When you want to create a homey, traditional, farmhouse or country estate type of look to your home, using Dutch doors, particularly off the kitchen, adds an authentic and usual touch to your design.

You may be more familiar with these types of doors by their alternate names of stable doors or split doors. In fact, they are really a single door cut in half in the middle so the upper and lower sections open and close independently of each other. With the flick of a latch mechanism at the join, the two doors lock together and operate as one, really doubling the options for the door and giving you a whole new opportunity to let in some fresh air and light.

Options to Consider

Off of a kitchen, a porch area, a laundry room or even for a casual type of front door, Dutch doors are certainly going to stand out. You can choose a traditional door that has a solid top and bottom, or you can go for a more modern look where the top half of the door is a series of uniformly-sized lites, almost like the top half of a French door style.

On the bottom part of the door, there is traditionally a small to medium width shelf, which is great for leaning on to look outside, or just to add character to the door. In days gone by it was a place to cool pies and baked goods from the oven, but today it is a great place to put snacks for the kids or to place your plants for a bit of sunshine.

For Families and Pet Owners

One of the great things about Dutch doors is that they allow you to open the top part of the door to let in a breeze or to bring in direct sunlight. If you have pets or small children, you can keep the bottom section of the door closed and locked, keeping them in or outside depending on what you need.

Since the bottom of the door is solid and not a screen door, these are virtually indestructible. They are also hinged differently than standard doors, so both parts of the door are well supported for opening and closing either when locked together or when operated as separate doors in the home.