Choosing the Right Doors!

By on 12th November in Home Inspiration
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With the constant changes to our lifestyles and homes today, there are many more door options for us to choose from to make us feel more connected with our gardens. French, Patio and Bi-fold doors have blurred the line of where the inside finishes and the outside begins, which has made a huge difference to the way in which we live in our homes.

If you are considering making changes to your doors, take your time, give it some thought, and consider what options are available to you.

For us the considerations we would to take into account are:

  • Whether the doors would be uPVC, wooden or aluminium
  • How secure they are – do they have added security or up-to-date locking systems
  • Do they give you protection against heat loss with the use of energy efficient glass
  • What colour and style of doors would suit the room
  • What space exists inside or outside the room to allow the doors to open fully
  • What the view will be like through the windows after the doors are installed

With our ever changing ways of utilising the space in our homes and the new and inventive ways of opening windows and doors to our gardens, we thought it we would give you a breakdown of French, Patio and Bi-fold doors to see which is most suitable for your home.

French Doors

French doors date back to the 17th century, but unbeknown to us started life as a window and not a door. Over time the glass was placed through the length of the window to the floor, allowing extra light to rooms, when candle light was the only thing available to light dark rooms. French doors were originally put on the first floor of homes and opened up on to small balconies. During the late 17th century, French doors were introduced into English architecture and have evolved to what we know today.

Anglian French Doors

Anglian French doors

 

French doors are a very classical style door, but can also have a modern twist as you can see above. They are installed more often than not on the ground floor, leading onto a paved patio area before reaching our gardens.  Their overall design has changed little over the years.

Anglian French Doors in White

Anglian French doors with Georgian bars

Patio Doors

The Patio sliding door has been around since the mid 60s and is a door that we have all grown to love. It may have been the first mass-market, affordable door that opened up our sitting rooms or lounges. This type of door is great for letting light into darker rooms and giving us access to our gardens without having to use the front or back doors to our homes.

White Patio Door

Anglian Patio doors letting light in to a dull room

Patio doors look sleek. One of the doors slides from one side to the other, giving access through a larger than average doorway (space dependant). This sliding door offers space inside and outside of the doors. Patio doors offer a great alternative if you are limited by the space inside your room or outside.

Bi-fold Doors

Bi-fold doors are perhaps the most modern of today’s door styles, being introduced in the late 90s. There are many advantages thanks to their unique design – Bi-fold doors can offer us the benefits of having part or the entire window open.

The modern bi-fold door can change the room into a cool, fresh and tranquil indoor/outdoor space by opening up the garden to the room, perfect for those scorching hot days we have in the summer (occasionally we do have them right?).

On the contrary, when it’s cold and rainy (so a lot of the time), we want to make sure we get our Vitamin D intake, the doors allow you to have a great view of your garden from the comfort of the room they’re attached to. You may not be able to get outside to enjoy it, but at least you’ll have the view…

Anglian Bi-fold doors

Anglian Bi-fold doors, letting the light and garden into the room

Whether it be for entertaining with our family and friends or just having some time to ourselves for quiet contemplation, what better way to do it than with the Bi-fold doors wide open, utilising the whole space and giving a unique view on our own little bit of paradise. With such a large area of wall open, it is comforting to know that when the Bi-fold door is closed the multi-point locking system secures your home safely and gives us piece of mind.

Whatever style you decide to choose, give it some thought how you want to access your home and what style of door fits in with your home’s aesthetics. Sometimes, what you would like and what looks right might not always be achieved and compromises may need to be made. The technology used in their manufacture has come on leaps-and-bounds to offer us greater security and better insulation with energy efficient glass.

Which style would you like to incorporate into your home? Drop us a message on Facebook or Twitter.