Expert Advice: Specialty interior doors add visual interest

We often don't give a lot of thought to the interior doors in our home, but they can be a great place to bring additional visual interest into your home and room's design. In this photograph, the decorative wooden door pictured separates a study from the formal living area. A pair of these tall doors flanks the fireplace, and these three elements work together to create a wonderfully interesting and textured wall of the living room. The leaded glass windows allow light to enter the living room from the study (both natural light from the study's exterior windows in the day and warm lamp light at night), and they also become pieces of art in the room. And since the beautiful grain of the wood has been stained and varnished rather than painted, it creates a natural texture that truly grounds the space with a traditional feeling. A pair of ordinary solid core or paneled doors in lieu of these would have seemed heavy and out of place in this beautiful room. Though many rooms might be well served with a more predictable, non-windowed door, (and there are still many beautiful examples of solid, interior doors available), a specialty door like this creates a sense of surprise in your decor, and will catch people off-guard, without seeming to be out of place. Any time you are able to create a bit of mystery in your room design, you should consider it a success. Chip Vogel

Chip Vogel is a licensed interior designer with Interior Spaces Inc. He can be reached at (813) 251-8862 or on his website, intspacesinc.com.