A guide to choosing new or replacement doors for your home.

You use one every time you enter or leave a room. Yet when it comes to decorating, whether it be a brand new house or redecorating the family home – doors are usually forgotten, or at best an afterthought. Well, a door’s a door, right?

Wrong. The style of door that you choose can make a subtle or dramatic difference to the feel and look of your home. And as they take up a fair amount of space – they deserve to be given your full attention. Here are a few things to take into account.

• The most important factor in choosing interior doors, is your preference and budget. Shop around, find a look and a style of door that you like and that is in a price range that suits your budget, and then go for it. You’ll soon see what a difference changing such a subtle design accent can make throughout your living area.
• You’ll also need to consider the style of the doors themselves and the way in which they open into the rooms. A standard door needs about two metres of clear space. But, in small bedrooms, bathrooms or kitchens (which are common in new-build homes and conversions), there may be little room for the door to open once all your furniture and furnishings are in place. In this case, half-width double doors take up half the space, while bi-fold doors (which fold as they open) can save enough space to make a very small room perfectly practical.
• The style of the door should complement the style of your decor, and you’ll find such a variety of styles that choosing interior doors for your home may be almost mind-boggling. The various standard styles include those with two to eight panels, raised or flat panels, and French door styles. Add to those café doors, bi-fold doors, bypass doors and pocket doors, and you’ll be spoilt for choice.
• Believe it or not, your lifestyle may also influence the type of interior doors you choose. For example, if you have a very noisy family and would like to keep some of that noise confined to certain rooms, solid-core as opposed to hollow-core doors make more sense, as the hollow-core will help to transmit the sound whereas the solid-core will reduce it.
• Keep in mind the overall dimensions of the room. An enormous mullioned sliding glass door may be beautiful, but will it overwhelm a small sitting room?
• You don’t have to stick with just one type of door throughout your entire home. You can mix and match interior door styles, just be sure to keep some elements the same. Use the same colour, finish or basic styling to provide a consistency and flow.
• Painted interior doors are popular as well as natural wood. Soft white works well with most decor.

Pictures: getty images