Remodeling Guides
Three-Panel Doors Offer a Portal to Classic Style
Victorian roots and Craftsman approval mean this door style works wonderfully in traditional and contemporary interiors
From Arts and Crafts homes to contemporary ones, three-panel interior doors add architectural intrigue to doorways with their clean, timeless design. Their streamlined, classic lines add a welcome element of architectural detailing. With three equal-size panels, the design can be sleek and modern or reminiscent of its Victorian roots. You'll notice there are two variations of the door style: a more formal door with five raised panels and a newer, simpler flat-panel design. Both are guaranteed to refresh any doorjamb in your home.
Painted, raised panels float within the frame of this three-panel door rather than being glued. This approach allows for expansion and contraction of the three panels.
The classic three-panel horizontal door looks beautiful in pocket form.
Two single three-panel swing doors are hung together in the same jamb here; they open in the middle.
Three-panel doors blend very well with other rich architectural details. In this bathroom a three-panel door complements a tall baseboard and crown molding.
Not to be taken too seriously, a three-paneler can work wonderfully in robin's egg blue.
Flat three-panel doors are often used in Arts and Crafts homes. Combined with a Craftsman header, these doors are architectural gems.
These days most interior doors are painted, but these horizontal panels show off the natural beauty of the wood grain.