Alright, so we’ve been geeking out about doors for just eight years now, but that’s enough time to make us a bit obsessed with their history. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know more about our favourite things on Earth, right? So let’s go on a little adventure to discover how these fantastic house features came to life.
Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the history of doors is tied up with the history of architecture. Doors may not be the star of the show in a house, but they’ve got a pretty important gig. They’re like the bouncers of your home, keeping things secure and deciding who gets to go where. But that’s not all. Over time, doors have taken on a symbolic role too, representing new beginnings, transitions, and opportunities.
So let’s hop in our time machine and head back to ancient times. Doors back then were all about function. People used whatever they had on hand to make them—usually timber, wood, animal hides, and sometimes stones. And when I say animal hides, I mean the real deal, not the kind of faux fur rug you’d pick up from Ikea. A few months back, we toured some underground cities in Turkey. Let me tell you, those folks knew how to get creative with a rock. They’d carve out these thick, round doors from stone and use them as an interior door—say, between the kitchen and hallway—in their caves.
As civilizations started levelling up, so did their door game. Take the Egyptians, for instance. Their doors were like canvases, featuring intricate carvings that told the tales of pharaohs and their exploits.
Fast forward to the Middle Ages in Europe, and things got a bit more fancy with the introduction of panel doors. Now, in case you’re not up on your door lingo, panel doors are those doors with a bunch of rectangular or square panels. And guess what? Those panels weren’t just for show. They actually made the doors stronger and kept them from warping or cracking, which was a big problem with solid doors back in the day.
Now, let’s get to the juicy part – the Georgian era. This is when doors really started dressing up. We’re talking about exterior doors made from high-quality materials like mahogany and oak. And get this – these doors had some seriously awesome carvings, mouldings, and even some glass here and there. Six-panel doors became the talk of the town and they’ve managed to stay popular even in modern times. Oh, and just so you know, we do have a few doors from the Georgian era in our collection. Yup, you heard it right!
Then, we hit the Victorian era and, let me tell you, things got really funky. Doors started showing up in all sorts of vibrant colours, sporting complex glasswork and incredibly detailed carvings. It was like a golden age for door enthusiasts. To top it all off, the Industrial Revolution came along and made metal more affordable, which led to some seriously cool door designs. You can still catch a glimpse of some of these doors in well-preserved old towns, like Prague. It’s like a door-lover’s dream come true.
Then the Art Nouveau period rocked up, right? Out went the stiff, symmetrical designs, and in came designs inspired by, well, nature! We’re talking stained glass and carved flowers, plants, the sky, and all sorts of natural elements for the entry doors.
Fast forward to today, and vintage and antique doors are still hanging around for their one-of-a-kind style and craftsmanship, they are salvaged doors now. Here at Green Doors, we’re all about giving second chances to these bad boys. We reckon each door we save is like a slice of history handed down to us. Every scratch, every bit of patina, every weather-worn edge is telling us a story, and we’re stoked to give these doors a new lease of life in modern homes.
Through what we do, we’re aiming to create a connection between the past and the present, keeping the rich history of these doors alive for future generations to appreciate.
