Interior door trends have gone through many changes over the years, and it’s an important design decision that affects the overall style of your home. Certain colors influence the mood and intimacy of your home, while the style has a dramatic effect on your overall décor.

In this article, we’ll explore the most popular interior door styles, explain the types of interior doors, offer interior design tips for styling doors, and help you choose the best interior door for your home.

Today the most common doors tend to be painted flat panels or a 2-panel raised panel. A 6-panel has traditionally always been the most popular door style but has gone out of style quite a bit in the last decade.

However, with rustic, country interior design a growing trend in the US and beyond, barn doors and stained, solid wood doors are frequently being used as an indoor design feature.

There are different styles of interior doors as well as different construction and function of interior doors. Barn doors are a specific function of a door, while for example a molded door is a specific door construction and a 1-panel flat might be a certain style of molded door.

With all that said, here’s a breakdown on some of those differences in doors, and which rooms they suit best.

Barn doors are growing in popularity, particularly for their ability to separate key rooms in the home. With rural charm, they make a beautiful accent piece in any modern or country living space.

Key features:

• Ideal for rustic, country home interiors
• Well-suited to bedroom suites and open-plan living spaces
• Perfect for larger openings
• Available with locking rails for privacy
• Require adequate wall space next to the opening

The most timeless and traditional type of door is a painted or primed door. These offer a clean, modern look and are happily affordable options for most homes.

Key features:

• Available with varying panel designs/heights
• Generally the lowest cost
• Low maintenance (once painted)
• Contains a solid wood core for additional strength
• Have an MDF (Medium-density fibreboard) surface veneer to offer a sleek look

Interior doors with glass panes and wooden frames are statement pieces in a home. They are designed to add charm and style to a home, while maintaining natural light and a sense of openness.

Key features:

• Ideal for lounges, hallways, laundry areas, and between living areas
• Available with translucent or clear glass
• Customizable panel designs to suit your home
• Very low maintenance (once painted)
• A solid core and all-wood frame offers stability and resistance against daily wear and tear

MDF doors are strong, resilient, and perfect for homes with fluctuating humidity levels. As our most customizable interior door, with almost endless panel options and sticking profiles, you can choose a design with dramatic contours or crisp, clean lines.

Key features:

• Ideal for bathrooms, laundry rooms, bedrooms, and lounges
• Largest selection of panel styles along with customization options
• Pre-primed and low maintenance once painted
• Seamless to prevent splitting or show-through paint
• Solid and MDF core offers durability against bumps and resilience against humidity

Solid wood doors are the best insulators and offer the most soundproofing in a home. Available in a range of wood species, real wood doors tastefully complement any interior living space.

Key features:

• Available in a range of wood species
• Can be stained for protection and personalization
• Ideal for use as a feature door
• Customizable panel designs
• Hides dirt and dust better than white painted doors
• Composite core with wood stiles increases durability, prevents cracking, and minimizes drafts

The style of interior door you choose has an impact on soundproofing, resilience, and the overall aesthetics of your home. Here’s a quick summary of the different factors to consider and how they impact your home life.

The design is always important, and which is best for you depends on your signature style preferences. Generally, it’s best to choose a design that suits the rest of your home interior.

For example, flat panel doors complement a modern or contemporary style home, while a raised panel or solid wood door tends to fit a more traditionally styled home.

The most common materials for interior doors include solid wood, composite, MDF, or a mix of wood and glass panels. Each offers a slightly different aesthetic, a varying level of resilience, and a different price point.

MDF doors are more affordable, followed by composite, with real wood being the more luxurious, high-end material. In terms of resilience, solid wood and composite are more resistant to damage compared to MDF.

The core is important when choosing an interior door for your home, as it impacts the durability and soundproofing of your room. Here’s a quick guide to each type of core and the benefits it offers:

• Solid core: Reduces noise transmission by up to 50% and is highly resilient against dents
• MDF core: Offers good soundproofing (not as good as a solid core), withstands humidity better than real wood, and is very durable
• Hollow core: Lightweight, affordable, easy to install, but offers minimal soundproofing and isn’t as resistant to nicks and dings

Another factor to consider when choosing an interior door for your home is its practicality in the room of choice.

For example, if the room has no windows (like a laundry room or hallway), a door with glass panes can boost natural light and brighten the room.

Or installing a wooden barn door in a room with high humidity and poor ventilation (like a bathroom with no windows), this may impact the longevity of the real wood.
Likewise, a primed wood or composite door (with no glass) is often best for bedrooms and bathrooms, where privacy is required.

The core is important when choosing an interior door for your home, as it impacts the durability and soundproofing of your room. Here’s a quick guide to each type of core and the benefits it offers:

• Solid core: Reduces noise transmission by up to 50% and is highly resilient against dents
• MDF core: Offers good soundproofing (not as good as a solid core), withstands humidity better than real wood, and is very durable
• Hollow core: Lightweight, affordable, easy to install, but offers minimal soundproofing and isn’t as resistant to nicks and dings