Colonial Door | Colonial Front Door | Colonial Style Home

Colonial style homes are the centerpiece of early American architecture. With their timeless design, they remain one of the most sought-after and cherished home styles in the United States. One of the staple design elements of the colonial style is none other than the front and interior doors. Because of this, the door style you choose for your colonial style home is significant to the overall design.

Rustica Colonial Interior Doors

6 Panel Colonial Interior Door
6 Panel Colonial Barn Door
6 Panel Colonial Double Barn Door
6 Panel Colonial Corner Barn Door
6 Panel Colonial Single Pocket Door
6 Panel Colonial Double Converging Pocket Doors
6 Panel Colonial Bypassing Pocket Doors

Rustica Colonial Front Doors

Riverstone Front Door
Lake House Front Door
Ranch Hand Front Door
Rustic Ranch Double Front Door
Boat House Double Front Door

The most distinguishing aspect of colonial door styles is the presence of recessed panels—ranging anywhere from four to eight panels. Historically, the six panel door is considered the colonial style door. As such, Rustica offers this traditional interior door style in many forms and functions so you can choose which the door that works best for your colonial home.

What is Colonial Style?

The colonial style emerged when early American settlers built their homes in the 1600s and 1700s. Because these early settlers were British colonists, the architecture had an English-European layout with a symmetrical rectangle form and simple windows. These homes were built with local timber, and featured wood window frames and shutters. The solid wood door was the center of the structure with the rest of the home featuring symmetrical, clean lines.

These early colonial style homes were the beginning of a widespread colonial architectural movement that created a variety of home styles. As such, “colonial” became a broad term defining numerous architectural styles that all fit within “colonial style.” The difference between these styles is described in more depth below; however, they all share these similar characteristics: symmetry, clean lines, square or rectangular shapes, and a centered door with symmetrical windows on either side.

Saltbox Architecture

The oldest and most classic colonial style homes are called saltbox architecture. This style is colonial architecture in its most simple form, and consists of early American settlers' homes. Along with the traditional colonial elements, these homes have an asymmetrical roof steeply pitched on one side, and a central chimney that warms the whole building. The front of the house is simple with clean lines, and doesn’t have a porch or any protruding structures.

Georgian Colonial Style

The Georgian colonial style is a bit more elaborate than the simple saltbox homes. This architectural style emerged during the reigns of Britain’s four King Georges (1714-1830), hence the name. The Georgian style is characterized by at least two chimneys, one on either side of the roof. These large homes are completely symmetrical with a square or rectangular shape, two to three stories, a central door, and an equal number of windows on both sides. Traditionally, the colonial front door is adorned with pilasters—often with artistic molding.

Cape Cod Style

One of the most popular colonial home styles is cape cod, which is named after the Massachusetts coastal region. These houses were built with English style in mind, but architecturally designed to withstand the New England coastal climate. These houses resemble traditional colonial style homes, but with a lower stature to better withstand the harsh winds and winter elements. America experienced a Cape Cod revival from the 1920s to 1950s, which created colonial style cape cod houses with a modern twist.

French Colonial and Southern Colonial

In the southern United States, the French colonial and Southern colonial styles emerged, which share similar characteristics. They’re both large houses with two to three stories, symmetrical designs, and central, elaborate entry double doors. The French colonial style is characterized by expansive wrap-around porches on the first and second stories of the house. French colonial house also had lots of long, skinny windows for air ventilation. The Southern colonial style, also known as “Greek Revival,” is defined by sophisticated colonnades extending across the front of the house with a portico or front patio behind the colonnade.

Spanish Colonial

Spanish colonial doors and architecture are found throughout the Southwest, and is prominent in California. It is characterized by its white stucco walls, red clay tile roofs, wooden beams, and rustic appearance.

Dutch Colonial

In the Northeast United States, the Dutch colonial style remains a classic and popular home style, and is defined by its “Dutch roof.” These wide roofs have a more rounded appearance—they are symmetrical and sloping on each side, with long eaves extending over the sides of the home. Dutch-style houses are usually brick or stone, and have a covered porch on either side of the home.

Colonial Home Design

The interior design elements of colonial style homes also depend on the colonial style, time period, and location of the home. However, they usually share these common traits: polished wood floors, fireplaces, a grand entrance hall, a wide staircase, wainscotting, and millwork.

Early colonial homes were usually more rustic with prominent wooden features and wood beam architecture. More elaborate interior design elements were common in the French, Southern, and Spanish colonial style homes. Typically, interior decor featured muted, calm colors with handmade wooden furniture, braided rugs, cabriole chairs, highboys, and clawfoot tables.

Colonial interior and exterior doors were solid wood with recessed panels. The front entry doors were either a single or double door, with more elaborate designs seen in the French, Southern, and Spanish styles.

Rustica Colonial Style Doors

Now that we’ve covered the basics of what defines colonial architecture, let’s dive into the high-quality interior and exterior doors that Rustica has to offer. Each of these wood doors flawlessly align with traditional colonial style, making them the perfect fit for your colonial style home.

1. 6 Panel Colonial Interior Door

If you’re looking for a solid wood door that honors historic colonial architecture, this is the door for you. Handcrafted in Springville, Utah by skilled artisans, this door highlights a classic design reminiscent of colonial times.

The 6 Panel Colonial Interior Door features a unique twist on the classic six-paneled recessed door. The four panels that make up the majority of the door are equal in length, while the top two panels are significantly shorter than the bottom four. These panels are framed by wooden stiles and top and bottom rails.

Everything about this classic paneled door is customizable. You can personalize the functional aspects, such as the width, height, and thickness, as well as whether you’d like to order it as a slab or pre-hung door.

The 6 Panel Colonial Interior Door is a hinged, swinging door. As such, you can choose whether you would like it to swing inward or outward, as well as whether you need it to swing to the left or right. Adding hinges and hinge prep is optional, as well as door knob boring placement and door bevel. Hinges are not included if you order a slab door.

Custom design options include wood type, finish, and texture. Rustica offers a variety of wood species, including alder or poplar (commonly used for interior doors), cedar, rustic red oak, cherry, white pine, walnut, and more.

From there, you can decide if you would like the wood to be raw unfinished—in which you would sand and finish the door yourself—or finish ready. You also have the option of choosing a door finish or stain. For a traditional colonial style door, you’ll want a finish or stain that highlights the natural wood grain and knots, such as clear or glaze.

Lastly, you can choose whether or not you want your classic interior colonial door to be textured. Rustica’s door texture options include weathered, distressed, adzed, or worn.

2. 6 Panel Colonial Barn Door

With a modern barn door in your colonial style home, you can add a rustic and stylish twist to your interior space. Barn doors differ from hinged doors in how they operate. Rather than swinging on a hinge, barn doors slide along a track. With their unique function, they save space and are ideal for large openings.

While there are many different types of barn doors, including metal or glass barn doors, the 6 Panel Colonial Barn Door is a classic wood barn door. It features the traditional recessed panel design framed by wooden styles and rails.

Rustica’s high-quality, handcrafted barn doors and barn door hardware ensure a smooth and effortless pull, no matter the size of your custom barn door. With our customization options, you can make your Colonial Barn Door uniquely yours by picking your preferred wood species, finish, and texture.

When ordering your 6 Panel Colonial Barn Door, you can choose whether you want barn door hardware included. If so, you’ll be able to further customize the exact proportions and style of your hardware. Barn door hardware includes a track, hangers, handles, pulls, rollers