Doors as Design Elements

The door is one of the most important elements of home design, whether viewed from inside or out. Finding a quality door can be difficult, but it's an undertaking worth quite a bit of effort. The right door will provide design focus, beauty, and appropriate security to the home, but the wrong door can prove a nettlesome problem.

The first question is simply what function will the door serve? A door requires sturdy, long wearing construction and an appropriate aesthetic appeal, as doors are featured throughout any home. Good door materials include heavy wood, engineered wood, steel, glass, or fiberglass construction, and all will serve well for many years.

To pick out the right look for your home consult a good architect, delve into architectural magazines, or get some books on art composition and design.

Doors should be picked out according to the function they will serve. For instance, a front door and a back door may have two totally different sets of requirements, and both are different still from an interior door. Exterior doors should always have secure fastenings and sufficiently sturdy construction to stand up to the elements as well as providing security to the inhabitants of a home. Interior doors, on the other hand, should be light enough for all family members to handle easily, and aesthetic appeal can take the place of stoutness in homeowner priorities.


Steel or aluminum construction has been used for years as an energy efficient and sturdy option for exterior and interior doors alike. Metal doors can be either solid construction or hollow core, depending on the desired placement and job. Foam core doors are probably best for exterior doors, as they come with a sturdy wood or steel frame and foam filling, while hollow core doors are a relatively inexpensive option for interior doors that are sturdy enough to stand up to hard use for years. In the past, metal doors were not terribly aesthetically appealing, but that is changing as new technology becomes available. If metal is used, take care to properly maintain it, as metal does corrode when not properly sealed.

Wooden doors have been an old standby for centuries of architecture. Also coming in solid or hollow core options, wooden doors have been the benchmark and gold standard for beauty and aesthetic appeal in home design. Again, solid doors are probably best for exterior placement, while hollow core or engineered wood doors are so efficient that most contractors use them as a matter of course. Wooden doors require occasional oiling or sealing.

When it is used, glass is most often featured as a back door option, although lovely cut-glass front doors are an option as well. Glass is wonderful for large back doors, as it leaves the view into the backyard or garden unobstructed. Front doors made of glass are equally beautiful, but some care should be taken to ensure both privacy and durability. Cut glass panels set into wooden frames are a frequent and beautiful option for front doors. Glass doors, of course, must occasionally be cleaned to remove finger and hand prints.

Fiberglass doors, a recent addition to door materials, have improved so much that it can be extremely hard to tell the difference between a fiberglass door and a wooden one. These doors are sturdy, well constructed, and extremely strong. They are also maintenance free beyond an occasional wipe-down, and improve home insulation.

Loni L. Ice is a freelance writer/editor, who lives in Lawrence, KS, caught in a happy tornado of rampant creativity. Visit her website, Ice and Ink http://www.iceandink.com for a look at what solutions she can offer for any writing need.
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