Designing the luxury home of your dreams can be an overwhelming prospect. Even purchasing an existing home and remodeling it to fit your own aesthetic creates an endless string of decisions that can quickly lead to enormity paralysis. This is a major reason you have a team of designers and architects — they can help you narrow things down and only show you options that will suit the overall vision.
Somewhere in all these choices will be doors — do you want double doors, single doors, or pivot doors? It’s very possible that you’ve never given much thought to doors up until this point, let alone did you know how many options would be available to you once you got here. But nevertheless, here you are.
We’ve helped architects and interior designers complete hundreds of luxury homes. Single hinge doors are the most common interior doors, but when it comes to front entry doors and master bedroom doors, we often see a deviation from this standard. Double entry doors are common on many important buildings and luxury homes, but for those concerned about security, double doors pose a concern.
We’ve probably all seen movies where doors are kicked in, and when double doors come down, it’s always because of one swift kick to the middle. Of course, that begs the question: how secure are double doors, really?
It’s a valid question. Let’s get into the details and discuss the weak points of this door configuration, and exactly why our double doors are just as secure as any other door we make. Here’s what you need to know before ordering a set of double doors.
Are Double Doors as Secure as a Single Door?
The short answer is that FBS security doors are just as secure whether they’re configured as one single door or two double doors. Each door is completely secure on their own. We’re not talking about your typical cheap master bedroom double door where one of them only locks by putting a metal post an inch into the floor and is very easy to break down. Those doors are typically hollow instead of solid. You can order them from your local hardware store, or our builder can order them. 
By contrast, FBS security doors will always put your safety first, which means there can’t be any flimsy lock in the middle of your double doors that invites someone to try to kick it in. Are they more expensive than what you’ll find at a big box store? Sure, they are. But you’re also getting much higher quality and customized in a way that seamlessly integrates into your design aesthetic. We can’t speak to other company’s products, but we can speak about our own. It’s true that the weakest point of a double door configuration is the middle, but that doesn’t mean they’re not safe. If we didn’t believe that double doors were as secure as a single door, we simply wouldn’t sell them. At no point do we want to sell you a product that doesn’t actually protect you and your family. That practice isn’t helpful to you, and it’s certainly not helpful for us. We want you to feel safe and protected in your own home.
Comprehensive Security Assessment and Planning
We take a lot of pride in our professional relationship with the experts over at LionHeart International, which is a security consulting firm owned and operated by a team of former Secret Service agents, former Homeland Security personnel, and decorated military veterans. They are all very well versed in risk assessment and planning. In fact, one of the founding members protected two American Presidents. This team is more than qualified to complete a comprehensive security assessment in cooperation with your existing security team and help them formulate concrete plans for what to do in the event of an emergency (such as fire or inclement weather), in addition to advise you on data protection.Not every one of our clients feels their security requirements necessitate a meeting with the LionHeart team, but some of our clients do, and they greatly appreciate the opportunity. Even if that discussion confirms that their current plans are well thought-out helps assuage concerns for many people. We all want to feel that we’re doing everything we can to protect our families.
Why Choose Double Doors for Your Luxury Home?
Practically speaking, double doors offer some advantages. The most obvious advantage is that the entrance to the home (or room) is larger, which is extremely helpful when moving large pieces of furniture or art. Having a larger opening reduces the risk of damages — either to the house itself or the items being moved — which is always the goal for every person involved. Regular hinge doors have a weight limit that is quite literally due to the hinge. The weight that each hinge can take varies depending on the material it’s made out of, and we can safely say that ours are made of the strongest material available: steel. On a related note, having steel hinges makes them more difficult to break through, which keeps you safer. But regardless, there is still a weight limit on the hinge. 
The largest single hinge door we can make is 90 inches tall by 37 inches wide — that’s 7.5 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. It’s a fairly standard size, of course because of the hinge. Even with a steel hinge, we can’t make the doors too large because the doors themselves are made with steel and are also very heavy, even before we add the custom coverings. Having a double door allows you to expand that opening to 74 inches, or about 6 feet wide. Most people choose to leave one door permanently locked and only use one on a regular basis, but that’s personal preference as per each homeowner. The doors will be stunning no matter how you choose to use them.
Front Entrances
Going back through history, we can see that important buildings — like government buildings, churches, schools, etc — typically have double doors. While one could argue these days that it’s a matter of safety and fire code (having a larger opening to get people out in the event of a fire or other emergency), this wasn’t always a consideration. Front doors have been a measure of wealth and power since the written record began. If you walk around Europe and look at the old buildings (or even photos of them when they were first built), you can see that they all have double doors at the entrances. Even luxury homes, palaces, cathedrals, and castles have oversized doors to give an impressive first impression on people before they can enter the structure. You could even say that the front entrance sets the tone for the building. Remember that your front door isn’t about you, the homeowner. How often will you actually use it, anyway? You’ll probably enter through the garage door. You’ll typically see your front entrance from the inside as you open it. No, your front entrance isn’t about you — it’s about your guests.The average American home doesn’t have a double door at the front. It typically has one hinge door and maybe an additional window on one or both sides. It’s classic, clean, and beautiful. It’s fitting for a 2,000 or 3,000 square foot home. But for luxury homes, double entry doors, or an oversized pivot door just fits better. Think about the way you want people who are coming to your luxury home for the first time to view it. What about when you host parties for employees or charitable donors? Do you want to give an impression of spectacular opulence or understated elegance? We can accomplish either look in a multitude of ways, with double doors or with a pivot door.
Master Bedrooms
We see a lot of homeowners requesting double doors for their master bedroom suites. It’s a classic look that is becoming popular in many homes. It sets the master bedroom apart from the other bedrooms, particularly if it’s situated on its own side of the house, away from the smaller bedrooms. Double doors help the homeowner feel like they have their own domain, even when there are others in the house with them. 
Think of your master bedroom as your very own private entrance to your home. It’s a space that is only for you, where you can unwind without entertaining or playing hostess. This is where you go to escape your stressful day (or week) or to get some peace and quiet away from your staff (or, let’s face it: your spouse and your kids). It’s your very own safe space.It’s this philosophy that led us to designing our Sanctuary™ System. Because your bedroom is already supposed to be a place you’re able to completely relax, we felt this was the best way to put panic rooms in the past. By installing security windows and doors on your master bedroom suite (and BallistiCrete if that’s a source of concern for you), you can have a place to go if someone manages to break into your home. Panic rooms are traditionally windowless rooms that waste valuable space in your home, but by utilizing your master bedroom as a panic room of sorts, you can be completely comfortable with your bed, a television, and perhaps a little mini fridge. Our security doors are state-of-the-art. You won’t be worried that the lock can be picked (they can’t be — even a third generation locksmith said so) and if you have facial recognition tied to your locks, no one will be able to open that door except for you. You’ll be completely safe while you wait for emergency services to arrive.
Designing Your Custom Double Entry Doors
It’s a good idea to begin your journey on our website, looking at what we have to offer. We have a list of coverings, structural upgrades, and technology and convenience options available. You can also see photo galleries of various types of doors we offer, including single doors, double doors, pivot doors, glass doors, and arched doors. Obviously, what you choose will be based on the style of your luxury home and your unique aesthetic. We also offer an extensive articles section that goes into greater detail regarding our product offerings, our philosophy on keeping you and your family safe, and our design process. Throughout the articles, you’ll also see photos of real security doors and windows we’ve hand-crafted in Italy for clients all around the world. You can also check out our frequently asked questions page, which is broken down according to questions that typically interest architects, interior designers, and homeowners. 
Of course, when you’re ready to discuss matters further, we’d love to hear from you. We don’t want to badger you or pressure you, but we’re also confident that you won’t find anything else that beats the quality or the security of our doors and windows. We’re happy to answer any questions you have, or run through some ideas with you. Given some brief measurements, we can likely give you a general price quote, but the final price would be contingent upon the coverings and upgrades chosen.It’s our main goal to keep you and your family safe without compromising your design. When we say we can do whatever you want, we really mean it. We can match your existing decor or coordinate with your designer to flawlessly match what is being integrated into your luxury home. Recently, we matched an existing marble. The homeowners couldn’t even tell that it wasn’t cut from the same slab.We’re based in Boca Raton, Florida, but our security doors and windows are certainly not beholden to that location. While many of our clients are in the United States, we have clients all over the world, most notably in Europe and the Caribbean.If you’re ready to discuss your double security doors, pleasecontact us today! We’d love to hear from you.
