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Building a Home Design Dilemma

Can interior doors be different colors on each side?

last year

We are building a house. The entire house will have white trim and white doors. Except the study, which will be off the main entry. That room will have dark stained paneling. the study also has glass french doors opening into the main entry way as well as a side door opening to a hall way. What color do I make these doors? They will usually be shut. Should they be stained to match the paneling inside but be white on the outside to match the rest of the house? Very open floor plan so it seems that it would be weird to have dark doors on the the outside of this room where they can be seen with all of the white doors. Thanks

Comments (5)

P Banos
last year
You can go either way. If the style of the doors is unique and they have windows into the room with matching wood, it will work. Or you can paint one side. In that case the edge should match the room it swings into. Is the front door going to be white?
jess_grant77
Original Author
last year
The front door is adjacent and its a very dark iron door
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Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
why not have it done like the others, and after moving in you can always paint?

it's hard to imagine what you're explaining

to answer your question though, no, they don't have to match.
jess_grant77 thanked Beth H. :
palimpsest
last year
You can do it either way but I have a couple doors that are almost always open which match the interior of the room they open into.
jess_grant77 thanked palimpsest
A Fox
last year
Right, which way do these doors swing? If they swing into the study and are likely to be open as often as they are closed, I would let them be dark stained on both sides as the exterior side of the door will often be in the study. If they swing out into the foyer I think it could go either way. I'm guessing you may have other dark stained pieces of furniture throughout the house that can help visually balance the doors, or if you don't a couple in the vicinity of the foyer can help tie it all together.

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