4 Interior Door Styles & When to Use Them

Choosing the right interior door styles is a crucial design decision for your home. Interior doors are more than just functional elements—they significantly impact your home’s overall aesthetic and flow.

The right doors will enhance your interior design and create a cohesive look. The following popular interior door configurations offer functionality, practicality, and a contemporary look.

1. Concealed Rail Barn Doors

Concealed rail barn doors—or magic doors—offer the ultimate style, functionality, and intrigue. Modern sliding barn doors have become a staple in homes that prioritize space savings or have a minimalist chic, modern farmhouse, or industrial feel.

Magic doors are similar in design and feel to regular sliding barn doors. However, their track isn't visible. Instead, the door slab slides along a concealed track on the back of the door, giving the illusion that the door is holding itself up.

When to Use a Magic Door

Magic doors are one of the best design styles for modern homes. Their minimal hardware creates clean, sleek lines that fit perfectly into contemporary, streamlined interiors.

You can use a magic door to:

• Create a hidden space: A magic door can be finished in exactly the same color as the walls around it. It will blend seamlessly into the background, creating the illusion that there's no door there at all. This is a fun design element perfect for pantries, ensuites, or home offices.
• Optimize space: Many homeowners choose sliding doors as a way to save floor space. Swing doors require clearance space on the floor. This makes them impractical for compact rooms.
• Double up as another design feature: Short on wall space? Make your magic door multi-functional by covering it with a full-length mirror or a bookcase.

2. Barn Doors

Modern interior barn doors are a popular choice in contemporary and traditional homes. Barn doors offer many of the advantages of magic doors but run along a visible overhead rail. Many homeowners embrace this hardware as part of the charm of an interior barn door.

When to Use a Barn Door

A barn door is highly versatile as it fits into a wide range of home styles. A barn door looks just as much at home in a modern industrial-style city loft as it does in a traditional farmhouse. The style, color, and material will play key roles in making a barn door fit in your home.

Barn doors are perfect for:

• Separating different areas in large spaces: Barn doors are ideal for dividing rooms, such as separating the dining area from the living room in a large living-dining space. Simply open the door for a more social feel.
• Uneven doorways: Not all doorways are perfectly straight. This makes it difficult to fit a traditional swing door correctly. Barn doors are the perfect solution to this as they don't need to perfectly fit the doorway.
• Covering storage areas: Many storage areas are functional but less than decorative! Barn doors offer an elegant solution to hide storage areas while keeping them easily accessible.

3. Pocket Doors

Pocket doors are another type of sliding door. Pocket doors open and close by sliding along a track that disappears into a wall cavity. They offer a sleeker, cleaner alternative to barn doors. Double pocket doors are ideal for wider door openings.

When to Use a Pocket Door

Like barn doors and magic doors, pocket doors are excellent choices for compact spaces. Use pocket doors for the following rooms:

• Bathrooms: Pocket doors offer more soundproofing and privacy in bathrooms than barn doors, which don't seal 100% as there's always a little space between the slab and the wall.
• Offices: Pocket doors are a popular home office door idea. French pocket doors allow light to come through while offering privacy and space savings.
• Open-plan living spaces: Pocket doors are another great option for dividing rooms in open-plan living spaces as they disappear almost completely into the wall when open, creating a feeling of openness and continuity.

4. French Doors

French doors are an elegant and classic style of swinging doors that look beautiful in both modern and traditional homes. French doors feature large glass panes that allow natural light to flow freely between rooms.

French doors are often the go-to option for exterior patio doors. However, they are also an elegant and highly functional option for interior doors.

When to Use French Doors

French doors are the ideal option for many homes that have enough floor space to allow for their swing. Alternatively, consider French-style pocket doors.

Choose French doors for:

• Connected living spaces: French doors create a seamless flow between rooms, such as the living room and dining room, or the kitchen and breakfast nook.
• Darker areas in your home: French doors allow natural light to flow freely, brightening your home.
• Creating a sense of space: French doors make small rooms feel larger by visually connecting them to adjacent spaces.

The use of glass in home environments is a perfect way to brighten your home and make it feel more spacious. Glass can even positively influence mental health.

Research has found that glass is the most restorative material in home environments. Incorporating glass panels into your interior doors may help with stress reduction if you spend a lot of time at home.

Considerations with Interior Door Materials

The materials used for your interior doors will impact the doors' overall look and functionality. Take the following into account when choosing materials for your interior doors:

Solid or Hollow-Core Doors?

The choice between solid-core and hollow-core doors depends on several factors, including your specific needs, budget, and aesthetic preferences. Solid-core doors are more durable and offer better sound and heat insulation. However, a solid-wood door will come at a higher price point.

Hollow-core doors represent a more affordable option and are easier to install and handle than solid-wood doors. However, they don't last as long.

When to Use Solid-Core vs Hollow-Core Doors

• Solid-core doors: Best for high-traffic areas, bedrooms, and exterior doors where durability, soundproofing, and security are priorities.
• Hollow-core doors: Adequate for interior doors in less-used areas, such as closets or interior hallways.

Glass Panels

Glass panels add a classy touch to any interior door. They also help light flood through your home.

However, glass panels can affect soundproofing. They also offer less privacy. Frosted glass doors are a great choice for bedrooms as they balance privacy and light flow.

Louvered Doors

A louvered door is a type of door with diagonal slats, or louvers, that facilitate ventilation and partial privacy. They allow fresh air into areas like closets that can become dank and musty. These doors are often used in closets, bathrooms, and other areas where airflow and light control are desired.

Make Doors a Central Design Feature in Your Home

Your choice of interior door style significantly impacts the overall aesthetic of your interiors. Your doors represent an important design choice as well as providing functionality in your home.

Choose a style, color, and material that suits your needs now and in years to come. Select high-quality, beautifully designed, and professionally installed doors to futureproof your interior design.