Should your internal doors match your front door?

Open plan living is popular today meaning interiors have less internal doors: it's rare to find a home now with a separate dining room for example.Internal doors are required for hallway cupboards, studies, formal living areas, and the WC. The questions to consider are should your internal doors match your front door, and how should you allocate your budget?

To match or clash: the choice is yours

The Bari in fumed oak on the outside with yellow inside and an oak internal door

The wood of the internal door blends with the colours and woods in this kitchen

This internal door blends with the kitchen cabinets

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

The front door, cupboard and internal doors are all different in this hallway

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

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

1. Your internal doors don’t have to match your front door: matching or clashing can be equally striking.

2. If you have a few internal doors in your hallway, then consider matching these to the front door, staircase, or flooring. Matching internal doors to a visible kitchen finish can be a good option too depending on your layout.

3. If you only have one or two internal doors in your hallway, don’t be afraid to be bold. Less doors means the ones you do have can be high impact.

4. Consider matching any cupboard 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 these throughout the entire property, consider them for the ground floor only. This area will get the most traffic and visibility to make them a worthwhile investment. Different doors and finishes for different areas of the house can work well.

Get creative to make an impact

The wood of the staircase, floor and internal door complement each other in this hallway

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

A mix of finishes creates impact in this hallway

An example of an internal pivot door on the left and, on the right, the internal doors match the skirting board to allow the front door to stand out

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

7. Make a feature of your internal doors by going full height, specify them as pivot doors, or opt for full width instead of double doors (large single doors can often be more cost effective than double doors).

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

9. Paint the frames the same colour as the walls.

10. Choose to have different door designs for rooms, ensuites, and cupboards.

Further considerations when choosing your doors

An internal door linking the garage with the house

This internal door allows light to flood through the property

House and garage linked by this solid hardwood door

Using a similar design on the internal doors to match the front doors is perfect here

A great example of how different finishes can work together

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

12. Consider whether you need the door to have good sound insulation or a fire rating. Doors that open from garages into the home and doors on upper floors without fire escapes need to be fire rated. If in doubt, which with your local building control officer.

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