The interior design of a room is no longer restricted to the wall colour, accents and furniture – today you can make a real impact by installing beautiful interior doors in your home.

 Says Charl Jacobz from Swartland Wooden Windows and Doors: “A beautiful door is one of those subtle necessities that can make a big difference in your home’s style. Like trim or mouldings, most doors go fairly unnoticed, but if chosen correctly, they can have a dramatic impact on the overall appearance of a room or interior space.

 He says that an interior door is a vital part of any indoor space and that great care must be shown when making your selection: “If you are building, renovating or just looking to upgrade the look of an interior space, picking new interior doors is an important step. Style, the type of door, materials, energy efficiency and door hardware are just a few of the things that need to be carefully considered before a choice can be made.”

 Charl provides the following pointers to make your selection of interior doors a little easier:

 A question of style

When it comes to choosing your interior doors, it is important to choose a style that will complement the overall architectural and décor of your home. If your home is traditional or a period style, then you should choose similarly traditional and classically styled doors, such as cottage-pane, French or panelled doors for example. However, if you have a more contemporary home, then the interior doors should reflect this as well – for example, flush, angular doors sit very well in sleek, modern interiors, as do fully glazed doors.

Says Charl: “When it comes to door styles, you can mix-n-match a little, but be sure to keep some elements the same so that there is a flow throughout. Ideally, all the interior doors should match one another – in fact, one of the biggest trends today is to pair interior doors with your choice of exterior doors to create a seamless and harmonious flow throughout your home. Swartland for example, offers several ranges of interior and exterior doors that homeowners can mix and match to find their ideal combination.”

Type of interior doors

There is a wide variety of different types of interior doors on the market, and as such, Charl says that it is important for the homeowner to consider each space before making a decision on the type of door that should be installed there – consider how big the room is, how much swing area you have, is it a dark or light space, and so on.

 Generally speaking – there are a number of different types of doors, the main ones include:

• Sliding doors: The majority of these doors are used for closet or cabinetry doors, but they can also be used as doors for entryways too. They take up a minimal amount of space because they slide along each other or the wall, rather than swinging open. They are an optimal choice for very small and cramped areas.

• Cavity Sliding doors: These doors are another great space-saving option – they are similar to sliding doors, but instead of sliding back on one another or along the wall, they actually slide into the wall. Cavity doors are greatly admired for their space-saving characteristics, as well as for their convenient out-of-sight aesthetic.

• Folding doors: Otherwise known as concertina or stack doors, these doors have become exceptionally popular for opening indoor spaces to the outdoors, such as opening up a living area onto an outdoor patio. However, they are also popularly used in interior spaces as well – when open, they can help create a wonderfully free-flowing open-plan layout, but when closed, homeowners can enjoy the benefits of closed-off, separate living spaces as well.

• Flush doors: These are simple, contemporary doors that are smooth on both sides and a great option for modern homes.

• Panel doors: These are very popular types of doors seen in homes today – they are of a standard shape and designed with classic pattern or square panels.

• French doors: Exceptionally popular as external doors, French doors can also be used for internal applications. They complement a wide variety of decor and architectural styles and they can be used to maximise the light in a room. French doors comprise a frame around one or more transparent panels of glass or wood, and if glass is used it can be filled with either clear or opaque glass.

• Dutch doors: Dutch doors are divided in half horizontally, allowing the top half to swing open, while the bottom half stays closed. These are not very popular for indoor applications, but they have been known to be used for kitchen and living areas.

Click to page two to read about the top trends.