5 Types of Farm Doors

Doors are a key element to farm style homes. They are excellent for adding natural wood or distressed paint to your farm kitchen, bedroom, living room, or bathroom. When it comes to picking your perfect farm door, there are a few types to consider:

Traditional Hinged Farm Door
Sliding Farm Door
Dutch Farm Door
Glass Farm Door
Double Farm Door

Each farm door has its own unique function and look. Choosing the right one depends on where you plan to install it, how you’ll use it, and your preferred style. We’ll break down each option so you can find the best fit for your space.

Understanding what "farm style" means is the first step. In recent years, farm style has evolved to include rustic, modern, vintage, contemporary, industrial, and French country elements. Knowing the differences can help you match your door to the overall design of your space.

What is Farm Style?

Farm style, also sometimes known as farmhouse style, is a popular interior design style in the United States. It emphasizes neutral colors, natural fibers, vintage furniture, minimal decor, and exposed wood.

Farm style is based on the design of traditional farmhouses of the early United States. At that time, the furniture and interior “style” was less about appearance and more about practicality. Think wooden floors, tables, countertops, chairs, and exposed beams.

Almost all the furniture was made of wood with simple fabric touches because the furniture was made with available materials. The kitchen layout was designed to support the needs of that time, such as bringing in water and chopping vegetables straight on the counter. Fabric for curtains, clothes, furniture, and bedding was made with natural fibers.

Nowadays, farmhouse decor takes these elements and combines them with modern comforts. While still practical, today’s style also emphasizes aesthetics and beauty. Solid wood doors are a standout feature in this look, bringing warmth to any room. You can showcase the natural wood grain or paint them a neutral color with a distressed finish.

5 Types of Farm Doors to Consider

Now that we’ve covered the basics of farm style, let’s take a closer look at some of the types of farm doors for your home.

1. Traditional Hinged Farm Door

Traditional hinged doors are what we are most familiar with. These doors swing outward via metal hinges and are the most common types of doors in homes. As such, they are also known as a swinging door.

If you want to stick with a classic look, consider hinged farm doors. These were the most common type used in traditional farmhouses.

Hinged doors offer a classic, timeless design. They create a seamless look and work well in large, open rooms where the door swing won’t get in the way. They’re also more affordable and easier to install or replace.

2. Sliding Farm Door

One of the best door types to complement the modern farm style is a sliding farm door. Wood barn doors add a rustic charm to the space that is perfect for modern or rustic style farmhouses.

An interior barn door is perfect for tight spaces since it saves room and doesn’t interrupt foot traffic. A single sliding door works well for smaller openings like pantries or closets. For larger spaces, like the area between a kitchen and living room, double barn doors offer a stylish solution.

Sliding barn doors move along a track installed above the door opening. Because of its sliding door hardware system, you’ll need to make sure there’s enough space on the wall to accommodate the barn door track and the door itself when it is in the open position.

A sliding farm door can also be a pocket door. Pocket doors slide into the wall when opened, and are great if you’re looking for a discreet door that can easily be tucked away. However, you’ll need to install a pocket door hardware system in the wall if there isn’t one already.

3. Dutch Farm Door

Dutch doors offer a classic and stylish look to farm designs. They have a top and bottom section that are both hinged, allowing them to operate individually. In other words, you can open just the top section of the Dutch door while leaving the bottom closed.

Dutch doors were originally used in farmhouses to allow fresh air and light in while keeping animals out. Today, they’re popular for their classic design that complements both modern and rustic farmhouse styles. They work well as either interior or exterior doors.

Dutch doors are especially beneficial to those who need a little separation between spaces, but don’t want to feel entirely closed off. For example, Dutch doors can keep kids or pets out while still allowing you to keep an eye on them.

4. Glass Farm Door

A glass farm door can be any type of door so long as it has a glass feature. You can have a traditional door with glass or a glass barn door.

Natural light does wonders for the farm style, and may be considered a key feature. As such, an exterior glass farm door will help bring warm natural light into the space. An interior glass farm door will create an open and airy feeling while allowing ambient light to flow between two spaces.

At Rustica, you can customize every detail of your glass farm door so that it’s perfect for your home. If you like the idea of glass, but don’t want to sacrifice privacy, choose a textured glass style such as frosted glass, overcast, deep freeze, citrus, or crested.

These glass styles add a stylish touch to the farm door while blurring the view through the window. Glass farm doors can also combine metal and wood, making them a great choice if you’re looking for a mix of materials in a modern farmhouse design.

5. Double Farm Door

Double doors aren’t limited to grand entryways—they work well in many spaces. You can choose from traditional hinged doors, double barn doors, or double pocket doors.

If you have enough space around the door opening, hinged double doors can work well. But in tighter areas, sliding barn doors or double bifold doors are better options.

Double farm doors are an excellent way to add a rustic wooden feature to a room. Two wooden doors will make a grand statement. As such, they would be perfect if you’re looking for large country doors.

You can highlight your double wood doors’ natural wood grain with a clear finish or paint them a neutral color, such as soft white. To add that distinct farmhouse touch, you’ll want to paint them to look distressed or worn. The end result is a set of beautiful solid wood doors that perfectly complement your farmhouse style home.

Popular Farm Door Design Styles

Farm style has several subcategories, each with its own unique look while still reflecting the core farmhouse aesthetic. Some lean more modern, others have industrial elements, and some stick to traditional roots. Let’s explore these different farm styles to help you find the one that best suits your home.

1. Rustic

Rustic farmhouse style includes country living, western, and ranch-style interior designs. This style can swing from traditional with furniture and decor resembling early American living to rustic modern.

The Rustic modern style values natural, reclaimed wood, stone walls, fireplaces, and an open floor plan. The modern touches are found in high-quality, luxurious furniture, such as leather couches.

This style mixes natural materials, such as wood, stone, and metal, while prioritizing minimal decor. It features warm, earthy tones and cozy furnishings.

2. Modern

With the modern farm style, you start to see more patterns, color schemes, and mix and matching materials. It allows for more creativity and personality, blending traditional elements with modern decor in a unique way.

Modern farmhouse can also emphasize neutral colors. This is where you see soft white as the main color in the kitchen and natural colors throughout the living room.

Modern farm style is less rustic than traditional or rustic farmhouse style. Rather, it focuses more on lighter colors, modern decor, vintage furniture, house plants, and natural light.

3. Vintage

Vintage farmhouse closely resembles shabby chic, but is more minimalistic. As the name implies, this style focuses on authentic vintage furniture or modern decor with a vintage style. With this style, you want to focus on antique doors, tables, chairs, and re-upholstered furniture.

Vintage farmhouse emphasizes worn natural wood, neutral colors, distressed paint, simple furnishings, old paintings, and handmade throws. Think lavender bushels in an old copper vase on a distressed wooden countertop.

4. Contemporary

The contemporary farmhouse style is the most subtle of all the farm styles. This style emphasizes soft farmhouse decor in the modern home. Think contemporary furniture and kitchens with farmhouse touches, such as white distressed cabinets or overhanging pots and pans.

Contemporary farmhouse style is similar to modern farmhouse but leans even more into modern design. Picture a blend of urban<