Can we talk about cool old doors for a minute?

I am not one to seek out good deals of resale items online but the one rabbit hole I once went down was looking at old vintage doors for sale. I fell for a little green metal door with that chicken wire factory glass for sale on Marketplace and I didn’t really care that I had no use for it and I didn’t really care that it was in Antigo, and I didn’t really care that I already have a stack of old doors from my own house in the barn- I wanted this one. Well, the guy had a couple of no-shows and pulled the door listing off even though I promised him I wasn’t like the others, I would actually show up. He said- no, he was done and the door was going to the scrap yard.

*Shutters to think about*

Haunts me still.

Haven’t gone on Marketplace since.

Anyway…what was I saying? Oh yeah, I think I was going to share some pictures of really cool doors. That are also not for sale (but at least they aren’t being thrown away!) Just to give all of you out there a little inspiration- a little motivation to sort through the stack for the unconventional find among the six and four panels… or maybe to just show up to get the door when you say you are going to show up so you don’t ruin it for the rest of us! Sorry, got off track again… back to doors!

Here are some examples of cool old doors and even cooler glass and the ways you might be able to use them in your home!

“When you need a closet door, but not any door will do”

Would you believe this door had no value anymore? It was removed from the building of my parent’s business and stored away until I came upon it. It very carefully traveled with me to my house when I was ready for it in my upstairs and is now my closet door of my bedroom.

I put it on a barn track slider similar to how these doors have been mounted (above) so that I didn’t have to custom fit the door into an opening. Creating new jams for old imperfect doors can sometimes present a challenge.

I came upon this door (above) for sale in an antique store once and didn’t buy it because I already had my door. Had I needed another this would have been my pick.

Of course many of you might be thinking that a door with a large window is pretty impractical for a closet, which is why I had considered using a mirror film or mercury glass paint to transform the window like this storage closet door at The Stock Peddler in Shawano.

Let’s talk about glass…

When most of us think of glass options we are probably picturing frosted or seeded or even stain glass. The picture above is actual frost on my sun room glass, which I use here to illustrate how true to the creation of frosted glass it actually is-

This old door being used to hide a storage area on the second floor at 1919 Antiques has old fashion frosted glass and that rich warm red colored wood popular in many older homes.

Upstairs at the Old Red Mill in Waupaca I spotted this treasure in full use:

These etched designs, that usually feature a stag, are so unique I probably wouldn’t be able to pass one up if it came along. The door and the design have that mix of Victorian-lodge where the stoic animal is surrounded by the delicacy of a floral pattern. This would be great in a library or office and could become a door on a built-in bookcase.

Of course if you don’t have the patience to wait for a rare antique specimen to come along you can always get creative and order a custom etched door like my parents did when they renovated their upstairs bedroom suite. Their entrance is so private the clear parts of the glass weren’t a problem for the space.

Another old fashion glass that I don’t know the exact name of is seen here in a partition wall made up of old doors hinged together. Somewhere along the line I learned this as “tattling glass” for it’s lacy appearance but I haven’t ever confirmed this term.

This is a glass I have been on the hunt for and recently discovered some films replicating the look to try out on french doors I purchased for the attic storage area.

(You might be wondering what my fascination is with putting glass doors on storage areas- this might be a good topic for a future post)

Speaking of partition walls…

This wall at a Savannah restaurant enclosing a dining nook may not be made up of doors but with the style of the application you can almost imagine if it were. Doors make for great partition walls between spaces, as seen (below) at Back Porch Gatherings in a bedroom display with vintage garage doors.

As we pull away from open concept everything and return to more dedicated spaces, using old doors to cozy up a space could be a great way to divide and conquer without the thickness or heaviness of an actual wall.

I saved this image from a Las Vegas hotel (below) of a glass door and wall partition in a bathroom to illustrate the possibilities. While these have more of an industrial shower door look there was an actual shower door on the other side of these along with the toilet. This was meant to provide some extra privacy from the sink area while still keeping the space bright.

Imagine using an old door and an old window with an obscured glass design in an adjoining area of an owners suite. You could lend a whole new personality to a bland bathroom space with an idea like this.

In Conclusion…

I just want everyone to take another look at the possibility of using an old door in their home or dressing a new one up with an unusual glass. There may not be a slew of vintage treasures to be had on Marketplace but if someone found that little green door at a scrap yard and saved it- I still have no place to use it and I still don’t need it but I’m here for it! I will make the drive!

Anywho- thanks for coming to my TED talk!