Dutch Doors: Practical & Pretty

I am obsessed with Dutch doors.  Dutch doors allow for the upper half of the door to remain open; with the lower half shut (and locked) to keep pets and children inside or outside. Dutch doors originated from the Netherlands in the 16th century and are also referred to as stable doors. They were used for the same reasons we still appreciate today; the bottom half keeps the leaves, dirt and small critters outside and still allow for the slice of heaven of a gentle breeze.  Our back door is the gateway to the backyard. It is a glass door and because of this we had an iron security door installed. It has a removable glass top half where we can get the breeze, but the reality is the paneled steel door is a bit of an eye sore. We end up propping the door open because our Australian Shepherd wants outside every 17 minutes.

Our original plan for our kitchen was to close the door  above and replace the windows to the right of the fern  with French doors.

But then I started thinking about Dutch doors. Here are a few I found on Pinterest. The original sources of the following images were not always clear. Which one is your favorite?

1.

2. I love the clean lines  of this porch.  I love the light and metal numbers. The shade of blue is likely a homeowners’ violation in our neighborhood, but who would know if it was on my back door?

3. This door looks identical to the one above.  What I notice more from the interior is the glass panes.  From this angle the glass panes look like a window cleaning nightmare. Does it bother you?

4. This door has a sliding shutter for privacy on the top half.  I love this kitchen.  What do you think of the shutter? I think this might bug me.  I love the Dutch doors and how they add light and bring the outdoors inside.

Which Dutch door is your favorite?

I found a great DIY interior Dutch door tutorial on HGTV.