What is a French Door? 4 Things You Probably Didn’t Know

A French door is nothing more than a particular style and design of doors that are today highly admired by most of the people. This type of door represents a completely adaptable choice for any home. For this reason, its preference and popularity have escalated more and more.

Its style loaded with elegance and beauty brings a delicate appearance to the home that makes the place where it´s installed unique and outstanding. Most French doors use glass in their structure as part of the manufacturing material, so that light rays can pass through it to the interior of the place and bring clarity to it.

4 things you didn’t know about a French door

Maybe you think you know everything related to this type of doors or not, the truth is that you probably don´t know the following information about them:

1. Why is it called a French door?

The name was given thanks to the fact that its creation arose in approximately the 17th century in France, so the most logical thing at the time was to put the name of its country of origin. However, when they began to be manufactured, initially they were large windows to facilitate their opening and that people could easily peer into the balconies of their homes.

But as for that time it was just in the Renaissance and the innovations in terms of architecture and art, in general, were very strong and ideas abounded, little by little the models were personalized until they came to build doors with this type of design and they called French doors.

Once the first doors were manufactured, they were very accepted by the general public and thus people were considering them in the remodeling and construction of their homes. Today, there are a variety of designs, colors, and materials for people to play with and adapt to their spaces.

French uPVC Windows

2. Advantages they offer

  • They can be accessed quickly and easily to the outside because they are completely safe alternatives and can be reliably installed to divide an indoor area from an outdoor one. Additionally, thanks to its glass design, you can establish immediate eye contact with the outside to observe any movement if you wish.
  • They provide the personality that your room or any part of your home needs since the variety of designs that exist provide elegance and modernism in a single piece.
  • People will be able to save energy efficiently thanks to the entry of sunlight that they can allow. The glass sheets that are part of the structure of all French door models, make it possible for the sun’s rays to pass through and illuminate the interior area where they are installed, this is one of the most outstanding advantages of this type of door, as the economic savings they provide is considerable.
  • They offer practicality and safety in a single piece since the glasses and other materials used in their manufacture are made from specialized technology to guarantee that the final result of the door has great resistance and that it´s very unlikely that becomes deformed or cracked.

3. What are the types of French door constructions?

According to the different characteristics that can be seen in the structure and installation of a French door, the following types of the construction stand out:

  • It´s the type of construction that allows the door leaves to be moved from one place to another in a convenient way. They are widely used indoors where you want to create a modern and sophisticated environment. Besides, one of the outstanding advantages of this type of construction is that no additional space is needed to open and close as if they were doors.
  • Its construction allows the door wings to be conveniently opened and closed like an accordion. They are ideal to save space and for those places where there is minimal space to make an opening comfortably and easily.
  • It is the classic construction type swing doors, they are perfect for areas with a lot of space. One of its outstanding advantages is the ease of installation.

4. What are the design options for a French door?

There are a variety of options to choose from when designing a French door. Also, each person according to their tastes and interests can request a special design. However, here are some ideas:

  • Several small windows that are located on the same door leaf.
  • Combination of small windows and slightly larger windows in the same door.
  • Classic design with completely transparent glasses to allow the total passage of light through them.
  • Frosted or patterned glass using additional tints to create a slightly more intimate design that prevents complete viewing on the other side of the door.
  • Taking into account the existing shades, white is one of the most used and is one of the favorites thanks to its elegance and distinction. However, these types of doors admit the desired color.
  • Wood constructions in beige, mahogany or light brown tones, is another highly preferred style that adapts easily to interior environments.
  • Curtains can also be added if desired, ideally, curtains that can be conveniently moved to allow light to enter when needed or close when a little privacy is desired.
  • The mentioned ideas are some of the characteristics or combinations that can be played with when designing a French door, the imagination and creativity of each person can innovate and design any possible model.

french doors

Ideal for any space

One of the wonders of the use of this type of door is that not only can they be placed as the main entrance or entrance to any other space, but they are perfect to install in corridors, terraces, balconies, or any area that wants to be illuminated using light naturally.

Thanks to the mentioned advantages that a French door gives to the environment where it´s installed, many people keep them as the first option when designing and creating pleasant spaces in their homes, hotels, and even any other building or structure. Fortunately, this style adapts to multiple areas and tastes.