skip to main content
Your Cosentino Shop
Sign In
Join as a Pro
History of Houzz
  • PHOTOS
    KITCHEN & DINING
    • Kitchen
    • Dining
    • Outdoor Kitchen
    • Kitchen Islands
    LIVING
    • Living Room
    • Family Room
    • Home Theatre
    • Sunroom
    • Fireplace
    • Study Room
    BATHROOM
    • Bathroom
    • Laundry
    • Powder Room
    • Small Bathroom
    BEDROOM
    • Bedroom
    • Kids Bedroom
    • Nursery
    • Master Bedroom
    • Storage & Wardrobe
    KERB APPEAL
    • Exterior
    • Driveway
    • Carport
    • Garage
    • Entry
    OUTDOOR
    • Garden
    • Courtyard
    • Balcony
    • Deck
    • Patio
    • Pool
    • All Outdoor
    MORE IDEAS
    • Granny Flat
    • Home Office
    • Home Gym
    • Staircase
    • Home Bar
    • Wine Cellar
    • View All
  • FIND PROFESSIONALS
    BUILDING & RENOVATION
    • Architects
    • Home Builders
    • Building Designers
    • Design & Construction
    DESIGN & INTERIORS
    • Interior Designers & Decorators
    • Home Stylists & Property Staging
    • Painting & Wallpaper
    • Carpet & Flooring
    • Shutters, Blinds & Curtains
    • Furniture & Home Decor
    • Artists & Artisans
    GARDEN & LANDSCAPING
    • Landscape Architects & Designers
    • Landscape Contractors
    • Garden & Landscape Supplies
    • Arborists & Tree Services
    OUTDOOR & EXTERIOR
    • Pools & Spas
    • Decks, Patios & Structures
    • Fencing & Gates
    • Driveways & Paving
    • Stone, Pavers & Concrete
    • Cladding & Exterior Contractors
    • Roofing & Gutters
    • Blacksmiths & Welders
    KITCHEN & BATHROOM
    • Kitchen Designers & Renovators
    • Bathroom Designers & Renovators
    • Kitchen & Bath Fixtures
    • Tile, Stone & Benchtops
    • Joinery & Cabinet Makers
    HOME SERVICES
    • Lighting
    • Heating & Air Conditioning
    • Fireplaces
    • Windows
    • Doors
    • Staircases & Balustrades
    • Wine Cellars
    SYDNEY
    • Architects in Sydney
    • Bathroom Renovators in Sydney
    • Builders in Sydney
    • Interior Designers in Sydney
    • Kitchen Renovators in Sydney
    • Landscapers in Sydney
    MELBOURNE
    • Architects in Melbourne
    • Builders in Melbourne
    • Bathroom Renovators in Melbourne
    • Landscapers in Melbourne
    • Interior Designers in Melbourne
    BRISBANE
    • Architects in Brisbane
    • Builders in Brisbane
    • Landscapers in Brisbane
    • Bathroom Renovators in Brisbane
    • Cabinet Makers in Brisbane
    • Fencing in Brisbane
    PERTH
    • Landscapers in Perth
    • Tilers in Perth
    • Bathroom Renovators in Perth
    • Kitchen Renovators in Perth
    • Cabinet Makers in Perth
    • Architects in Perth
    View All Pros View All Services
  • STORIES
    STORIES FROM HOUZZ
    • Houzz Tours
    • Kitchens
    • Bathrooms
    • More Rooms
    • Renovating
    • Building
    • Architecture
    • Interior Design
    • Gardens
    • Eco Living
    • Lifestyle
    • News Stories
    • How to Use Houzz
    HOUZZ RESEARCH
    HOUZZ TV
  • ADVICE
    HOUZZ DISCUSSIONS
    • Design Dilemma
    • Before & After
    • Polls
    • Kitchens
    • Living Rooms
    • Bathrooms
    • Gardens
    • Renovating
    • Home Decorating
    • Exterior
    • Flooring
    • Building a home
Most Popular
Most Popular
Space Solutions: 10 Ingenious Ideas for Small Kitchens
Top Ideabooks
Space Solutions: 10 Ingenious Ideas for Small KitchensFull Basket: 16 Laundry Tips From a Decor-Loving Mum of FourBest of the Week: 40 Marble Marvels From Around the GlobePro Panel: Three UK Experts on Connecting Indoors and Outdoors
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
Doors
Doors
How to Choose External Glass Doors for Style and Energy Smarts
Top Ideabooks
How to Choose External Glass Doors for Style and Energy Smarts17 Excellent Front Doors That Create a Sense of ArrivalIs Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?24 Statement-Making Windows and Doors
Appears in
Building Components
Building Components
Building Components
Best of the Week: 32 Spaces Where Tapware Steals the Show
Top Ideabooks
Best of the Week: 32 Spaces Where Tapware Steals the ShowPicture Perfect: 60 Amazing Exposed Ceilings Around the Globe10 Fresh Ideas for Good-Looking Timber Fences9 Things You Need to Know About Skylights
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
See also
ExteriorsFlooringWindowsCladdingDoorsRoofs and CeilingsFoundationsWalls
Outdoor Areas
Outdoor Areas
Desperate for Shade? Find Some Temporary Relief on Hot Days
Top Ideabooks
Desperate for Shade? Find Some Temporary Relief on Hot Days7 Types of Doors to Maximise Indoor-Outdoor LivingHow to Heat an Outdoor Room and Stay Toasty OutsideShed Spruce Up: Inspiring Ideas for Garden Sheds
Appears in
Outdoors
Renovating
Renovating
Renovation Insight: How to Choose a Tiler
Top Ideabooks
Renovation Insight: How to Choose a TilerExpert Eye: 6 Smart Ways to Add Value to Your Kitchen RenoPro Panel: 8 Reno Blunders and How to Avoid ThemBest of the Week: 29 Sensational Joinery Ideas
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
See also
Renovating AdviceRenovating FAQs
Renovating Advice
Renovating Advice
Renovation Insight: 5 Common Renovating-for-Profit Mistakes
Top Ideabooks
Renovation Insight: 5 Common Renovating-for-Profit Mistakes5 Mindful Tips to Help You Stick to Your Renovation BudgetIs Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?5 Design Trends You Need to Know About Before Renovating
Appears in
Renovating

Is Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?

Do bi-fold doors justify their popularity, or should we be choosing a different way to open our homes to the garden?

Sarah Warwick
Sarah WarwickJanuary 10, 2021
Houzz Contributor. I'm a freelance journalist and editor writing for nationals, magazines and websites. A serial house revamper, I love great design, beautiful interiors and practical solutions.
More
Print
Embed
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Think rear extension, or boosting the house-to-garden connection, and a wall of folding doors pretty much pops into your brain unbidden, but should we be progressing to other solutions? Read on to assess the arguments for and against opting for bi-folds.
Mustard Architects
Could one of these solutions take the place of bi-fold doors?

The alternative: Black steel-framed doors.
Why they’re a contender: They’re good-lookers.

Steel-framed doors may have seen their heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, but they have a strongly contemporary appeal. Pick them and your garden doors will be a feature in themselves, not just a way to open out a space. Complement their sharp lines with streamlined kitchen cabinetry and modern furnishings, or use them alongside industrial-style features and furniture.
Mulroy Architects
The alternative: Sliding doors.
Why they’re a contender: They’re super-sleek.

If indoor-outdoor living and seeing the garden from indoors is top of your list of priorities, the wide expanse of glazing and slim frame of a quality sliding door might be the answer. Here, two sets of sliding doors open this zinc-finished extension to the terrace and pond.
Luigi Rosselli Architects
Sliding doors work beautifully on multiple or single walls too, of course. These are tidily stacked to one side when open and both sets form a minimal presence when closed.

Find an architect near you on Houzz for custom solutions to link your indoor and outdoor areas
User
The alternative: Pivoting doors.
Why they’re a contender: A hinge-free outlook.

A pivoting door usually turns through 90 degrees to open the interior to the exterior, creating views as well as a pleasant flow of air through the openings. They have slim frames, so once again you’re maximally connected to the garden even when they’re closed.
Paul Craig Photography
Pivot doors work across both conventional surroundings and larger openings, such as this double-height space.
Find Pro For More Ideas
Need a pro for your interior design project?
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
Woodstock Industries
The alternative: French doors.
Why they’re a contender:They’re a classic.

Bi-fold door fans who worry they won’t often open the doors fully might want to reacquaint themselves with the benefits of French doors. Modern framing materials mean they’re not just the traditional solution anymore, and access to the garden, light and air are all delivered, but with the option of having a little more privacy than with a wall of glazing.
IQ Glass UK
The alternative: A glass wall.
Why it’s a contender: It’ll maximise your views.

If bi-fold doors appeal because appreciating your home’s surroundings and boosting light are the goals, perhaps a glass wall is, in fact, what you’re after. Here, frameless panels of glass are joined together with structural-grade silicone to create a frameless glass wall.

With as little a barrier as possible between the inside and out, this room has been simply furnished, with all the visual detail supplied by the amazing landscape.
CNC Building
So, is it truly over for bi-fold doors?
The alternatives are full of merit, but should we bid farewell to bi-folds? We’d love to know what you think of these five reasons for selecting them.

1. They make indoors and outdoors seamless
If you want more space, what better way to create it than with an entire wall that opens up, so house and outdoor space are a continuous area?

Here, the indoor/outdoor line is blurred further by the use of the same or very similar floor tiles in both spaces. Like the idea? Check with your tile supplier that your selection will stand up to garden temperatures and won’t become slippery in wet weather.
designcubed
2. They get out of the way
Stacked to one side, bi-fold door panels are tidy once they’re open, so there’s nothing at all between you and the garden.

To repeat the success of this design, consider frame size – a bulky frame wouldn’t stack so neatly. Think about the panel sizes that will span the opening too, as narrower panels equal more to stack.
Architect Your Home
3. They can open out a corner
It’s true that bi-folds aren’t the only way to pull off this trick, but, as this indoor-outdoor room shows, they’re an effective way to fully open two whole sides of a room. The track for the doors is flush to the floor here too, meaning inside and out are one when the bi-folds are open.

It’s worth bearing in mind that if bi-folds are in an exposed position, a completely flat threshold may not be weatherproof, but the upstand you’d then require need only be small to do its job.

See more amazing homes designed for indoor/outdoor living
Jones Associates Architects
4. They can be repeated inside
The bi-fold doors to the garden are echoed by internal bi-folds in this home. It’s a clever way to frame the views – from one room to the other and to the garden – and makes the interior feel harmonious. It’s also a reminder that interior bi-folds are handy for sub-dividing a room without losing that sense of openness, especially when the opening is large, as it is here.
Luigi Rosselli Architects
5. They can be great value
Let’s not forget that bi-folds equal a lot of glazing at a pretty good price compared to some of the other options. Where homes used to turn their backs to the garden, and access might be via a single door, they’ve brought us the opportunity to make more of indoor and outdoor space, even with extensions of quite modest proportions.
Liz Prater Design Home
Your turn
Have bi-fold doors had their day? Or are they a brilliant solution for 21st-century living? Share your opinions in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.

More
Need more practical advice on selecting doors? Read up on How to Choose External Glass Doors for Style and Energy Smarts
Print
Embed
Facebook
Twitter
Email
See 158 comments
Explore Related Topics
Most PopularDoorsBuilding ComponentsOutdoor AreasRenovatingRenovating Advice
Read Related Stories
Space Solutions: 10 Ingenious Ideas for Small KitchensSpace Solutions: 10 Ingenious Ideas for Small Kitchens
By Georgia Madden·331
Kitchens
Full Basket: 16 Laundry Tips From a Decor-Loving Mum of FourFull Basket: 16 Laundry Tips From a Decor-Loving Mum of Four
By Gabrielle Reinhardt·41
Laundries
Best of the Week: 40 Marble Marvels From Around the GlobeBest of the Week: 40 Marble Marvels From Around the Globe
By Vanessa Walker·19
Popular Houzz Series
Pro Panel: Three UK Experts on Connecting Indoors and OutdoorsPro Panel: Three UK Experts on Connecting Indoors and Outdoors
By Julie Butterworth·15
Outdoor Areas
12 Ways to Design a Low-Maintenance Garden12 Ways to Design a Low-Maintenance Garden
By Lauren Dunec Hoang·64
Garden Design
Pro Panel: 8 Common Styling Blunders You Don't Want to MakePro Panel: 8 Common Styling Blunders You Don't Want to Make
By Georgia Madden·9
Decorating
28 Times Colour Was the Making of a Room28 Times Colour Was the Making of a Room
By Georgia Madden·23
Picture Perfect
Picture Perfect: 60 Amazing Exposed Ceilings Around the GlobePicture Perfect: 60 Amazing Exposed Ceilings Around the Globe
By Deirdre Avenell·19
Design Features
5 Items You Can Declutter From Your Kitchen Cupboard Today5 Items You Can Declutter From Your Kitchen Cupboard Today
By Amy Revell·110
Organising
Best of the Week: 34 Grand Homes Around the WorldBest of the Week: 34 Grand Homes Around the World
By Vanessa Walker·14
Decorating
How to Survive a Kitchen RenovationHow to Survive a Kitchen Renovation
By Becky Harris·257
Kitchens
Pro Panel: 8 Indoor-Outdoor Blunders You Don't Want to MakePro Panel: 8 Indoor-Outdoor Blunders You Don't Want to Make
By Georgia Madden·14
Decorating
Pro Reveal: 10 Laundries and Their Design SecretsPro Reveal: 10 Laundries and Their Design Secrets
By Georgia Madden·19
Laundries
Dog Days: 8 Garden Features to Delight Your PoochDog Days: 8 Garden Features to Delight Your Pooch
By Marianne Lipanovich·157
Pets
10 Fresh Ideas for Good-Looking Timber Fences10 Fresh Ideas for Good-Looking Timber Fences
By Lauren Dunec Hoang·44
Outdoor Areas
People who liked this story also liked
Space Solutions: 10 Ingenious Ideas for Small Kitchens
Space Solutions: 10 Ingenious Ideas for Small KitchensFull Story
Full Basket: 16 Laundry Tips From a Decor-Loving Mum of Four
Full Basket: 16 Laundry Tips From a Decor-Loving Mum of FourFull Story
Best of the Week: 40 Marble Marvels From Around the Globe
Best of the Week: 40 Marble Marvels From Around the GlobeFull Story
Pro Panel: Three UK Experts on Connecting Indoors and Outdoors
Pro Panel: Three UK Experts on Connecting Indoors and OutdoorsFull Story
12 Ways to Design a Low-Maintenance Garden
12 Ways to Design a Low-Maintenance GardenFull Story
Pro Panel: 8 Common Styling Blunders You Don't Want to Make
Pro Panel: 8 Common Styling Blunders You Don't Want to MakeFull Story
28 Times Colour Was the Making of a Room
28 Times Colour Was the Making of a RoomFull Story
Picture Perfect: 60 Amazing Exposed Ceilings Around the Globe
Picture Perfect: 60 Amazing Exposed Ceilings Around the GlobeFull Story
5 Items You Can Declutter From Your Kitchen Cupboard Today
5 Items You Can Declutter From Your Kitchen Cupboard TodayFull Story
Best of the Week: 34 Grand Homes Around the World
Best of the Week: 34 Grand Homes Around the WorldFull Story
  • Australia
  • ABOUT
  • MOBILE APPS
  • PROFESSIONALS
  • BUTTONS
  • FAQs
  • CAREERS
  • ADVERTISE
  • Terms & Privacy
  • © 2021 Houzz Inc.