I live in a town with a Shaker Village which I've visited many times. My memory is that the dwelling areas didn't have electric lights, but that some or all of the work areas did. In the post linked below, there's a photo most of the way down the page with the schoolhouse interior that includes a pendant lamp. In the same blog, the "Moses Johnson, master builder" entry has a photo of the round hanging candelabras in one of the meeting houses (not Canterbury.) Here is a photo of the lamps in the Canterbury meeting house: http://blog.lakesregionhome.com/files/2014/02/DSC_0321_tonemapped.jpg Many of the lights are hanging bare bulbs in work areas such as the syrup shop: http://blog.lakesregionhome.com/files/2014/02/DSC_0276_tonemapped-Copy.jpg flat steel light shade in another work area (with a bare hanging bulb by the door) and in the laundry: http://blog.lakesregionhome.com/files/2014/02/DSC_0291_tonemapped-Copy.jpg http://blog.lakesregionhome.com/files/2014/02/DSC_0252_tonemapped-Copy.jpg deeper metal shade (dark green) in the room with the knitting machines: http://blog.lakesregionhome.com/files/2014/02/DSC_0235_tonemapped-Copy.jpg Hope this is helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Canterbury, NH Shaker Village

If you want solid core, I highly recommend real wood. Just leave a little more room than MDF around the edge to accommodate seasonal expansion/contraction (if a door does end up sticking, it is very easy to sand and paint/stain an edge). I renovated a traditional Cape style house a decade ago and replaced the MDF doors with simple white painted pine doors and it transformed the whole look of the house. It was not that much more expensive but looked and functioned so much better. I love doors with "weight" to them and crisp edges. The paint is also much smoother than the grainy texture of MDF doors, and they are much easier to clean. If you really want to make a statement, invest in solid oak doors and stain them. That is what I have in my current house (raised 4-panel red oak doors). They have been there since 1971 and are still in almost perfect condition in what is otherwise a gut reno house. A sanding and restaining and they would look new again. It's the one thing about this house that I actually like. I believe it's due to the timelessness of high quality natural materials. Mine have a beveled edge that helps the dust slip off as opposed to a flat edge. I also have to disagree that the raised panel style looks dated. I think it's a traditional detail that has fallen out of favor due to the popularity of craftsman style (also a trend). It certainly does not help that most raised panel doors are cheap MDF models rather than genuine millwork. It's the "imitation" of the look, rather than the style itself, that is dated IMO. More elaborate architectural relief was quite expensive back in the day and the exclusive domain of upscale residences and buildings. https://www.oldhouseonline.com/interiors-and-decor/guide-old-doors For colonial style doors, looks for ones that have 4-6 square panels. Go with what you love regarding edge and detailing. Something like the examples below. If budget is an issue, I would consider replacing the doors on one floor at a time. Solid pine - I would paint these. Red oak - more expensive, would be my choice for stain. These would be beautiful and since it's a hard wood, extremely durable.

A new build we saw had all the trim and interior doors painted a taupe instead if white and it was beautiful! I went smaller scale on our house and did just door and door trim but still love the look. We also have edgecomb gray walls and this door color is Behr Roadside. I do like the door trim painted the same color as the door. The house we saw had SW Megataupe(?) trim.

There were a lot of houses built in the middle of the last century in the US with cheap, hollow core flat panel doors. When people refer to cheap flat panel doors that's what they're thinking of. As the previous posters have shown, there are more expensive, very attractive flat panel doors available. Maybe not at big box stores, but if you live in a major metro area you should be able to find them somewhere locally. The price of lumber has been all over the place the last two years, and while it's not at its peak, it's still high as compared to pre-pandemic, so be prepared for sticker shock.