PhotoWhether they’re an add-on for your living room, kitchen, or elsewhere, French doors offer a fantastic opportunity to refresh your home with stylish designs that offer significant increases in natural light, as well as the ability to treat your backyard as an extension. Yet, while many of us love the idea of all this, these are often yet another home feature that can quickly fall foul to disuse.
From an increased incentive to eat al fresco through to the ability to tap into the relaxing sounds of nature at any moment, overcoming your aversion to using those French doors can make a huge difference to any space. To help you enjoy that benefit, we’re going to consider precisely why doors don’t get used right now.
Your garden isn’t right
French doors thrown wide open can help your outdoor space to feel like an extension of any room, but that’s not necessarily an incentive for use if your yard is weed-filled and far from pristine. Avoid this by simply making sure that your garden is the addition you need, either by embarking on a little landscaping or/and by installing a patio or decking area to enjoy directly outside of those French doors. This way, you’ll be far more likely to not only spend time outside but to also keep those doors open so you can enjoy the view whenever you’re chilling on the sofa.
You can’t stand the bugs after dark
As the nights draw in, most of us don’t even get home until even after dark. At that point, the risk that spiders, moths, and mosquitos will come flooding in if you open the doors is likely enough to stop you from even considering this. As such, even a great garden won’t be enough to keep those doors open for around six months of the year. To overcome this setback, it’s therefore essential to put protections in place to keep usage going strong. While they don’t always look the best, bug screens are perhaps the most obvious option here and can go well alongside box fans or mosquito traps that work to keep bugs at bay even with the doors wide in the dark. Pest repelling plants like lavender, marigolds, and rosemary placed right outside of your doors can also offer a natural, striking way to keep your home bug-free at all times.
You’re worried about wasting energy
In this age of environmental concern, many of us also fail to use our french doors for fear of wasting energy, especially during the colder months. In reality, though, French doors specifically designed with energy efficiency or eco-friendly practices in mind can go a long way towards offsetting any energy that you waste by throwing those doors open now and again. Taking further steps, like installing smart thermostats or simply draught-proofing where you can, should also mean that you’re able to enjoy open doors sometimes while resting easy that you’ve still played your part.
French doors are fantastic, but are you ready to make the most of this feature?
