30 Stylish Folding Door Ideas With Pros And Cons

stylish folding door ideas with pros and cons

Looking for a fresh solution to eliminate boundaries between indoors and outdoors? Want your spaces to flow one into another without strict limits and lines? I have a great idea for you – go for folding (bi-fold) doors! Let’s consider some pros and cons of such doors to find out if you need thme or not.

Pros

Folding doors are easy to install in just about any setting, which includes bay windows and corners, which makes them a great option for most homes.

If you have decided on replacing a wall, you can choose to include a “traffic door” with the structure. This will mean that you are able to make fast exits and entrances without having to close or open the door completely. Folding doors can also come with anti-bump and finger-safe features to help avoid accidents. This is especially beneficial for homeowners with small kids.

The folding doors offer the opportunity to allow in fresh air and natural light while you go about your daily tasks. When you want a bit of privacy or when you would like to shut out the world, you can choose from a variety of custom blinds to match up to your bi-folds. Another idea is using frosted glass, which will provide more privacy.

Maintaining folding doors is a lot easier than you may have imagined. All you need to do is a wipe down now and again with a regular cleaning fluid that you would use on normal windows.

There are lots of frames and materials to go for, and folding doors can be used with any decor style, from the very traditional to ultra-modern.

A black frame and frosted glass folding door is a pretty solution for a contemporary space and it echoes with a black countertop in the kitchen.

A black frame and frosted glass folding door is a pretty solution for a contemporary space and it echoes with a black countertop in the kitchen.

A black frame glass folding door separates the dining room from the garden and lets enjoy the views and natural light and lets an easy access to the garden.

A black frame glass folding door separates the dining room from the garden and lets enjoy the views and natural light and lets an easy access to the garden.

A black metal frame and glass folding door is a lovely idea to separate your spaces in a subtle way and let natural light go in.

A black metal frame and glass folding door is a lovely idea to separate your spaces in a subtle way and let natural light go in.

A creative bold turquoise textile folding door won't prevent you from noise but will divide the spaces easily.

A creative bold turquoise textile folding door won't prevent you from noise but will divide the spaces easily.

A delicate white framed folding door is a perfect match for this neutral interior and it doesn't look heavy at all.

A delicate white framed folding door is a perfect match for this neutral interior and it doesn't look heavy at all.

A luxurious dining space separated from the small kitchen with black frame glass bi-fold doors that divide the spaces but in a delicate way.

A luxurious dining space separated from the small kitchen with black frame glass bi-fold doors that divide the spaces but in a delicate way.

A minimalist home with black frame and glass folding doors that match the decor and make the spaces more airy and lightweight.

A minimalist home with black frame and glass folding doors that match the decor and make the spaces more airy and lightweight.

A minimalist white kitchen with butcherblock countertops and a forsted glass folding door with stained frames for a modern yet warm look.

A minimalist white kitchen with butcherblock countertops and a forsted glass folding door with stained frames for a modern yet warm look.

A modern white kitchen with a black frame glass folding door is a cool idea for a contemporary or modern space.

A modern white kitchen with a black frame glass folding door is a cool idea for a contemporary or modern space.

A pretty wood and fabric folding door is idea to separate a small kitchen and a dining space without making them even smaller and it matches the decor style.

A pretty wood and fabric folding door is idea to separate a small kitchen and a dining space without making them even smaller and it matches the decor style.

A small living room by a glazed wall separated from the rest of the dwelling with a black frame glass bi-fold door is a cool idea.

A small living room by a glazed wall separated from the rest of the dwelling with a black frame glass bi-fold door is a cool idea.

A super delicate white frame and glass folding door is perfect for subtle space separating and it matches the decor of the kitchen.

A super delicate white frame and glass folding door is perfect for subtle space separating and it matches the decor of the kitchen.

Add a black frame French folding door to hide your closet or another built-in storage space with style.

Add a black frame French folding door to hide your closet or another built-in storage space with style.

Cons

Every glass pane will have its own dedicated frame, and when you close the door it can obstruct your view. This is easy to fix by choosing the more slender frames and staying away from dark-colored frames.

Even though not having a threshold that is raised offers more positive benefits than negative, it can present potential problems if the doors were installed incorrectly. With the absence of a barrier between the outside and indoors, water can sweep or get blown indoors. This can be avoided by installing the right drainage system or creating a slope that directs away from your doors.

Folding doors are not cheap. This mainly has to do with the large installation that involves a lot of framing and glass. Also, most of the installations are customized designs that raise costs. The finish and glass type also contribute to the overall price, while the installation costs often varies from one supplier to the next. Now you know all the advantages and disadvantages, would you go for folding doors or not?

An airy black frame glass bi-fold door is a cool solution to separate the inside space and the outdoor one connecting them in a tight way.

An airy black frame glass bi-fold door is a cool solution to separate the inside space and the outdoor one connecting them in a tight way.

Bi-fold doors are always a good idea for a closet, they don't take up your precious space here and are comfortable in using.

Bi-fold doors are always a good idea for a closet, they don't take up your precious space here and are comfortable in using.

Black frame and frosted glass bi-fold doors are great for a closet or an en-suite bathroom, they separate the spaces but not too much.

Black frame and frosted glass bi-fold doors are great for a closet or an en-suite bathroom, they separate the spaces but not too much.

Black frame and glass folding doors delicately separate the spaces and accent the decor a lot while letting light in and out.

Black frame and glass folding doors delicately separate the spaces and accent the decor a lot while letting light in and out.

Black frame and glass folding doors look very lightweight and separate the spaces subtly letting people enjoy light and views through these doors.

Black frame and glass folding doors look very lightweight and separate the spaces subtly letting people enjoy light and views through these doors.

Black frame glass folding doors like these ones break up the space without diminishing light and sight lines and make it airy.

Black frame glass folding doors like these ones break up the space without diminishing light and sight lines and make it airy.

Black framed glass folding doors leading to a light-filled and pretty living room with a white sectional are an airy and cool idea.

Black framed glass folding doors leading to a light-filled and pretty living room with a white sectional are an airy and cool idea.

Classic white French doors but folding ones are a fresh take on traditional and they will easily and delicately separate your spaces without spoiling the interior.

Classic white French doors but folding ones are a fresh take on traditional and they will easily and delicately separate your spaces without spoiling the interior.

Double-height black frame bi-fold doors let more light in the space and almost create one single space of two rooms.

Double-height black frame bi-fold doors let more light in the space and almost create one single space of two rooms.

Glass and white wood folding doors look very lightweight and ethereal, they subtly divide the spaces and look neutral and calming.

Glass and white wood folding doors look very lightweight and ethereal, they subtly divide the spaces and look neutral and calming.

Glass folding doors separating the kitchen and the other spaces are amazing to let light in and delicately separate the rooms.

Glass folding doors separating the kitchen and the other spaces are amazing to let light in and delicately separate the rooms.

Pretty black frame bi-fold doors leading a terrace with a wooden deck is a lovely idea to stay closer to outdoors.

Pretty black frame bi-fold doors leading a terrace with a wooden deck is a lovely idea to stay closer to outdoors.

Simple light-stained bi-fold doors are a great idea for a modern space, they separate the spaces very well and match mid-century modern aesthetics perfectly.

Simple light-stained bi-fold doors are a great idea for a modern space, they separate the spaces very well and match mid-century modern aesthetics perfectly.

Thin black frame and glass folding doors subtly separate the spaces and let the second nook without windows feel lighter than it is.

Thin black frame and glass folding doors subtly separate the spaces and let the second nook without windows feel lighter than it is.

White shutter folding doors leading to the en-suite bathroom are enough to separate it from the bedroom and don't divide the space too much.

White shutter folding doors leading to the en-suite bathroom are enough to separate it from the bedroom and don't divide the space too much.

White shutter folding doors perfectly match the modern farmhouse style and delicately decorate the spaces.

White shutter folding doors perfectly match the modern farmhouse style and delicately decorate the spaces.

Whitewashed wood doors are perfect for shabby chic interiors.

Whitewashed wood doors are perfect for shabby chic interiors.