Patio doors – usually found at the rear of the property – connect the home to the backyard. They bridge the gap between indoors and out, creating a flow between spaces that’s completely unique to the layout of your home.

Each design – from bifolding to sliding – can dramatically change the views, lighting, and even the arrangement of furniture in your home.

This makes choosing a patio door one of the most important design decisions when renovating.

Discover different patio door designs and styles to choose from in this article, plus our tips on how to choose the best patio door for your home.

Popular styles of patio doors include sliding doors, bifolding doors, multi-slide doors, and classic swing patio doors.

All are designed to maximize natural light and enhance connection to the outdoors. Yet each offers its own unique benefits, from saving space to enabling flexibility in how you connect with the outdoors.

Sliding patio doors have two large glass panes fitted on tracks. To open, one side of the door slides behind the other, making it one of the most space-saving door types.

Some sliding doors enable you to open one or the other side, creating flexibility in how you use the room. With large glass areas, these patio doors allow natural light to flood into the home, creating a connection between indoors and outdoors. They are also available in 3 and 4 panel configurations.

Bifolding doors are a contemporary style of patio door. Popular in modern homes, they are usually fitted along the entire wall of a room.
Renowned for their flexibility, these doors can be opened at either end (like a swing door) or folded up in different ways to open up the room.
When fully opened, bifolding doors extend the interior outwards, creating a seamless transition between indoors and outdoors.

Multi-slide doors are similar to sliding patio doors, but instead of a single operating door, they can have up to 6. They can extend across the entire wall of a home, or across multiple walls, joining together at a point.
The glass panes sit on tracks, and the doors slide behind each other to create access to the outdoors.

Swing patio doors are a classic opening, usually consisting of one or two doors that swing outwards on a hinge. These doors create flexibility, with the option of opening a single door or both doors at once.

Swing doors are usually made of glass to maximize natural light, with a solid frame lining the edges.

Popular patio door materials include premium vinyl, reinforced wood, and modern aluminum. These come in a range of colors, with each material offering a different style and aesthetic appeal to your living space.

Premium vinyl patio doors are strong, sturdy, and virtually maintenance-free. With various designs available, you can get vinyl door frames in natural or block colors.
For example, you can choose golden oak to mimic the appearance of natural wood. Or you can opt for a colored frame, such as brilliant white, almond blonde, desert sand, or matte black.

Wood patio doors are framed with structurally sound laminated veneer lumber (known as LVL). This creates dimensional stability, but keeps the natural appearance and traditional style of wooden doors.

Once installed, the wooden frames don’t need painting, and they won’t ever warp, rot, or decay.

Aluminum-framed patio doors offer a contemporary appearance combined with a strong, high-security threshold.
Easy to operate and highly durable, aluminum frames offer good resistance to dents, dings, and scratches. They also come with little to no upkeep, making it easier to keep these doors looking their best.

Patio doors are customizable, and you can choose between features to create a unique opening that blends into your décor scheme.

From hardware to color, and frame size to the number of glass panels, explore some of the customization options you can choose from for patio doors.

Hardware defines a patio door and adds the finishing touches to the overall aesthetic. Popular styles include brass, steel, aluminum, bronze, and classic black or white uPVC.

Glass on patio doors can be left as a single sheet, or it can be framed with paneling to create a feature and add historical appeal to your living space.

For example, you can choose to divide patio doors into six panes to separate the glass, or you can opt for a ceremonial look, with five or six rows of three glass panes.

You can choose how transparent or visual your glass appears. For example, you can choose to increase privacy by opting for frosted glass or rain-effect styles, or you can choose the classic, clear glass panes.

Glass effects aren’t just beneficial for their visual beauty or privacy. The color and texture of your glass can also impact energy efficiency, from helping to block harmful UV rays to keeping internal temperatures down.

You can customize the color scheme of your patio doors according to the material you choose.

Reinforced wooden doors often come in a range of paint and stain colors to match your preferences – from wood-look to rusty red and azure blue.

While vinyl, aluminum, and uPVC door frames are often available in black, white, gray, or matte effects.

You can often customize the size of your frame, or choose doors with different frame sizes. Slimmer frames maximize the glass area, which enhances natural light and increases the view outwards.

Thicker frames can do the opposite, but they also offer a unique aesthetic, making your patio doors a feature and focal point of the room.

Patio doors don’t just enhance your interior and exterior aesthetic. They change the flow of your home and have a significant impact on how you organize the adjoining rooms.

When choosing the best patio door for your living space, consider elements like:

• Natural light: Think about how much natural light you want to create for your living space. Some options enhance light more than others, like multi-slide and bifolding doors.
• Style: Consider which design suits the style of your home. Some patio doors are better suited to a modern or contemporary home, while others benefit a traditional or countryside aesthetic.
• Views: Patio doors bridge the gap between indoors and outdoors, and enhance the view. Consider how different styles impact the view from the interior looking outwards, and the exterior looking inwards.
• Space: Bifolding and multi-slide doors take up wall space, while swing doors take up exterior patio areas. Think about how much available space you’ll have with each door design.
• Structure: It’s important to consider the structure of your home and the impact of installing different patio door designs. Speak to our specialists for advice on how to choose the best patio door.

Shopping for patio doors in Chicago? At Schaaf Windows and Doors, our family-owned business is proud to deliver quality doors and a premium service for competitive prices.

With a range of modern and traditional patio door designs to choose from, we can help you uncover your signature style.

Experience the Schaaf difference today – shop our patio doors.

Need advice? Our team of experts are here to help. Send us a message or request a free estimate, and we’ll get back to you quickly with our patio door prices in Illinois, Indiana, and the Chicago area. Or visit our showroom!