This Clever Door Trend Is Back for 2024, and You’re About to See It Everywhere

Front doors are often one of the first things people notice about a home. A colorful door can show off your personality and brighten up the exterior of your home, making it more inviting. Another front door option that will leave a lasting impression — and instantly boost your home’s curb appeal — is a Dutch door. What is a Dutch door, you might ask? Read on to find out. 

A Dutch door (also referred to as a double-hung door, a split door, or a half door) is a single door that is cut in half horizontally to allow the top half to swing open while the bottom half stays shut. “Generally, a latch connects the two halves on the interior side, and the lower portion has the doorknob and locking mechanism,” says design historian Maile Pingel. She adds that the top portion of a Dutch door is sometimes solid, but other times it is glazed — meaning that it has glass window panels built into it.

“The split door was a common house feature in the Netherlands during the 17th century, and when Dutch explorers began establishing colonies in North America in the early 1600s, they brought their building traditions with them. Because the settlements reflected Dutch style, the association, and hence the name, stuck — just as it did with Dutch gable roofs,” Pingel says. 

“Their origin is believed to be barns or stables — the kind of split doors we know from stalls that secure an animal while allowing it to poke its head out the top bit. When applied to farmhouses, the doors proved a pretty brilliant solution for keeping roaming animals out, while still letting in plenty of fresh air and daylight,” Pingel says. “They were also a means of keeping small children safely inside the house.”

“Today, a Dutch door is less about roaming chickens and more about charm,” Pingel says. “They’re perhaps not at straightforwardly functional, or affordable, as a screen door, but what they lack in practicality — they’re not keeping out flying critters unless you add a retractable screen — they make up for in old-world spirit, especially when they have beautiful, period-style hardware.”

Dutch doors were historically used as exterior doors leading to the front or back yard. While they do add curb appeal and charm to the exterior of your home, they can be used anywhere. “Much like baby or dog gates, they can be a great answer for interior spaces where you want to control access,” Pingel explains. 

I don’t have Dutch doors in my own home, but when researching this topic I discovered that my child’s daycare center uses Dutch doors to separate all of the individual classrooms. They are perfect for allowing the teachers to talk and hand items through the open top half of the door, while leaving the bottom half of the door shut to prevent children from passing through. In that sense, Dutch doors would be a great option for a child’s room or playroom. 

If your home doesn’t have Dutch doors and you want to add them in, keep in mind that installation is a little bit trickier than a standard door due to the extra hardware and making sure that both panels align properly when shut. Despite their complicated installation, it is possible to switch out a single door for a Dutch door in any doorway, with the right tools. But before you go and cut your door in half, it might be worth calling in a professional who has experience installing Dutch doors.

DIY or not, a Dutch door would be a great addition to any home. They are perfect for restricting access for the littlest members of your family while allowing fresh air and natural light to circulate throughout your home. Check out these examples for some great inspo!

This solid, sage-green farmhouse-style door is a great example of a more traditional Dutch door. It adds a subtle pop of color and blends beautifully into the greenery surrounding it. 

This French farm-style door is a great example of a more rustic iteration of the Dutch door. It goes back to the farmhouse roots of Dutch doors and has glazed glass panels embedded into the top house, as Pingel pointed out. 

This colonial-style black Dutch door is perfect if you like to stick to neutrals. It’s a classic version, and unlike the previous one, has a single pane of glass built into it rather than several. 

Instead of having glass panels cover the entire upper half, this wooden Dutch door has a single small panel built into the very center, which could serve as a peephole of sorts. The upper half is crowned by a small roof, adding to the farmhouse feel. 

This brightly colored teal Dutch door has transom windows built into the top, and is a great style to consider if you want some extra light when the door is closed without giving up privacy. 

This two-toned Dutch door offers another style choice — painting the inside and outside of the door a different color. If you want a look that really stands out, you might even consider painting the top and bottom half different colors.

Dutch doors don’t always have to have straight edges and angles — this sleek black number has an arch on top. You can play around with shapes and sizes to see what type of Dutch door suits you best!