryan concludes.

The doors featured here can be found at Corinthian Doors.

My tips to select the right interior door

The right style of door is the most important element.  Consider the type of home you have – Hamptons, Coastal, Federation, ultra contemporary etc. and choose the style of door to match.  Remember that this should also work with the architraves and skirting boards that you use, any wall panelling you have or may introduce, together with the style of your kitchen and bathroom joinery.

Select the best quality door that you can afford.  I often see clients opting for the builder's selection of door, which is usually at a lower price level.  These will be fine but there are a lot of them and by not skimping here you can really change the overall look and feel of your house considerably.  A well made door will offer good sound insulation, will be very easy to paint and will ensure a great finish and also just feels so much better.  My advice is to consider how many doors you have and perhaps switch to a simple plain solution for wardrobe doors if funds are tight.

You don't necessarily need to use the same profile of door throughout your home.  If you have a hallway that you would like to close off for sound and warmth insulation, you could use a door with glass.  This will bring these qualities without closing the house in.  Double feature glass doors can also look great for theatre or dining rooms.  Just ensure that the profiles belong together in style.  I have examples of this in a recent post Doors for a Hamptons Style.

Don't overlook door hardware.  The door handle and hinges that you select can change the look of the door considerably.

Once you have selected the right interior door you need to consider how you will paint it.  I have a blog post dedicated to this question.   What colour do I paint my internal doors?

One of the questions that I am asked more than any other, is what do I paint the inside of my front door?  As entrance doors are often a main feature of the home, you can choose to paint the inside of the door to match the exterior colour to set it aside from the interior doors and make a statement with it.  I have more to tell you in this related article: What should you paint on the inside of your front door?

I hope that this article has persuaded you to consider your choice of doors as part of your overall initial design.  I know that it is a minefield either renovating or building a new home as you have so many decisions to make, some within a very short period of time.  I have a FREE Resource Library with e-books and checklists for you to download.  You can sign up for FREE here.  If you are still at a loss, I have an online colour consultation service where I can also assist with interior design questions.  All the details are here.

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