A while back, I wrote a post on ‘4 Easy Steps To A Beautiful Home Entrance‘. The first step there was to make a beautiful door. Since then I have had numerous requests asking for door design ideas and so finally, we have this post today.

With twelve different design ideas and over 70 pics to give examples, this post pretty much covers it all. So let’s get right to it.

12 Terrific Door Design Ideas

Your doors do not have to be ‘boring-old-doors’. Just like the rest of your home, you can give them personality too. You can have them fade away into the background to allow other design elements to shine, or you could make them the show stoppers of your room. Which way you choose will depend on the design of the rest of your space.

Here today, we show you great ideas that will help you both ways.

1 – Wooden Doors

You cannot go wrong with simple, traditional wooden doors. And you don’t have to do much to make them look great. A single sheet of veneer pasted on your door is enough to make it look good.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

You can select a quiet veneer to go with the rest of your furniture, or something with a bold grain to make the door stand out. Place the grains vertically, as above, or horizontally as below.

Source

Place the wood or veneer in strips to add more texture.

Source

Make the grooves and strips fine to change the look completely.

Source

Place the same veneer both horizontally and vertically to create a pattern.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

Or try different angles to create so many different designs.

Source

Take two different veneers and use the difference in colour and grain to create the patterns.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

Use steel or brass inlay strips to break the monotony of the veneer.

Source

You could arrange these in different ways to make an infinite number of designs too.

Source

2 – Paint The Doors

Paint is a wonderful option if you don’t want to go for wooden doors. It is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to give your door a makeover. Neutral colours are always safe to use and go with almost any look.

Source

Or you could choose an accent colour that goes with the rest of your home.

Source

You could choose to match your doors with the walls to have them flow with the space.

Source

Or choose a contrasting colour for them to make your space pop.

Source

A bright, happy door might be all you need to make a statement.

Source

You can choose to paint every door a different colour. The pink and green, picked up from the artwork, make this passageway perfectly pretty.

Source

3 – Distressed Doors

While you are painting them, you might try a distressed finish to give your door a different look.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

Make sure it fits in with the rest of your decor. Though beautiful by itself, a distressed door might look completely out of place, say in a room with modern decor.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

A distressed finish looks beautiful on a wooden door too.

Source

4 – Use Patterns & Geometrics

Who says you have to paint the entire door one colour? Use patterns to make your door design more interesting.

Source

Painting simple shapes can make you stop and look at that door twice.

Source

You could use the framework of the door itself to create the pattern.

Source

These attractive triangles in shades of blue make this one stunning door.

Source

I love the way the zig-zag pattern on the door has been continued across the wall here too.

Source

5 – Paint The Door Frame

The next of our door design ideas doesn’t actually involve the door. We’ve been painting around the frames of our doors in traditional Indian homes since time immemorial. This remains a very useful idea in today’s times too.

Source

Straightforward stripes in different colours around this door is all it took to make it stand out.

Source

Candy coloured waves around the door frames makes this room eye-catching.

Source

And scallops around these door frames, whether in bright contrasting colours..

Source

.. or more muted tones, make these doorways look spectacular.

Source

Here too, the contrasting orange painted in an uncomplicated manner around the door frame makes this wall look amazing.

Source

Like with the doors, you could choose more than one colour to go around your door frame to create your own fantastic looks.

Source

6 – Use Stencils

If art and painting isn’t really your thing, don’t worry about it. You can purchase beautiful designs in stencils to make life easy. Pick a design and use the stencil to paint it in the centre of your door.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

Or paint it repeatedly at regular intervals to create a pattern.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

You could paint every section of a paneled door to highlight it.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

Or use your stencils to make intricate designs by painting all over the door.

Source

Again, stencil art looks just as stunning on wooden doors, so you don’t necessarily have to paint your doors to use stencils on them.

Source

7 – Make Your Door One With The Wall

You could choose not to highlight your door at all. If you’re looking to carry a certain design along your wall, you could pretend the door doesn’t exist and paint it like you would if there had been no opening in that wall.

For example, if you want to colour block one area of your wall and the door gets in the way, you colour block right across the door too.

Source

Here, for example, the colour block falls in line with the dining table. It goes across the door too, making the yellow block stand out and the door fade away into the background.

Source

You could use the door as part of the pattern on the rest of the wall.

Source

Or just continue your pattern across the door, like this wainscoting.

Source

Here the geometric shapes on the wall run right across the door.

Source

While the beautiful flowers on the wall here, pretend that the door doesn’t exist.

Source

8 – Use Your Door Like A Canvas

Yup, create your piece of art straight on your door. The artwork could be as simple as dripping paint from the top of your door.

Source

Or painting patches of different colours across it.

Source

Or you could use your door like a canvas…

Source

… and create the most beautiful artwork on it.

Source

9 – Use Embellishments

You could use various types of ornamentation to beautify your door. Paneled doors adorned with various mouldings always look elegant and rich.

Source

You could do something similar on a plain flush door by adding a moulding of your choice in the form of panels on it.

Source

Use the simple strips of wood to make various patterns…

Source

… in almost any shape you like.

Source

Add carved motifs or medallions to the door and paint them to match it.

Source

Or use brass studs to make any pattern you like.

Source

I designed my front door using a pre-carved panel, some moulding to go around it and a beautiful handle to complete the look. You can read more details about it here.

10 – Use Wallpaper

Next on our list of door design ideas is using wallpaper. Paste it on the door for another effortless way to upgrade it.

Source

You could paste it across the entire door as above, or within a the panel of the door as below.

Source

You can run the wallpaper across multiple panels.

Source

Or run the wallpaper across the door and the wall around it to make them appear as a single large unit.

Source

Try a 3-D wallpaper to add some fun to the space!

Source

11 – Decorate With Hardware

If you want to change nothing else about your door, using striking hardware could make the big difference.

Source

A large handle, across an otherwise plain door is not just useful for opening the door but can make a style statement too.

Source

You can choose from a huge array of ready made handles available in the market, or have one custom made for you as per your design.

Source

Choose your handle to go with your design style and become a part of your decor story.

Source

For example, you can tell this is an oriental themed space just by looking at these handles.

Source

And these bird handles fit perfectly into this dreamy children’s wonderland.

Source

Similarly, a single striking knocker on a plain door can be all the style statement it needs.

Source

This keyhole is more than just that.. it’s an exquisite piece of art.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

Door hinges can make breathtaking adornments too..

Source

… as can be seen by both these examples here.

Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)

In fact, you can select all of your hardware to be more than just functional and make it a visual treat too.

Source

12 – Use Mirrors

We round up our door design ideas by using mirrors. Fix a mirror on your door using moulding all around to keep it in place, and you’ll have yourself a fresh look to your door in no time.

Source

Again, you can place the mirrors in various panel sizes…

Source

… with moulding of your choice, to create different looks as per your decor style.

Source

Using mirrors also helps to make your space feel lighter and larger.

.

That wraps up our 12 terrific door design ideas. From simple and understated to bold and beautiful, from easy ideas for a refresh to unusual ideas for new doors, we’ve covered them all.

If you are looking at designs for your main door, don’t miss our tips on designing your foyer in our post on 9 Easy Steps To a Fabulous Entryway.

I am sure you’ve found something you love and that will be of use to you right here. Let me know which is your favourite, and remember to share your doors with me once you’ve given them a refresh.

Until then,