When it comes to choosing the perfect entrance for your home, you need to ask a lot of questions. One common question is simply, “What are mission-style doors?”. This type of door is popular, effective, and elegant. With a long place in history, these doors can be the perfect statement to the front and interior entryways of a home.
A Door by Any Other Name
Mission-style doors have a long list of aliases, which can make the question a bit hard to answer. If you’re wondering what mission-style doors are, you may also ask about craftsman doors or arts-and-crafts doors. These terms are, in fact, names for the same variety of doors. Mission doors became popular in the 19th century when the style of home by the same name received a new wave of appreciation.
As the name implies, these types of homes tend to be low, gabled, and made of stucco, matching the humble missionary buildings among the antique structures of Mexico. The evolution of the name follows a trend of visual freedom seen in the variety of arts-and-crafts doors found today. Building on the simple original designs, craftsmen such as the talented team members at Nick’s Building Supply have designed a wide collection of beautifully inspired wooden doors.
Style Elements of Mission Doors
The detail that sets a mission door apart is the emphasis on simple lines. As we mentioned, though, the modern mission entry door can be a lot more elegant and artistic than its origin. Mission doors feature mostly vertical lines via rectangular and square panels. Most commonly, two vertical panels occupy most of the door, with one square panel striking a balance at the top section of the door. In more decorative designs, the vertical panels may be windows, or the top square section may feature a series of decorative windows. Many different arrangements of panels are also available, and the most decorative variations play heavily on the idea of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines.
Exterior and Interior Mission Doors
These elegant and historic doors are popular for both exterior and interior options. Inside the home, mission doors create a subtle elegance. Typically, these don’t feature windows, but the option is always there for extra lighting or creative decorating. The exterior variety is where the arts-and-crafts name comes in. Variations include many beautiful species of wood and colors of stain. Other options include beautifully inlaid windowpanes and combinations of paneling and windows. We even have double-door and sidelight mission doors available for truly stunning facades. Finally, we also carry many mission doors in the truly authentic, arched frame style typical of real mission houses.