While we’re not fans of exterior Dutch doors, we find Dutch doors inside the home to be charming and very functional. In this post, we’ll share the 5 best rooms for a Dutch door inside your house.
What is a Dutch Door?
A Dutch door is a door that is split in half horizontally. You may have only the bottom closed so that the top swings freely open, or you may close both halves.
Dutch Doors are known by many other names, including:
• Stable doors
• Barn doors
• Double hung doors
• Half doors
Whatever you call them, these doors have a long history.
The style originated in the Netherlands in the 1600’s. At the time, these doors were popular among farming families who used them to keep children in and animals out.
When Dutch settlers came to US, they brought the style with them in rural parts of New England.
Since then, door manufacturers have adapted Dutch doors for use in many home architectural styles. You can find Dutch doors in farmhouse, traditional and even contemporary homes.
Recently, Dutch doors have become trendy both as an exterior and an interior door option.
When homeowners visit our Raleigh, NC area store for new doors, they sometimes ask:
What are the Best Rooms for a Dutch Door?
1. Mudroom
Shoes scattered, coats flung, muddy paw prints galore – the typical mudroom mayhem.
But a Dutch door transforms the scene. Messy kids and pets can be contained on one side of the divide, while towels, wipes, etc. can be handed over the partition.
Don’t want your pet or kiddos to escape, but need to grab something from the mudroom? Just keep the lower portion closed while you open the top to grab what you need without freeing your crew.
No time to clean up the mess before company arrives? Just close the top portion of the door!
2. Pantry
Similarly, a Dutch door can be a lifesaver when you don’t want kids or pets to have free access to the pantry, but you want to be able to hand things over from inside, or reach in to grab something.
3. Laundry Room
A Dutch door allows you to work on laundry while keeping little ones (of the four and two legged varieties) out of your workspace (and away from harmful chemicals you may keep in the laundry room).
But, with the top portion of the door open, you can still easily supervise them and offer assistance when they need help opening a snack…because they always need help opening a snack!
4. Kids’ Room
Many parents opt for a Dutch door in lieu of a baby gate to keep their little ones contained. The Dutch door is a sturdier option, which won’t damage your walls the way a baby gate can if it’s dislodged.
Dutch doors are also a fantastic option if you want to be sure that a roaming pet doesn’t wander in and wake up a sleeping baby.
Just be sure that no one teaches Junior how fun it is to swing on the bottom half of the door!
5. Home Office
Similar to a laundry room, a Dutch door on a home office gives you a physical barrier that can prevent the chaos of family life from overtaking your workspace. Keeping the top door open while you work allows you to keep one ear on the family while you work.
When you have an important meeting? Just close the top door to take your call.
Summary
When you’re looking to make changes to your home’s doors, you want to work with pros who can help you find creative solutions to make your spaces more functional and beautiful.
At Window Works Co., we’re dedicated to helping our customers find exactly the right products to suit their needs.
Use the calendar below to book a Window and Door Consultation call with us. We’d love to hear about your project and answer your questions!
