Crittall-style doors: slim custom-made aluminium doors

Crittall-style doors capture the look of the original British crittall aesthetic: slim black metal profiles, multi-pane glass, and a character that feels rooted in a specific moment in British architectural history. That look is made in powder-coated aluminium with a 30 millimetre profile. This is a deliberate choice that gives you the same slim sightlines with practical advantages over solid steel.

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Lichte woonkamer met grote ramen, moderne stalen scheidingswand en decoratieve bloemen in een witte vaas, ideaal voor stijlvolle interieurs.

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Crittall-style doors, the heritage look without the steel

“Crittall-style” means doors that visually capture the crittall aesthetic without being made of solid steel. The slim profile, the multi-pane bar layout, the matt black finish: all of that is there. What is not there is the weight, the rust risk, and the lead time that comes with traditional steel.

Aluminium lets Emezzi hold the same 30 millimetre sightline as the original while keeping the door light, low-maintenance, and ready to install in weeks rather than months. For most people researching crittall look doors or steel look doors, this is exactly what they are looking for.

Binnenruimte met moderne stalen deur, comfortabele stoel, en natuurlijke lichtinval, passend bij hoogwaardige stalen deuren en wanden op maat.

Moderne stalen schuifdeur met zwart frame en glazen panel, perfect voor een eigentijdse interieurafwerking en scheiding van ruimtes.

Project hinged door

Moderne stalen deur met grote glazen panelen en zwarte frame, perfect voor interieurafscheidingen en op maat gemaakte wanden.

Project steel hinged door with side panel

Moderne stalen deur met glas tussen woonkamer en kantoorruimte, strakke afwerking en minimalistisch design, geschikt voor op maat gemaakte stalen deuren en wanden.

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Moderne stalen schuifdeur in keuken met glas en zwarte frame, scheidt de keuken van de buitenruimte, veel natuurlijk licht, stijlvolle en functionele ontwerpkeuze.

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More information

Where the crittall aesthetic comes from

The crittall look has its roots in the 1920s and 1930s, when the British Crittall company began producing slim steel windows and doors for Art Deco and Modernist buildings. The narrow black profiles and divided glass panes became a hallmark of the architecture of that period, appearing in factories, schools, and the more design-forward homes of the era.

The aesthetic proved durable. By the time the multi-pane steel door found its way into Victorian terraces and Georgian townhouses decades later, “crittall” had become shorthand for the visual style itself, regardless of who made it or what it was made from. Today, heritage style doors and art deco internal doors in this idiom are among the most searched-for interior door styles in the UK.

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Crittall-style design choices

The character of a crittall-style door comes down to four decisions: bar layout, finish, glass type, and how the door opens. Getting these right is what makes a door feel authentically crittall rather than just a slim metal door with some bars on it.

Bar layout and proportions

The right black, or another finish entirely

Glass that suits the style

Opening style: pivot, hinged, sliding or flush

Bar layout and proportions

The number of panes defines the personality of the door more than anything else. A three-pane vertical layout reads as slim and contemporary, suited to modern interiors and taller narrow door openings. A four-pane layout with one cross-bar is the all-rounder, the most-specified configuration across the range, and works well in standard-height rooms.

A six-pane layout reads more strongly as heritage crittall design and suits period properties where you want the door to feel of a piece with the original architecture. When we use nine panes or more, we enter the industrial style, closer to a factory window than a domestic door. Taller doors generally take more panes, because the proportions of each pane need to remain consistent with the overall height.

The right black, or another finish entirely

Matt black RAL9005 is the heritage-correct default for crittall-style and the most-specified finish across the range. It is the closest match to the original painted steel and works across the widest range of interior styles.

Bronze and warm grey RALs such as RAL7016 have become recognised contemporary alternatives, particularly in schemes where pure black would feel too stark. White crittall is historically authentic for 1930s and Georgian properties, where the original Crittall windows were often finished in white rather than black.

Glass that suits the style

Clear laminated safety glass keeps the multi-pane bars as the visual feature of the door, which is the right choice when the crittall grid is the point. Reeded glass adds period character and partial privacy, which suits study and bedroom door openings where the look matters as much as the light.

Bronze tinted glass is a strong designer choice that reads as deliberately contemporary rather than heritage. Frosted glass suits ensuite and bathroom door openings where privacy is needed. Six millimetre laminated glass is standard across the range, with 10 millimetre laminated used for hinged variants where the closing weight of the door requires it.

Opening style: pivot, hinged, sliding or flush

A hinged door is the most historically authentic opening style for crittall-style doors and the easiest to specify across a wide range of door openings. A pivot door creates a more contemporary statement while still respecting the crittall aesthetic, and works well in taller door openings where the height of the door becomes part of the design.

A sliding crittall-style door suits tight floor plans where a hinged door would be impractical. A flush crittall door is the minimalist interpretation, where the door aligns with the wall surface and the crittall bar layout becomes a subtle detail rather than a dominant feature.

Inspiration book

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Een vrouw opent een glazen stalen scheidingswand in een modern kantoor met houten vloer en veel natuurlijk licht, perfect voor kantoorwanden en scheidingssystemen.

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Why aluminium captures the look of these doors so well

The original Crittall steel profile is around 30 millimetres wide. Emezzi’s aluminium profile is also 30 millimetres wide. That match is not a coincidence. It is the reason an aluminium crittall-style door reads as authentic rather than as a compromise.

Powder-coating in all RAL-colours gives the aluminium the same flat matt surface as painted steel. The multi-pane bar layouts, the glass-to-frame ratios, the proportions of the door as a whole: all of these can be replicated in aluminium without any visible difference from the outside. The differences are practical: lighter, no rust, faster to produce and install. For most people, those are advantages rather than trade-offs.

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Modern and sleek

Where do crittall-style doors work best?

Kitchen-to-living-room transitions in Victorian and Edwardian terraces are the most common context. The multi-pane grid echoes the proportions of the original sash windows, the slim aluminium profile respects the room scale, and the black finish reads as a considered architectural choice rather than an afterthought.

Dining-room-to-hallway openings in period homes, primary-suite-to-ensuite transitions, and home offices carved out of larger rooms are all natural fits for internal industrial style doors in the crittall idiom. Garden room and conservatory entrances suit the crittall look particularly well, where the multi-pane glass frames the view to the outside in a way that a plain glazed door never quite does.

Crittall-inspired doors have also become popular in renovation projects where the brief is to add character to an otherwise plain interior. A single well-specified crittall-style door can change the feel of a room in a way that repainting or refurnishing cannot.

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Configure your crittall-style door

Design your crittall-style door step by step in our configurator. Choose your door type, enter your dimensions, and work through the bar layout, glass, and finish. The configurator previews each choice live, so you can see how your specific configuration reads before you request a quote. The price updates in real time.

For internal crittall doors, Frenc h crittall doors, or a room divider configuration, the configurator handles each as a separate assembly. Take a look at the full crittall-style range if you are still deciding which configuration suits your door opening best.

Elegante stalen scheidingswand met glazen panelen in een modern interieur, scheidt de woonkamer van de eetkamer en creëert een open, lichte ruimte.

Finishes and Handle Options

Custom-made dimensions, fitted across the UK

Every Emezzi crittall-style door is made to measure. Our specialist visits your home for a measurement visit, confirms the door opening dimensions, and checks the existing structure. Wider door openings use fixed side panels or a double-door configuration to extend the system without breaking the visual line.

The door is manufactured in our workshop and installed by Emezzi-authorised dealers across the UK. Read the answers to your questions about lead times and installation. Design your crittall-style door in the configurator and get an instant price.

Moderne stalen schuifdeur met glazen panelen in een eigentijdse woonkamer, ideaal voor scheiding van ruimtes en lichtdoorlatendheid.

Quick and clear

Frequently asked questions about crittall-style doors

Crittall-style doors attract some of the most considered questions we receive, covering both technical detail and style judgement.

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Are crittall-style doors authentic to the original Crittall look?

Visually, the slim 30 millimetre profile width, the multi-pane bar layout, and the matt black finish match the original Crittall aesthetic closely. The difference is the material: aluminium rather than solid steel. For most people, that is an advantage rather than a compromise, given the practical benefits covered earlier on this page.

What is the difference between doors in Emezzi crittall-style and the doors of the original Crittall company?

Crittall Windows Ltd is the original British steel manufacturer, still trading today. Emezzi is a separate company making slim metal profile doors in aluminium. Most people researching crittall doors today are looking for crittall-style alternatives rather than products from the original Crittall company, because of the cost, lead time, and maintenance differences.

Can crittall-style doors be used externally?

Standard Emezzi crittall-style doors suit internal door openings and partially-protected external openings such as garden rooms and conservatories. For fully external door openings exposed to weather, our doors are less suitable.

Will a crittall-style door work in a modern new-build?

Crittall-style has become a popular way to add character and visual texture to minimal new-build interiors. In a new-build context, a three- or four-pane layout and a flush install tend to work best, keeping the door reading as contemporary rather than overtly heritage.

How does the price compare to true Crittall steel doors?

Emezzi’s crittall-style doors are typically priced at roughly a third to a half of an equivalent true Crittall steel door, with lead times measured in weeks rather than months. The configurator shows the all-in price including the measurement visit and installation, so there are no surprises when you compare.