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Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

One of the changes I was most excited about in our house makeover was to change our exterior doors to Dutch doors. I knew from the very start I wanted a Dutch door. Two Dutch doors, to be exact. Twins. One for the front door, and one for our side/kitchen door. I don’t know why they are called Dutch doors, perhaps you have a different name for them. I’ve heard some people call them “friendly doors” and I like that. It suits them well.

I actually had a Dutch door as my front door in one of my old homes. We also had one in a laundry room growing up, so this isn’t the first time I’ve had one! Perhaps that’s another reason I was so drawn to Dutch doors. I love being surrounded by things that evoke happy memories. It’s the little things, right? Actually, Dutch doors were kind of a big thing for me!

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

The previous kitchen door wasn’t exactly what I’d call “friendly” (except to perhaps a cat). The bars made me feel a bit like I was in jail, and the glass in the door itself was actually plastic. So, needless to say, I’m pretty tickled with our new doors!

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

Kitchen Remodel Details

Dutch Door Dreams

I think wood Dutch doors are not only among the friendliest and most charming style of doors, particularly for a cottage or farmhouse inspired home, but they are also quite practical, too! We open one or both of ours every single day at one point or another (or all day) to let the breezes flow through.

Opening the Dutch doors in the morning or later evenings to get cross breezes flowing will feel especially wonderful in the summer. It’s so nice to be able to open the top and know the dogs will stay safely inside (Jack’s far too much of a scaredy cat to jump over). Best of all, deliveries are so much less stressful when we can just open the top part and grab a package without the dogs attempting an escape or scaring the delivery person.

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

Bugs & Dutch Doors?

I realize that many people live in areas where bugs are a problem (eek!). I’ve heard from many readers who can’t imagine how we could leave a door open!

Well, if you are new here and wondering, we live in the city of Seattle and we really don’t have bug issues. I know! It’s become an additional reason I love living here, now that I’ve heard all of my readers bug concerns, ha. Not to say we don’t get a fly now and then, or a bee buzzing through the house. But it’s not a big (a bug?) issue.

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

But, the good news for those of you in buggy areas is I think you can STILL consider a Dutch door. Don’t let bugs steal the joy! It would be quite easy to use a screen door and still have a Dutch door. Yes, maybe it would not be as cute with a screen from the outside in particular, but I bet there are some nice retractable screens that you could just pull out when you needed it.

I would check with a local door store on screen options. A Dutch door is really like any other door, you can definitely have a screen.

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

Where can you get a Dutch Door?

The most common question I get about my doors (next to the bug worries) is where did I find such adorable doors? We searched high and low for our dream door. I wanted a chunky door, solid wood with nine windows.

When our contractor mentioned a local door store, we didn’t have high hopes but went to take a look. SURPRISE! There it was! A wood Dutch door, in all its glory. The “X” lower, the nine divided light windows. It was perfect.

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ
Our doors came from a store called “Franks” in Seattle. You could ask a local contractor for advise or look for door and window companies in your area (or even check with a home improvement store).

You can also find Dutch doors online HERE.

Customizing the Dutch Door

It only took a couple of weeks to have our Dutch doors custom made and another week to have them painted (the store had sample doors in stock to look at, but they are custom built or modified for you). Besides various sizes and styles, they also had customizing options such as different glass, hinges, and which direction they open, so keep that in mind, as well.

We chose clear glass because I prefer to see outside and it lets in a lot more light than other types of glass.

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQPatio Fountain Details and A Giveaway

Details on our Dutch Doors

Keep in mind that our doors are both protected under porch cover so they stay dry. You’ll want to consult with your contractor or door professional if you have questions about what type of door material you need for durability in your climate and install situation. My doors are Fir or Hemlock (can’t remember which, but I LOVE solid wood doors!) and came pre-hung and weather stripped.

Dutch Door Paint & Colors

We had our doors professionally painted (through a partner of the door store) prior to install, just because I didn’t want to deal with it. It wasn’t cheap to have them painted, but I thought it was worth it to have a nice quality paint finish (especially since it was winter time). They even color matched our choice of colors (see our door paint colors below) from a paint swatch.

Our doors are the same color on each side (but you can have them painted differently on both sides if you want to!). We decided on a deep navy for our kitchen door (so it would be a high contrast in the white kitchen). We chose a neutral light/medium gray for the front door. We wanted there to be some contrast, but we didn’t want it feel like a black hole at the end of our narrow entry hall.

The specific colors we used are listed below.

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

It was so cold when we were remodeling, so having the doors arrive painted and ready to install was ideal for us. Our contractor installed the doors for us, too, so that was a bonus.

As far as hardware, you can find the exact hardware we used, linked below.

Our new doors make our house feel like a totally different place. And we couldn’t be happier with the change! 

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

PAINT COLORS:

Front gray door: Ozark Shadows by Benjamin Moore

Side navy door: Blue Note by Benjamin Moore

Where We Got Our Dutch Doors + FAQ

DUTCH DOOR SOURCE:

Ours is from Frank Lumber the Door Store in Seattle

You can find Dutch doors online HERE.

DUTCH DOOR HARDWARE:

Dutch door doorknob: Baldwin

Dutch door latch: Deltana

Related Posts:

Kitchen Remodel Details

See all the paint colors in my home HERE.

Dreaming of a Dutch Door (lots of pretty door inspiration)

Signature Style: My Dutch Door Plans

Our Entry Hallway Makeover (progress)

35 Comments

  1. Jen

    Your door is absolutely adoor-able! Leaving doors open without a screen? How very Dutch of you! The vast majority of Dutch homes do not utilize screens in any part of the house.
    I am hoping to one day add a Dutch door to our home. I like that yours has a very modern twist with clean lines and wide window panes. My neighbors have them in all shapes and styles, the differences centering around the glass portion. Many of them have antique bell pull [doorbells] embedded into the door itself. It really adds to the character of the house.

  2. Linda Stoll

    Hi Melissa … thanks for addressing the bug issue! I always wondered about those little buzzards whenever I saw those beautiful doors open!

    ;-}

  3. Deborah

    What about the security issue? Do you have a deadbolt on the top and bottom sections?

    • Johanna

      Deborah, this is what I keep wondering about. I don’t understand how a door cut in half is as secure. Very, very cute of course, but I’m not 100% sure I’d ever sleep well again…

  4. Adrienne

    I love your Dutch doors! We are thinking about some future upgrades on our sixties-vintage ranch style home. We have a single door with the ‘X’ and nine lights. My sweetheart is a carpenter/handyman and he plans to make our current door (the original door on our home) into a Dutch door. Thank you for this post – it has excited and inspired me for what we hope to do in the future. We are in the Willamette Valley of Oregon (just south of Portland) and bugs will be a problem so we plan to have a storm/screen door to keep the little critters out when the Dutch door is open.
    ~Adrienne~

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      How wonderful to have a carpenter in the house to make your vision a reality! Enjoy!

    • Lani

      Adrienne,
      We had a dutch door installed as a backdoor in our Eureka CA ranch 40 years ago. It served our family well as the dogs and children grew. Love, love, love it. Well, we are moving into a newer home in Sweet Home Or so that we can be closer to family who live in Corvallis and Portland. So the front door is down right ugly. My plan was to put in a dutch door. So my question is….. what bugs will we experience that could make it more of a challenge than I originally thought?
      Thank you,
      Lani

      • Adrienne

        Hi, Lani – Welcome to the Willamette Valley of Oregon! We pass the Sweet Home area often as we travel up and down I-5. How exciting that you’re planning for your new home. The bugs we deal with here are flies and mosquitoes and some moths that love to come into the light at night. Flies and mosquitoes are seasonal but not impossible to deal with, just pesky. We plan to purchase a storm/screen door that is ‘clear’ without areas of metal or wood so our door shows. We bought one for my dear, little mother that can be adjusted up or down so the screen can be at the top or bottom for wherever we want the airflow. With a Dutch door that would always be at the top in the Spring, Summer and early Fall months. Our home must have a storm door capacity (which my mom’s door has) because we face due west and that’s where the storms come from in the winter – straight off the gorgeous Oregon Coast. Wishing you success with your move and settling into a new home.
        ~Adrienne~

  5. cucumber

    where did you get your lovely bamboo fountain

  6. kate

    In the UK we call them stable doors (for obvious reasons!) I had them in my last house in the country and good for letting the air in but preventing the chickens getting in the kitchen!

  7. Diane @ An Extraordinary Day

    No bugs? Seattle must be heaven!! ;)
    Living on the edge of the woods and big lake here in Michigan, we’ve got bugs! Screens are a must! So I’ll enjoy your lovely doors, sans screens, every time I visit you here. :) Melissa, I must say that your blue color choice is perfection! THAT I will remember. It is rich and striking and yet seems to have a neutral quality about it too.
    Have a wonderful day!!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Ha, yes, I would imagine there would be no bugs in Heaven! But maybe that’s just me. haha. I’m not a fan of bugs! We had a house once that seemed to invite a lot of lady bugs to hang out in it, for some reason. They were kind of cute, but still I didn’t want them in the house. :) Bugs at least need to stay outside.

      Have a great evening, Diane!

  8. Deanna Rabe

    I do adore Dutch Doors, but they wouldn’t work here in Pennsylvania. Bugs. Enough said.

    What I’ve done instead is use doors that have glass in them (I still have one to replace) and then I have really cute cottage/farmhouse screen doors. I love having doors and windows open as often as possible!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I love cute cottagey screen doors! Such a great way to add character AND limit the bugs :)!

  9. dee

    Nice door, the same design as one I had other than color. My husband made a removal screen for the upper portion that we used during good weather for flying insects. We live in Oregon, mid-Willamette Valley. But security is a big issue with these doors and I was always a little concerned but it was the late 80’s so home invasions where not at the levels of today. When we sold the new owners changed to a more secure door. Even the small glass pane can be removed easily and door unlocked. I’m surprised you have deliveries at this door for security reasons.

  10. Jo Jo

    I love how your new Dutch doors look in your spaces and how well they seem to function! I d love to be able to have a door that could be open ( without a screen) but alas, we’d get too many bugs in the house. How blessed you are not to have that problem. Your choices for your lovely, remodeled home are perfect examples as to why a person should think, DREAM, plan and THEN execute those ideas based on their own circumstances so that it works for them personally and the feel & function a person wants for their home. Thanks, always, for that kind of soulful inspiration! ???. I just love ALL THINGS HOME. ❤️

  11. Yvonne

    I never get tired of seeing pictures of your home and WOW what a transformation!!!

  12. Karen on Bainbridge Island

    On the subject of bugs…we leave our backdoor wide open, the dutch door top open and have no window screens. We get the occasional fly or bee or wasp, but they usually find their own way out. If not, I remove the remains with the dust buster next day. We are indeed lucky here in the northwest that bugs are sort of a non-issue.

    This is my second home with a dutch door and not sure I would ever be without one anywhere. Love them.

  13. Anne

    I love what you have done with your home. What is the beautiful red flowering plant by your patio fountain?

  14. Carolyn

    Beautiful! I’ve always loved Dutch doors, since childhood. Is there some sort of seal between the two halves so you don’t get a draft coming in?

    • Carolyn

      And that top picture with the dogs is TOO cute!

  15. Ivory

    I love the door and the deep navy blue color love even better. Thanks for sharing.

  16. Cynthia Allen

    Has the former owner of your house seen this amazing transformation of your home?

  17. Mary

    Your doors are really beautiful as is the colour I did have one in my previous house and they are great I forget what we call them in Ireland but not Dutch did not worry about a few bugs Enjoy

  18. Jenny B.

    Love your doors! I grew up in a house my grandfather built for my mom and dad, and it had a sold wood Dutch door for the front door. We added on to the house a few years after it was built, and ended up with an airlock of sorts so that the Dutch door became the interior front door, and then there was a similar-looking (but not wood, and not Dutch) door that actually went to the outside. Anyway… I always liked the Dutch door, and I’ve often wondered if the new owners still have it, or if it’s been replaced. I secretly want to go see if they replaced it and ask if it’s stored away in the boat shed/barn (and if I can have it)! ;)

  19. Terrie

    Hi Melissa
    I absolutely love your Ozark Shadows dutch door and was wondering if I could get more information on how to contact Franks. I live in NY and am not sure if they would be able to ship one. We have a dutch door now and absolutely love it. We are remodeling our home and have not been able to find one until I saw yours that I really like. Any help would be much appreciated.

  20. Tiffany

    Do you mind me asking how much your dutch doors were? That Rejuvenation one is so expensive!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I believe they were about $750 a piece, not including installation or paint. We got ours at a local door store so I would start there!

  21. Diana

    The Dutch door is called so as they were invented in the 17th century in the Netherlands- and made commonplace and popular in North America by the myriad Dutch settlers here. As you may know, the colonists and founders of the country who settled the land were European – and they brought their Dutch doors with them. They’re called Dutch doors — because they’re Dutch.

  22. Susan Luiz

    Love your doors! Is that painted cement on the porch? If so, what color is it?
    The combination is so inviting. Love it!!

 

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