Arched door designs

It is no secret that doors can create a design focal point within architectural design, so what better way to make a statement than with a style that has been embraced throughout the ages?

Arched door designs are a timeless architectural feature that add elegance, charm, and a touch of classical beauty to any space. Whether you're renovating a historic home, designing a new build, or simply looking to add some character to a doorway, arched doors offer a versatile and visually appealing solution. This article explores the various options for arched door designs, helping you choose the best design and material for your project.

Arched door designs offer a beautiful and timeless option for adding character and sophistication to any space, there is a design to suit every taste and architectural style. With the right materials, finishes, and customizations, an arched door can become a stunning focal point that enhances the overall aesthetic and value of your home.

Material Options for External Arched Door Designs

Not all door framing materials can create an arched door frame. The framing material needs to be robust enough to be curved and then strong enough to maintain the shape of the door when the door is open.

For external arched doors we also have to consider the weather sealing of the arch against a frame, meaning that the framing materials for both the opening door and the fixed frame have to be arched to precision measurements to create the full weather seal.

External Steel Arched Doors

Steel as a material is renowned for its strength and durability.

This makes steel frames an excellent choice to curve to create arched door heads to opening doors.

These types of steel arched doors can be made from any number of architectural metals including galvanized steel that is powder coated, stainless steel, bronze or Corten steel. The range of material options provide a broad array of design options for these types of arched doors.

Click here to view our steel door product page and learn more about the possibilities from our architectural metal frames.

Arched Bronze Doors to a London Extension

This project is a great example of using architectural metal to create arched door openings. Across the rear elevation of the brick extension, five arched bronze doors sit within the arched apertures. These bronze doors are double doors and were created using the Mondrian CWS 65 Slim profiles to maximise the glass within the door openings.

A bespoke glazing bar design was used on the bronze arched doors to create a timeless design which matched the interior scheme.

Bronze handles and hinges were used to ensure that the entire door design was in keeping with the high level of specification on the build.

Arched Corten Doors to a Classic Villa

This classical styled villa used a combination of materials to create some architectural impact on what could have been a very simple design.

Using Corten, the doors within the stone villa were arched and are a great example of a more gentle arch being used on a door design. The opening doors within the centre of the arched doorway have a very gentle arch to the head with fixed side lights.

All handles and hinges were made from Corten to match the material of the frame and ensure the door design was cohesive and harmonised.

Narrow Arched Steel Doors to Swimming Pool

Another advantage to the strength of steel is the parameters the materials can push in terms of the size of arched doors. This is not just about making very large steel doors, but also creating narrow door openings that can maximise a space.

This swimming pool was an addition to a classic villa, and the doorways were narrow to stay in keeping with the existing building's design. The arched door designs were sat within a larger arched window. Integrated glazing bar designs mimic the art deco style of the manor house whilst the narrow-arched steel doors within the aperture allow access in and out of the pool.

Timber Arched Door Designs

Timber arched doors are prized for their natural beauty and warmth, bringing a touch of nature into any space. The rich textures and grains of wood create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere, making timber arched doors a popular choice for both traditional and contemporary homes.

One of the practical benefits of timber arched doors is their excellent insulation properties. Wood naturally retains heat, making timber doors a great choice for maintaining energy efficiency in your home. In colder climates, a well-crafted timber door can help reduce heating costs by preventing drafts and retaining warmth.

For environmentally-conscious homeowners, timber arched doors made from sustainably sourced wood provide an eco-friendly option.

The degree of arch possible for a timber door will depend on the timber speciciesspecies chosen but timber is a very suitable material for creating arched doors.

This arched timber door design was created using the composite frames from Avino. For more information on Avino you can contact IQ director or head over to the dedicated Avino website: www.avino-timber.com

Aluminium Arched Door Designs

When looking for an arched door design aluminium is not typically the best frame material to create a true arched door opening. Due to the lightweight nature of aluminium it is a great material to create very slim framed windows and doors however, this lightweight nature means it is often unsuited to creating an arched opening.

If aluminium frames are being used, we would most often create a square doorway with an arched window or over light to create an arched door design.

Read below to see some more examples of squared doorways within arched windows.

Design Considerations for Arched Door Designs

The key consideration for designing with arched doors is to take a close look at the positioning of the arched door within the building structure. One key issue that crops up on these arched door designs is the clashing of the arched door with the arched aperture or structure.

The team at IQ do lots of work with designers and specifiers to design arched doors and position them within openings to ensure that clashes do not occur.

Sometimes, specialist hinges can be used to provide the arched door with enough swing clearance to avoid any structure or finish clashes. You can see a short clip of us modelling this on a recent project to ensure the arched structure and door worked well together.

Another way to design arched doors is to fit the arched door to the very inner or very outer edge of the aperture. That way, the door geometry does not clash with the building structure.

If you are considering an archeed door design speak to the team at IQ who can advise on the design and postitioning from an early stage.Arched Door Designs with Squared Opening Doors

An alternative design option for arched doors is to fill an arched aperture with glazing but design the opening door within the arch as a typical square opening.

This can sometimes be an optimal solution for projects with restricted parameters or where an arched doorway would clash with surrounding materials as above.

These type of arched door designs can be made with almost any material. See below for some examples.

Arched Burnished Brass Doors to a Modern Home

The arched doorways on this modern home were designed to be wide and distinctive, creating deep arches within the white stone walls.

The frames were made from burnished brass and the outer design of the doorway is all fixed with wide double opening doors in the centre of each archway.

Arched Aluminium Door at the IQ Glass Showroom

We also showcase this arched doorway design at our showroom in Amersham.

This door is created using the Sieger Legacy TH+ framing which is thermally broken aluminium designed to look like steel. The doorway here as a large arched window above to fill the aperture with fixed side lights and a hinged door in the centre.

Material Options for Internal Arched Door Designs

As internal arched doors to not need any type of weather sealing, the material options for these designs are more expansive. From frameless designs to architectural steel, you can create the best interior design for your scheme using arches.

Frameless Arched Doors

Frameless arched doors are a sophisticated and contemporary design choice that shows the timeless beauty of the arch with the sleek, minimalist aesthetic of frameless construction. These doors create a seamless and elegant look that enhances both modern and transitional spaces.

Internal arched glass doors can be designed as hinged, pivoting or sliding (using some design magic as explained further below). This offers a wide variety of functionality for these arched internal doors.

Frameless Arched Glass Doors in a Brick Garden Room

These double opening arched doors created a sheltered entrance to a new garden room set in the grounds of a classic english manor house. The garden room was classed as an external space so no weather rating was required of the arched doors.

The frameless doors were pivoting and used a special wall mounted hinge to pivot the doors at an angle that did not clash with the brick aperture.

Internal Arched Steel Doors

Internal arched steel doors have gained significant popularity in recent years, in modern and industrial design schemes. Their sleek, minimalist appearance combined with the robustness of steel makes them an ideal choice for contemporary interiors.

These doors are typically made from high-quality steel, providing strength and durability, often combined with glass panes which can be clear, frosted or even textured to allow light to pass through.

The advantages of internal arched steel doors is that they add a visually striking element to any space, enhancing the overall design with there unique shape and material.

Creating Arched Door Designs in Square Openings

Another option for an arched doorway design is using a square window and door set behind an arched doorway. From the external design, this creates an arched doorway whilst using a square glass door.

This method of design can be useful for door types that cannot be designed as arched; for example, sliding doors.

Or, it might be a suitable method to reduce the cost of an opening door.

Arched Sliding Doors to Terrace House in London

Number one Cornwall Terrace is the most expensive terrace house in Britain. IQ were part of the renovation lead by SMOK Architects to renovate the building into a luxury dwelling. Part of this design was the refurbishment of the basement/lower ground floor living and pool area.

You can see from the rear elevation that there were a series of arched doorways within the Grade I Listed property that had to be retained however, the architects were keen to maximise glass. Therefore, instead of installing framed arched doors within the arches IQ provided our slim sliding glass doors which sit behind the arches.

The sliding glass doors slide behind the arches, ensuring the design of the archways remain and no frame is visible from the external view. The sliding glass doors are floor to ceiling with the sliding frames mounted internally.

Arched Sliding Doors at the Brighton Reading Rooms

Another listed project that utlised this method was the Brighton Reading Rooms. The heritage building was saved from ruin and has been expertly renovated to create a new community and cafe space.

The existing Victorian arches had to remain and were filled with glass to create an insulated internal space.

Sliding doors sit behind two of the arches, creating a sliding door within the archway that has no visible frame. This design maintains the integrity of the historical landmark whilst repurposing it for today.

Steel and Glass Facade Behind Arched Doorways

Using Corten steel, this old farm building found a new life as a home studio and office by creating a glass facade behind the stone archways.

The full steel and glass facade has integrated doors located in the centre of each doorway. From the outside this elevation appears to be a series of arched doorways whilst from the inside of the building you can see the large facade design and the historical design of the stone arches.

Arched Doorways at Oriel Plas Glyn Y Weddw

This prestigious project may be familiar but what you might not be aware of is how the glass design works within the bespoke metal sculpture designed by Matthew Sanderson.

It is actually the apertures of the metal facade that are arched with the doors and windows behind the structure behind square. Similar to the designs above, this allowed flexibility to the glass design, using structural glass to create the faceted glass wall that sits behind the metal whilst the metal shell creates the arch design.

Curved Door Designs

Arching a glass door vertically is just one way to play with curves and shapes for your door designs.

For more fluidity, consider using a curved sliding door design on your project. Our slim sliding glass door frames can be designed in a curved variation, allowing sliding panels to slide open using natural shapes and designs.

Contact us for more information on our curved sliding doors and the possibilities for curved glass designs on your project.

Transform Your Space with Elegant Arched Doors

Are you looking for an Arched door design in your next or current project?