Bespoke Door Sets
French Doors
French doors open a room to a garden the way a bi-fold cannot — as a pair of glazed doors that read as joinery, not as a folding wall. On a period property that distinction matters.
A pair of glazed doors, detailed to the period
French doors are a pair of glazed doors meeting in the middle, hinged at the jambs and closing against a rebated meeting stile. On a period property the glazing is divided by bars matched to the house — slim, moulded, and proportioned to the elevation — so the doors read as part of the architecture rather than as a patio fitting. The sections are kept slender, the timber stable, and the glazing specified to the building, including slim-profile double glazing where performance is needed without coarsening the bars.
Where they suit, and how they close
French doors suit rear and garden elevations, garden rooms, and kitchens — openings where a generous but architecturally quiet glazed door is wanted. They are weathered at the threshold and the meeting stile, and closed with period-appropriate ironmongery such as espagnolette or cremone bolts that secure the doors top and bottom. Where a wider opening is wanted, they sit naturally alongside bi-fold doors as the more traditional choice.
French Doors start from £5,000 as a single element.
- Suits
- Rear & garden elevations · garden rooms · kitchens
- Configuration
- Pair of glazed doors, rebated meeting stile
- Glazing
- Period-matched bars; slim-profile DG where needed
- Ironmongery
- Espagnolette / cremone bolts, securing top & bottom
- Versus bi-folds
- The more traditional choice for a period elevation
- From
- £5,000 (single element)
Common Questions
What is the difference between French doors and bi-fold doors?
French doors are a pair of glazed doors meeting in the middle and reading as joinery; bi-folds are a folding run of leaves that stack to one side to open a wider span. For a period elevation, French doors are usually the more traditional choice.
Can French doors be double-glazed?
Yes. Slim-profile double-glazed units can be glazed into period-matched moulding bars, adding thermal performance while keeping the slim sightline a period elevation needs.
How do French doors lock?
Typically with espagnolette or cremone bolts that secure the doors at the top and bottom against a rebated meeting stile, in a pattern appropriate to the period and the building.
Are French doors suitable for a period property?
Yes, when the glazing bars and sections are matched to the house and proportioned to the elevation, so the doors read as architecture rather than as a modern patio fitting.
Considering french doors for a period or rural property? The conversation starts here.
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