Blog

Keeping up with clients has left little to no time for blogging. But hey, I guess that’s a blessing!

So here I am, ready to start spilling on the things I have learned in the past number of months…let’s start with doors.

Yes, doors.

No really, I’m serious.

You may not think much of it, but doors are a major design element that is both functional and beautiful. I cannot tell you how much time I have spent discussing door functions, materials, designs, locations, swings, sizes, colors and finishes with clients and vendors. There is so much to it that you would never think to consider before jumping in.

So how do we start discussing doors on a project?

It seems like something so simple, and yet this is one part of a design concept that takes up SO. MUCH. TIME.

I always ask a client to start gathering interior images they love (and that really goes for just about everything). Pinterest and Instagram are such great tools for clients to find inspiration. Once they have shown you a few photos of interiors they are liking it becomes easier as a designer to understand what style they gravitate towards. But little tip- make sure the browsing stops there or you will never come to a conclusion.

There are so many options to choose from in the world of door design! And when we start going custom and being creative…it’s endless. Keep in mind that doors will directly influence the overall style and feel of your home. So if you are going for something more modern or you are maybe a little too restricted on space, you definitely don’t want to go with more ornate doors that will wind up feeling too busy or traditional.

Generally when discussing style you need to consider the following:

What room is it for?

If the doors are for the dining room, I would surely want to see something more beautiful and architectural in its features. Now if it is for a kid’s bedroom, I would hold back on splurging for expensive doors with intricate designs. Unless of course that is what makes sense for the home design as a whole 😉

What style is the space following?

Is the interior supposed to be more rustic? Maybe then we could consider wood veneers with visible graining in a barn door. If the interior is more traditional, we can do any finish door with more of a shaker style and ornate moldings. Thinking modern and contemporary? Great, let’s stick to more simple geometry and really pay close attention to the texture or color. Finishes can make doors exciting too! Picture glass-like high gloss or flat matte Scandinavian looking doors.

How tall are the ceilings?

Understanding how scale translates to custom designs is imperative. On my most recent project, my client loved the look of a 4 panel door and I agreed! We worked on our custom designs with inspirations in hand, but when discussing ceiling heights and door headers on site we realized how terrible a 4 panel door would be if we did not make sure to have at least an 8’ header for every single door.

What does the budget look like?

In the next few paragraphs you will see just how important budget is in determining what doors you end up using in your home.

Many times a client will come to you with the most gorgeous door design they found online; “a rich walnut veneer with brass in-lay in this crazy geometric pattern and just imagine the type of design you could come up with given this as inspiration”…love it. That will cost probably 3x the price as a regular door because its super custom. So if that number is not within the budget (because remember that price gets multiplied by the total amount of doors you need in an ENTIRE HOME) we are definitely crossing it off the list.

Are we done yet? No.

So great, we have our door design that we want. Next step, picking the material it is made of.
Materials!!! Ahh!!

This is the part that confuses so many people (myself included). Nowadays there are so many materials in modern construction that you can never truly compare apples to apples across vendors. Some use MDF, some use particle core, some use HDF (the list goes on and on) and yet they all will tell you their door is most durable and cost effective. BUT WHAT IS THE TRUTH??

Well, to be completely honest I don’t really know! But here is what I have summed up in my experience with doors that has helped me specify the best quality product for my clients.

• Solid anything is better than hollow. Never buy anything that has a hollow core. What does that mean?

If you are in the market for a door and someone is trying to sell you something that has a hollow core (empty on the inside), walk away and find your nearest Home Depot or Lowes because you can buy that door for pennies there in stock and in bulk. Those are nothing special, they are cheap doors used in rentals or by very budgeted individuals. One angry kick at it and it is done for. 

So take my word for it. Buy a solid core door. Something completely filled through and through. Whether it is solid wood, MDF, LVL or hell, even metals with fill inside. Only buy solid.

• Try your best to stay away from MDF.

I know this material is used like water in the industry because its price point is great and it is in high demand. But the reality is, most MDF or particle core doors will chip over time on the bottoms and get beat up pretty bad. They are not the best at containing sound in any given room and just don’t hold up as well as their superiors.

Many vendors have started pushing this more advanced, or stronger as they say, door made of HDF (high density as opposed to medium density) and I will admit, my clients did bite at it. My honest review is that it looks like a nice quality heavy duty solid door and surely beats MDF. The price was right and I think it was a good call.

• If you can afford it, be a dinosaur.

They say nothing beats construction like the olden days, and in many ways I totally agree. The houses were made with solid and strong durable material that lasted hundreds of years and with growing technology and demands for products at competitive price points things have cheapened up (and not in a good way). 

And so, it is no wonder why solid wood (any type really) will always be more expensive than any other material door. Granted, you can argue that wood contracts and expands with certain weather conditions and moisture, but all in all it is a fantastic material that withstands just about anything and will last forever. 

A few tips before I go.

-Never let a door vendor paint your doors. It will be hell on earth. Do not do it. Let the professional painter do the painting. Let the professional door vendor do the door building.

-Use a vendor that is well repped, has references and can show you previous work. Make sure you can truly and whole heartedly trust this person (well as much as you can trust anyone), because they will be apart of your construction life for the long haul.

-Physically walk through all your door swings. You might think it works on plan, but you may change your mind in reality. It is salvageable to swap hinges on a door, but you can’t reverse a hole made for a door handle/knob.

There you have it. My spark notes to door buying, designing and installing.

Till next time!

With love,

Tanya