Dutch Doors, Right Here in the PINKYS Collection

We all know how a normal door is supposed to work.

You side-mount the hinges, install the door onto them and voila - a door that swings open and closed based on one vertical axis. Simple. Elegant...

And perhaps a little bit too boring for those who want something a little different.

As much as PINKYS loves a traditional door design - and we have many in our range - we always want to give our customers the option to try something new. Or, in the case of a Dutch door, something old that has been reinvigorated with modern design aesthetics that can make your doors the talk of your neighborhood.

With a Dutch door, you create a certain look inside your home that combines form and the functional aspects of a door with a half-and-half design that's unlike anything you may have seen before.

What is a Dutch Door?

Despite their name, Dutch doors - which are also sometimes called double-hung or half doors - originated in colonial New England. They have a simple premise. The doors are hung on side hinges, meaning they initially match the form and function of a regular door.

But there's a key difference.

A Dutch door also has a horizontal split through the middle that allows you to open the top half while keeping the bottom half closed, or vice-versa.

The question is simple - why would you want to?

Let's say you have a group of small children or pets in your home. At the same time, things aren't feeling good in the heat department - it's a roasting hot day - so you want to get some air circulating through the home. You can't open a traditional door to let that happen. You'll get the flowing air, but you'll also create an opportunity for your pets or children to escape.

With a Dutch door, you don't have that problem - just pop open the upper half for the air and keep the bottom closed so the kids and pets can't get out.

While that covers the functional aspects of Dutch doors, there's also a lot to be said about the aesthetic they create. They spread a "down home" traditional aesthetic through your home, allowing you to create a traditional look without leaning too far into the classical style.

What Materials Are Used to Make Dutch Doors?

Traditionally, a Dutch door will be made using solid wood. That's a throwback to their colonial heritage - solid wood was the material that was in abundance during colonial days, so it's only natural that people would use it to make their Dutch doors.

It was affordable, available, and would look perfectly in place inside a home of the era.

But that kind of material doesn't often suit a modern aesthetic.

Enter the more unique types of Dutch doors that PINKYS creates.

Rather than using solid wood, we use a combination of iron - or steel - and attractive panes of glass to create our Dutch doors. The doors maintain the forms and functions you get from the more traditional style, with the difference being that you create a modernistic flair that you'll love when it's set against your home's interior.

The point is that the Dutch doors of today are far better at ensuring you create the great look you want without forcing you down the road of only choosing from specific materials.

Why Choose Internal Dutch Doors At All?

So, you know what Dutch doors do and may even have some images in your head about how they might fit inside your home.

Maybe it's time to contact the PINKYS team to get a Dutch door installed.

Our helpful crew is more than happy to chat if you're ready to move forward. But if you're not yet convinced - perhaps you can't visualize how the doors will look in your home - we have a few reasons why you should go Dutch with PINKYS.

Allow Fresh Air to Flow Through Your Home Without Keeping Doors Open

We touched on this one already, so let's kick off our list of reasons with it - a Dutch door allows you to keep air flowing through your home without having all of the doors open.

Placing them in a doorway is a little like having the best of both worlds.

When it gets hot, you can pop the upper half of a Dutch door open to keep air moving. That eliminates the stuffiness issue - hot air can move out of your home rather than staying in place while cold air can get inside to all of the places you want it to reach.

Open a few windows along with your Dutch doors and you improve the air flow even more.

Leave the Bottom Half Open for Pets

Here's another thing we talked about earlier - Dutch doors are super safe for your pets.

This is obvious when you have an external Dutch door. You can keep the lower half closed until you're ready to let your pet outside. So no need to constantly check that little Fido hasn't become a runner.

With internal Dutch doors, they come into their own when you have those occasions where you need to keep your pets in a room when you have visitors. You can still keep the top open - meaning your pet doesn't panic because they're sequestered in a room on their own with no human contact - while ensuring they can't run roughshod through the house.

You'll find you get the best of both worlds:

Happy pets who still feel connected to their human, as well as control over where your animals go in your house.

Keep Children Safe Using the Door's Top Half

Everything we just referred to with pets applies to the small children in your home as well - sometimes you want to ensure they can't get in (or out) of a room while still being able to keep an eye on them.

For example, let's imagine little Justin is running around the hallway while you're cooking up a storm in the kitchen. It's not safe for him to be around you as you cook - he's a little too young to understand not to touch hot things and you have knives and other sharp tools out - but you can't leave him on his own.

An internal Dutch door is perfect for that scenario.

Keep the upper half open so you can check on Justin as he plays, while you keep the bottom closed so he can't get in.

It's the best of both worlds.

And it gets even better when you have a PINKYS Dutch door - the clear panes of glass used in the doors make it even easier to keep an eye on your little one.

Bring a Taste of the Country to Your Home

Let's go back to when Dutch doors were invented.

Colonial New England. A time when fishing, subsistence farming, and lumbering were the main industries. People lived on farms and their design choices reflected that - you'd get a definite taste of the countryside if you lived in that time.

Of course, you don't.

But with Dutch doors, you can bring a small taste of that era - the look of it - into your home in ways that allow you to maintain the attractive aesthetic you've created while still giving a few nods to an era gone by.

Perhaps that's the most important thing that a Dutch door brings to your home - an affordable way to paint a picture of traditional elegance in the modern era.

Benefit From the Functional - Dutch Doors Provide a Unique Window into Your Space

We've already covered how Dutch doors can essentially serve as windows into other rooms. You'll have no questions about what's going on with your pets or kids in there because you can just pop half of the door open and quickly check on them.

But the functionality goes beyond keeping an eye on things in other rooms.

It also creates a look - one in which your doors ironically become windows into the other rooms in your home. By keeping half of a Dutch door open, you can enjoy the design choices you've made in adjacent rooms even when you're lounging around outside them.

Engage the Dutch Bolt to Turn Them into Regular Doors

Let's talk about the main problem you might have with the idea of Dutch doors:

You don't want to open and close a door in two halves each time just to move around your house. Never mind all of the functionality in terms of keeping an eye on the kids or having that classical colonial look. You just want your door to act like a door sometimes.

And it will.

A Dutch door comes with something called a "Dutch bolt." Creative naming aside, this bolt slots into place when you want the two halves of your Dutch door to connect, allowing you to instantly transform a very non-traditional door into one that opens and closes the same way as any other one in your home.

That leaves you with complete control - your Dutch doors become whatever you want them to be because you have different ways of arranging the halves.

When Might Dutch Doors Not be Right for Your Building?

PINKYS is all about helping you make the right choice for your home, which brings us to a simple truth:

Sometimes, a Dutch door won't be a good fit.

Let's look at some of the instances where you might want to go with something other than internal Dutch doors.

More Moving Parts Can Make the Maintenance Process Harder

There is one sticking point you might encounter with Dutch doors that you won't have with other doors:

They have a few more moving parts.

And more moving parts means more potential for maintenance issues to crop up. The Dutch bolt we talked about earlier is one of those parts - you won't find that on other types of doors. You'll also likely have a second handle - or at least something similar - that allows you to open the top while keeping the bottom closed.

All fairly minor stuff.

But also more hardware that you need to keep in good condition to ensure your door works properly. If that extra maintenance isn't for you, then neither is a Dutch door.

Pet Damage Can Become a Problem

While a Dutch door is a great choice for controlling pet - and child movement inside your home, there's a potential pet-related downside to consider.

Damage.

Now, this won't be a problem for many people. However, if your pet gets a little panicked when they're not able to get into rooms (think scratching at doors or trying to force their way through) damage can occur to your Dutch door.

In that case, having a door that you can open and close in halves won't matter. You'll need to keep the entire thing open to placate your pet.

So, this is a pet temperament issue - if your furry friend hates being closed in, you're taking a chance on a Dutch door even though the upper half opens so they can see you.

Going Dutch - The Dutch Door Designs PINKYS Offers to Our Customers

After all of that, you may have reached a decision:

Internal Dutch doors are right for you.

Let's take a look at a couple of choices from the PINKYS collection so you can get a taste of what our California-infused design style offers.

Air 4 Dutch and Air 5 Dutch Single Flat

With both making good use of bold black lines with large panes of glass, the Air 4 and Air 5 Dutch Single Flats are perfect for allowing light to stream through your home. The difference between them? The Air 4 features four large rectangular glass panes, while the Air 5 has smaller panes. It's all in the design - whichever you prefer is the Dutch door for your home.

Air Getty Dutch - Single Full Arch

For a less conventional internal door opening, the Air Getty Dutch comes in a full arch version. The gorgeous rounded upper half slots perfectly into your space, with the door itself offering the best of both worlds:

Glass up top with a more traditional-looking solid iron panel at the bottom to create a Dutch door that is both traditional and modern.

Air Lite Dutch - Single Full Arch

Glass galore is the hallmark of the Air Lite Dutch, with the iron being used solely for the frame and the split in the middle of your Dutch door.

This is the choice for anybody who wants their Dutch doors to be true windows into their homes.

Service Delivered with Pride - Enjoy the PINKYS Experience

The PINKYS team is cut from a different cloth than any other and we deliver our service with pride. Find out why you should buy your Dutch door from us.

Generations of Ironmaking

Starting with our father Vic Dersarkissian - an ironworker and jazz musician whose influence is still felt at PINKYS to this day - we bring two generations of iron expertise to our door designs.

Inspired by California

The stunning sunsets of California inspire our minimalistic (and modernistic) design philosophy for all of our Dutch doors.

The Best Customer Service

Everything we do is inspired by you - the customer. Without you, no PINKYS Dutch door would be complete, which is why we dedicate ourselves to ensuring your needs are always met.

Customized Doors That Deliver All You Ever Wanted

Size. Swing. Color. Glass type. All are under your control, thanks to PINKYS customized Dutch door for your home. They’re the perfect selection if the ones from our pre-made collection don't fit the bill.

Experience the PINKYS Difference

The PINKYS difference is simple - we make it easy for you to check out your Dutch door before you buy. Just book an appointment at our showroom so you can meet the team and the door you think will be perfect for your home.