How To Dress Bifold Doors

Bifold doors are a visual showpiece in their own right. They bring in a ton of natural light and allow your space to feel open and bright. 

While they do look great on their own, you may want to dress your bifold doors to provide a different look and feel. Our detailed guide will show you exactly how you can do that.

Why Would You Dress Bifold Doors?

This is generally a matter of aesthetics. The neutral, clean look of bifold doors may work perfectly for a minimalist home, but if you have a different design theme in mind, you may want to enhance them.

Alternatively, a bit of dressing can also give you a little more privacy. Clear glass is fantastic at bringing in more natural light, but it also makes it easy to see into your home from outside. 

Bifold doors increase the value of your home; naturally, you want them to look their best. 

How To Dress Bifold Doors

Here are some options you can use to dress your bifold doors.

Blinds

Blinds can provide a simple, sleek way to add a bit of privacy to your bifold doors; however, it’s important to be careful. Trying to install blinds yourself isn’t recommended because they can get in the way when the sashes fold together. 

An alternative would be to get integral blinds built into the glass like we offer at NOW Aluminium. These blinds look incredibly elegant and because they are integrated, they won’t require any dusting or cleaning - a huge benefit.

Curtains

While curtains can add a sense of grandeur, generally we wouldn’t recommend them. Just like external blinds, curtains can get in the way of the door’s mechanism and become a real hassle.

If you feel that curtains are a dressing option that you simply can’t go without, then be sure to plan with them in mind when you have your bifold doors assembled. Leave enough space for them and consider how your doors would fold.

Shutters

With wooden plantation shutters you run into many of the same issues as curtains as they can be clunky and get in the way. However, they do provide a different aesthetic that you may want to pursue. Ultimately, we don’t recommend this one either.

Roller shutters on the other hand can work well. When open, they leave almost all the openings clear and can block light very effectively when closed. Roller shutters are not the most aesthetic option however, and generally chosen as a high security option.

Privacy Glass 

If you want to go with a more minimalist option, you might consider privacy glass. Privacy glass is tinted to make it much harder to see into your home from the outside. 

NOW Aluminium also provides privacy glass that provides you with more visibility when it’s dark, which is a huge benefit over other options. 

Options are extensive with satin glass or mirrored glass popular options. While these can be good options, we generally recommend going with integrated blinds instead as these allow for both privacy and opening up completely. 

Door Design Upgrades

The doors themselves can also be adapted to suit the style of your house. Transom or astragal bars for example, are a great way to make your doors more heritage style - an increasingly popular option. Georgians bars which are incorporated within the glass units are another way to elevate and match the aesthetic of your house.

Additionally, various handle options available in a number of different colours and finishes are available. Should you wish to make a feature of the handles on your door, this can be an excellent way to upgrade the design.

All these options are available from NOW Aluminium. Should you wish to discuss any of them, please get in touch with us today!

Lighting

Finally, additional lighting can give your bifold a bit more focus when it’s dark outside. As a central feature of your house, you want it to have full attention even when it’s dark. Perhaps go with a warm light to balance the natural light your doors allow in.

Conversely, it can be much more effective to light features outside such a trees rather than the doors themselves, allowing you to admire your garden at night as well as during the day. 

Summary

You should now have plenty of options to dress your bifold doors. Whether you're looking for some extra privacy, or you want your doors to fit an overall design theme; there’s a lot you can do. 

Just remember, if you want to go with an integrated option like blinds or privacy glass, talk to your manufacturer before you have the doors installed.

If you want more advice or you are looking to build your dream bifold doors, get in touch with us today!