Should internal doors match your front door

Should your internal doors match your front door?

These days more and more interiors have less internal doors as open plan living becomes part and parcel of how we live in the 21^st century. It’s rare to find a home now with separate dining areas and doors between all the rooms.

However, when they are needed for WCs, hallway closets, hidden studies, and formal living areas; what should they match? And how do you decide where it's worth spending your budget? In addition, what are all the elements to consider when purchasing or specifying internal doors?

When & with what should you match (or not) internal doors?

sliding cupboard doors match the wall whilst the front and internal doors are similar

the front door, cupboard and internal doors are all different

the colours in the kitchen and internal doors match the front door

the front door and sliding barn door work really well in this barn conversion

1. Your internal doors don’t have to match your front door! They absolutely can, but whether you want them to is entirely a personal decision. Either way can be equally striking and work perfectly for your internal design.

2. If you have a few internal doors in your hallway, then consider matching these to the front door, staircase or flooring. Occasionally even matching internal doors to a visible kitchen finish is a good idea too.

3. If you only have 1 or 2 internal doors in your hallway, don’t be afraid to be bold. With far less internal doors to contend with it means the doors you do have can be striking.

4. Consider matching any closet doors to the walls to give them less significance than the main internal doors.

5. If you're keen to invest in high spec internal doors to match your front door but can't afford to go throughout the entire property, consider them on the ground floor only. The ground floor will get the most foot traffic and visibility to make them very worthwhile & valuable additions here. Different doors/door finishes for different areas of the house can also work exceptionally well.

Get creative with internal doors to maximise their value

in this hallway the same design and colour have been used as well as a space saving pocket door

a gorgeous example of an internal pivot and on the right the internal doors match the skirting whilst the front door is a different style and colour

6. If you’d like a room divider but don’t want a door to be in the way, consider sliding doors that can remain hidden in the wall (pocket doors).

7. Make a feature of your internal doors by going full height, specifying them as pivot doors, or full width instead of having double doors. Large single doors can often work out cheaper than double doors.

8. Think about having a concealed handle and no architrave to give your internal doors a more streamlined and contemporary feel.

9. Paint the frames the colour of the wall to create a frame for internal doors.

10. Choose to have different door designs leading in to rooms, from those that lead into ensuites or closets.

Finally, a couple of things to keep in mind when buying an internal door

using a simliar design on the internal doors to match the front doors is perfect here

Should your internal doors match your front door Urban Front 5

A great example of how different finishes can really work in this hall

11. Internal doors usually come as doorsets with door, frame, hinges, latches and locks all fitted. Make sure to ask your supplier to give you a doorset price including everything so you are clear on the budget to set.

12. Consider if you need the door to have good sound insulation or a fire rating. Doors coming from garages into the houses interior always need to be fire rated as do doors on upper floors without fire escapes. When in doubt, check with your building regs officer.

There really is no right or wrong way when it comes to whether or not to match your internal doors to your front or other doors in your interior. Your internal layout, budget and personal style choices will all heavily determine the route you choose.

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