Surprisingly exciting door trim ideas. You might not traditionally spend a lot of time thinking about how your door structure, trim, or moldings would look beyond the basics, but getting creative with these design details can elevate a space into something truly special.
So what can you do with door trim? Whether it’s for an interior door or opening, or to serve as a wardrobe door idea, for example, there is plenty of inspiration for ways to make door trims steal the scene.
From playing with paint and color to defining door edges with luxurious materials, let these eight inspiring door decorating examples change how you see this element of your interior scheme.
8 unusual door trim ideas
Unless you’re renovating your entire home, it’s common practice to stick with the standard door trim you’ve inherited. If you’re lucky, it will be something you love, but that’s not always the case. In newly built homes, door trim can be a no-brainer, while in period properties, you can bet the original door trims would be stifling under layers and layers of paint.
When it comes to attention to detail, the reward for focusing on door edges can be great. After all, they frame vistas throughout your home, helping to draw the eye into adjacent spaces, and making your rooms appear larger.
1. Paint door trim feature
(Photo credit: Josh Thornton. Design: Summer Thornton Design)
Your first idea of creating a distinctive door trim will undoubtedly be with paint, but you don’t have to be wild with paint effects to make a statement. Consider the range of paint ideas available to you, from using a bold contrast color to experimenting with different paint finishes.
In this stylish kid’s playroom design created by Summer Thornton Design, a bright door and chromatic accent trim create an exciting modern contrast to the design.
Chicago-based designer Summer Thornton explains: (Opens in a new tab). When paired together (especially in bold colors), it gives the eye areas of interest and comfort. I love making high-gloss doors that are boldly colored because they often interact with them. When you reach for the knob on the door, you literally reach out your hand and almost touch that wet liquid gloss.
2. Reset the wallpaper borders
(Photo credit: Susie Atkinson)
If you’d rather not pick up a paintbrush, another way to decorate your trim is with borders—and interior designer Susie Atkinson’s latest launch is set to revolutionize the way you previously thought about borders.
“Borders have been used for many years to upgrade the simplest of rooms, adding detail and cheer in an easy and affordable way,” says Susie. “They’re less of a commitment than wallpapering an entire room, but they still bring that color and interest to the walls adding accent to contrast or compliment the room.”
Introduce this wallpaper idea around baseboards and doorways to accentuate the decorative effect you have in the room, or you can even use it to mimic trimming by creating wall panels or chair rails. “The possibilities are endless,” says Suzy. “I’m excited to bring back the frontier!”
3. Add a character with your choice
(Image source: Max Burkhalter. Design: MKCA)
If you choose the right door decoration idea, you can add character through these details, without going beyond the remaining space. In decorating a New York apartment, architect Michael K. Chen from MKCA (Opens in a new tab)A beveled motif is used around doors to add a luxurious touch to the space.
Michael explains, “The couple had very clear ideas about how they wanted to live, and how certain rooms should function, but they were interested in approaches and aesthetics that were more adventurous and expressive, but not outlandish.”
4. Choose low-profile edges for a minimalist look
(Image credit: Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen. Design: Norm Architects)
Standard door trims can feel a bit off-target. Not big enough to make an impact, nor thin enough to recede into the background, it’s perfect for moderately styled homes, but not for those looking to make an impression.
In this house by Norm Architects (Opens in a new tab)Narrow, floor-to-ceiling doors are combined with beautiful door trims for a modern look.
“The interior doors leading from the main living room to the bedrooms and bathrooms are designed as high, slim wood cabinet doors to take up minimal space in small bedrooms,” explains Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architect. “Its height visually extends the sense of space and makes the ceiling height appear more spacious.”
5. Or go chunky with decorations
(Image credit: Katie Charlotte. Styling: Courtney Bishop Designs)
Alternatively, sizing the edges of your door is another effective way to make it a feature of your space.
Interior designer Courtney Bishop of Courtney Bishop Design explains: “The ornate work is a work of art in this home. (Opens in a new tab). “We wanted to showcase design and craftsmanship as part of the design story.”
In this home, large ornamentation is used throughout, including this formal dining room, connecting the separate rooms for a cohesive look, along with a pleasant shade of green. “The color we chose was a key design decision and used throughout the home,” says Courtney.
6. Select marble for a luxurious look
(Photo credit: Mikhail Loskutov. Styling: Tim Vereznovsky)
Marble used as a finishing layer has become a huge trend in luxury real estate interior design, a luxurious alternative to traditional wood trim. Marble is amazingly used around open doorways, where it would be more difficult to hang the door on a marble-clad wall, but it serves as a way to frame the landscape from one space to the next and accentuate the architecture of your room.
“I love the accent details,” says interior designer Tim Veresnovsky of this apartment’s design. “Marble elevates what is otherwise a very simple design into something that looks very special.”
7. Use tiles to trim in the bathroom
(Image credit: Brian Ferry. Design: Home Studios)
Why not adapt the style of the door trim idea you’re using to the room it’s used in?
In the master bathroom of this New York apartment, Home Studios (Opens in a new tab) Use green mosaic tile trim to define the space’s key features, including the vanity and door from Arabescato Classico, which creates curved corners for a fresh bathroom tile idea. Results? A space given a great deal of seemingly compact character with a very easy design choice.
8. Go trimmed to help hide the door
(Image credit: Note Design Studio)
Sometimes the best door decorating idea isn’t trim at all. There is a growing trend of concealed interior doors in interiors, which help conceal the likes of entryway cabinets, en-suite bathrooms, or kitchen laundry rooms, and this can easily be achieved with a flowing door style.
In this pastel apartment design, Note Design Studio (Opens in a new tab) Incorporating a concealed trim door into the bedroom wall panels idea, simplifying the overall look so that a simple style of décor can be kept in the space.
Should your trim match your doors?
The color you choose to paint your trim against the door and walls depends on the purpose of your design scheme.
There is a recent trend of “color immersion” that sees all room elements painted the same color, which helps make door and door trim less important in the design.
(Photo credit: Ben Waterhouse. Design: ALL & NXTHING)
On the other hand, choosing a contrasting door and trim can make this element more of a feature in your space. The trim doesn’t have to be the same color as the wall either – all three can be different for a more interesting color scheme.
