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Should style of exterior & interior doors match?

redshoetraveler

12 years ago

I just realized that our exterior doors are in a traditional 6-panel style and our interior doors are in a 2-panel roman style. Our interior glass french doors are 10-panel divided light and our back door just has a single panel of glass. I really like the 6-panel traditional front door (our house is very traditional-looking). And I like the 2-panel roman in the interior, but I'm worried it's going to look weird from the inside. Suggestions?

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Comments (4)

nini804
12 years ago
I think it will be fine...is your front door stained or painted a different color from your interior doors? That will make it look different right there to begin with.
kymike
12 years ago
You should be OK. Our contractor has the 6 panel as standard for all doors except front entry (which is usually different). We changed the interior doors to 2 panel (at no additional cost). The contractor was kind enough to point out that the garage door would remain a 6 panel unless we paid the extra cost to order as a 2 panel to match the interior doors (which we did).

We did make our dining room doors single glass panel instead of divided light as I hate to clean the individual glass panels on those doors.
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musings
12 years ago
Things do not need to match, but I think they should "tell the same story." There are ways to unify different elements, including through finish choices of hardware, stain/paint, etc. On the other hand, you can use contrast to your advantage also to highlight that the exterior/interior doors are different from each other (but all the interior doors are similar and all the exterior doors are similar).

Also, I don't know where you are in terms of what's installed or not, but I might replace the back door with a French door with divided lights. Then all those types of doors coordinate also.

Good luck with your decision.
chisue
12 years ago
Our entry door is three panel, stained, with an archtop. Our interior passage doors are the same three panel, but flat top and painted. Our French doors are divided light, flat top, painted. The rear entry door is plain with divided light top half, painted. The door to the garage had to be fireproof, and is just a slab, painted. All have similar 'bulk'. All are at least three feet wide and over seven feet tall. All have the same 4" casings.

Door hardware on entry and passage doors is Baldwin 'Edinburgh' levers. The Pella French doors came with suitable levers.

The variety 'mingles' well, but doesn't *match*. AFAIK, for instance, no one has picked up on the fact that our front elevation has simulated true divided light windows, while the rest of the house's windows and French doors have between-the-glass battens.

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