Even the most beautifully decorated interior will not please us if it turns out to be impractical and non-functional. That is why it is so important to carefully plan key aspects that affect communication between rooms. The choice of the direction of door opening is of no small importance. If you don’t know anything about right-handed and left-handed doors, and you have to choose a door, our guide will dispel all your doubts. We are inviting you to read this article!

Opens to the right or to the left? – a short guide

Deciding which side – left or right – a door should open to in an interior is crucial to the functionality of the room and the safety of all members of the household. The wrong direction can make it difficult to function in a room and be extremely frustrating when moving between rooms. The key question is: What should you consider when deciding on the door leaf opening direction?

First of all, the direction of door opening should be determined already at the building planning stage, and before the finishing works begin, the decision must be made definitively. From the point of view of usability and comfort, the direction should be chosen so that it impedes communication between rooms as little as possible. If the door is located close to a wall, it is a good idea for it to open towards it. If the door leaf is located in the middle of the room, then when determining the most practical opening direction, the point towards which we will move most frequently should be taken into account, e.g. sofa, desk, table. Then you should pay attention that the door opening direction does not cross our path.

Another important factor that we must take into account is the location of the light switch. It is important that it is located on the side of the handle, especially if it is located inside the room.

If we have decided on a double leaf door then, as a rule, the door frame is universal and has no side – the hinges are on both sides. However, this does not apply to the door leaves, because the set always includes a left and a right leaf, and we have to choose which of them will be active and which will be passive.

How to recognize right-handed door and left-handed door?

Identifying doors by their opening direction is extremely simple and intuitive. Just stand in front of it so that it opens in your direction. If you stand there and pull the door towards you, then if the hinges are on your right you are dealing with a right-handed door and if the hinges are on your left you are opening a left-handed door. The same goes for door frames.

What else should we pay attention to when deciding on right-handed door or left-handed door?

An equally important issue as the door opening direction is the way it opens, inward or outward. It is worth solving this problem at the same time with choosing right or left-handed door. This has a considerable impact on the safety of the interior use, as well as on the functionality mentioned above. Remember that the door leaves should not overlap when opening and should not collide with the interior furnishing. In case of small spaces, doors opening.