A pair of doors on one opening does something a single door cannot: opened, it makes two rooms into one, and closed, it still reads as a proper division. It is the usual answer between a living room and a dining room, and between a kitchen and whatever sits beyond it.
When is a pair better than one door?
On any opening wider than about a metre, and anywhere you want the two rooms to work as one space some of the time.
A single door on a wide opening needs a very large leaf, which is heavy, needs a lot of swing and looks out of proportion. Two smaller leaves handle the same width comfortably.
The bigger reason is how the rooms live. A pair opened back gives you one large space for company and closed gives you two rooms for a normal Tuesday. That flexibility is why the arrangement has lasted.
Glazed or solid?
Glazed is the usual choice, because most of the point is borrowing light and keeping a sightline between the rooms.
Fully glazed doors between a living room and a back room let daylight through the whole ground floor, which matters in a terrace or a mid link house where the middle of the plan has no window of its own.
Solid pairs make sense where sound or privacy is the priority, or where the two rooms are genuinely separate in use. The glass, where it is used, is toughened safety glass to CE standard.
What does the opening need?
Enough width to take two leaves with the frame, and clear floor either side for both to swing.
The swing is what catches people out. Two doors opening into a room need clear floor on both sides of the opening, and furniture pushed close to the wall stops them going back flat.
Where that clearance does not exist, a sliding arrangement does the same job without the swing. Our <a href="/internal-doors/sliding/">sliding internal doors</a> page covers it.
Do they need a frame, or can they go in the existing opening?
Usually a new lining, because most wide openings in Irish houses were either never framed or were framed for something else.
A knocked through opening often has no proper lining at all, just a plastered reveal. A pair of doors needs a square, plumb frame to hang from, so the lining goes in first and the doors are hung to it.
That is measured on the day and made to the opening rather than the other way round, which matters because these openings are rarely square.
Doors carry a ten year warranty against defects.
How it works
We call out, measure the space and talk through what you want. Our designers draw it in 3D so you see the finished piece in your own room, and you get one complete itemised quote within two working days. Nothing is ordered and nothing is charged until you say yes.
One team for this and the rest of the job
The same team that makes this fits it, and we also do kitchens, fitted wardrobes, internal doors and windows. If more than one thing needs doing, it is one contractor, one schedule and one point of contact rather than four. See the rest of our work.
Frequently asked questions
Can you fit a pair into a knocked through opening?
Yes, and it is a common job. A new lining is usually needed first, which is measured and made to your opening.
Do both doors open, or is one fixed?
Either. A slave leaf held with bolts, opened only when you need the full width, is common on wider openings.
Can the glass be frosted?
Yes. Frosted or reeded glass gives light without a clear sightline, which suits a kitchen to hall opening.
What areas do you cover?
Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The design visit is free and there is no obligation.