Unless you live in a hinge-free home, chances are you’ve opened at least one door today. If you’re an egress enthusiast, then you may even have opened several, opening and closing each door in your home just to hear the gentle strains of an unoiled hinge or the abrupt slam of a heavy fire door…

…anyway, you’re not the only person who loves a good door. Over the years, many of the world’s greatest artists have designed doors that would shiver your timbers and rattle your aluminium panelling.

My goodness, haven’t we said door a lot already? Well, expect us to say it a lot more as, in association with Oakwood Doors, we guide you through a few of the finest entranceways the world has ever produced.

Gaudi’s doors
Antoni Gaudi is arguably one of the most famous architects to have ever lived, and his work can still be seen on many Barcelona streets today. His most renowned piece is the Sagrada Familia, a gargantuan cathedral situated in the heart of Barcelona, which throngs with tourists all through the year.

But while few sights are more impressive than the Sagrada, the quality of Gaudi’s work extends far beyond the shock and awe of a giant cathedral. The proof in the pudding lies in Barcelona’s Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, which holds many of Gaudi’s famed doors.

His strange wavelike designs have never been equalled, even in the uniqueness of doors he designed. These are well worth a look if you live in, or plan to visit, Barcelona.

Open/Close
The small Scottish city of Dundee has seen an upsurge in its fortunes over the past decade, moving from a city in decline to an artistic heartland. Its previously ailing waterfront has enjoyed a £1 billion regeneration scheme, which included the building of a new V&A Museum and a facelift to its main transport links.

Riding on the coat tails of this regeneration scheme at a grassroots levels was the Open/Close programme, which tasked various local artists with the challenge of painting their design on doors around the city.

Many of these doors were attached to abandoned warehouses, old jute mills or run-down retail outlets, transforming them from victims of a post-industrial depression into culturally rejuvenated photo opportunities.

The Open/Close door murals have since become a tourist hotspot, and are a must-visit if you’re in the area.

Viktoria Kravchenko
Some people are obsessed with doors – but arguably no more than Viktoria Kravchenko, who travels around the world creating distinctive watercolours of the most impressive doors she can find.

The paintings she creates are an ode to a piece of design that many of us take for granted. They’re alive with colours and lovingly detailed, providing every knob and hinge with a sense of place and character.

That’s our list – but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. There’s a whole world of doors out there that are brimming with imagination. Got any you love? Then let us know in the comments below!