Filomuro door: how to choose the opening direction

Kulttur Team · Published: 25 June 2026

Before a filomuro door goes into production, one thing must be settled that cannot be changed later: the opening direction. Unlike a standard reversible door, the hidden aluminium frame, the hinges and the handle are all set in a fixed position at the factory. This guide shows you the four possible configurations and the simple rule that lets you choose correctly the first time.

What opening direction means for a filomuro door

The opening direction describes two things at once: which side the hinges sit on (left or right) and which way the leaf swings when you open it (toward you or away from you). On an invisible door with a hidden frame, both are decided at order time, because the extruded aluminium perimeter frame is asymmetric: it has a seat for the concealed hinges on one side and one for the magnetic latch on the other.

In practice, the leaf, the handle and the frame form a directional assembly. There is no "left or right, we decide on site" option, as happens with cheap HDF doors. With filomuro, the wrong configuration means a door that opens toward the wrong wall, or with the handle on the side where you have no room to grip it.

Two separate decisions: hinges and leaf swing

To keep the terms straight, think of it as two distinct questions.

1. Left or right (left-hand / right-hand, DIN left / DIN right). Stand on the side the door comes toward you when it opens. If the hinges are on the left, the door is left-hand; if they are on the right, it is right-hand. The handle always sits on the side opposite the hinges.

2. Inward or outward. A filomuro door can be built to open by pulling it toward the room you are standing in (inward opening) or by pushing it into the adjoining room (outward opening, flush to the wall on the far face). This choice also sets which face of the wall keeps the perfectly flat, invisible surface.

Direct comparison: the four opening configurations

Combining the two decisions produces four configurations. The table below lines them up, with hinge position, handle position and the situation each one suits.

Most interior filomuro doors are ordered left-hand or right-hand opening inward, so the leaf rests against a free wall and does not block circulation. Outward opening becomes useful in small bathrooms, storage closets and narrow rooms, where you do not want the leaf taking up precious space inside.

How to settle the right direction in 30 seconds

Stand exactly where you will be most often when you open the door, usually in the hallway or the room you enter from. Then:

• Decide which wall you want the leaf to rest against when fully open, so it does not hit furniture, a light switch or another door.
• The side the leaf rests against tells you the hinge side. If the free wall is on the left, the hinges go on the left (left-hand).
• The handle will be on the opposite side, within reach as you enter.
• If space inside your room is tight, consider outward opening so the leaf swings into the adjoining room.

The same logic applies whether the door is mounted on drywall or on load-bearing masonry; the wall type changes how the frame is anchored, not the opening direction.

Why the direction is fixed at the factory with filomuro

On an ordinary door with an applied frame you can move the hinges from one side to the other. With filomuro you cannot, and that is down to construction. The hidden extruded aluminium frame is machined for concealed hinges on a single side, and the leaf has its core and reinforcements arranged for that side. The magnetic latch, the stop and, on the painted model, the edge finish are all positioned for the ordered direction.

That is why the opening direction is part of the technical data you send along with the dimensions. If you work with a designer, they record it in the technical specifications next to the rough opening, the wall thickness and the finish. An order without the direction specified stalls in production until it is clarified.

Common mistakes when choosing the opening direction

The wrong direction is one of the most expensive installation mistakes, because it cannot be corrected without a new door. The most frequent are:

• A door that opens toward a light switch or a radiator and can no longer open fully.
• The handle ending up on the wrong side, pressed against an adjacent wall where there is no room to grip it.
• Two nearby doors that hit each other when opened at the same time.
• A leaf that, once open, blocks the way along a narrow hallway.
• Confusing your viewpoint with the maker's: agree from the start which side you are looking at the door from when you note left or right.

Whichever model you choose, Minimal or Signature, the opening direction is set the same way; only the leaf finish differs, not the hinge logic.

Can I change the opening direction after installation?

No. The hidden frame and the leaf are made for a single direction, and the concealed hinges cannot be moved to the opposite side. A change means a new filomuro door. That is why the direction is confirmed in writing before production starts.

What do left-hand and right-hand mean?

They are the standard conventions for hinge position. Stand on the side the door comes toward you as it opens: if the hinges are on the left, the door is left-hand; if they are on the right, it is right-hand. The key is that you and the maker look at the door from the same side when you set the direction.

Does the handle go on the hinge side or the opposite side?

Always opposite the hinges. On a left-hand door, with the hinges on the left, the handle and the magnetic latch are on the right. That way you grip the handle on the free edge of the leaf, away from the pivot axis.

Can a filomuro door open outward?

Yes. It can be ordered to open into the adjoining room (flush to the wall on the outer face), a useful solution in small bathrooms, dressing rooms and narrow spaces where you do not want the leaf taking up space inside. It only needs to be specified at order time, because it changes the position of the frame and of the flush finish.

The opening direction looks like a detail, but it dictates how the space is lived in every day. If you are not sure which configuration suits you, visit our Bucharest showroom at Bulevardul Dacia 153-155, or use the online configurator to see the correct option for your opening.