![This resident picked out a graffitied door because it reminded him of Picasso.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161125130134im_/http://static.domain.com.au/domainblog/uploads/2016/11/22225840/2_gsviui.jpg)
The former house doors of care-facility clients are being re-created to help them feel more at home and make it easier for them to find their rooms.
True Doors, a Netherlands-based company, has created made-to-measure stick-on doors that can personalise plain entrances to liven up institutional facilities and make the residents feel more comfortable.
By creating a familiar doorway the stickers also make rooms easier to identify, meaning residents are more likely to recognise their own dwellings and less likely to mistakenly barge into someone else’s room.
Mr Rojas’ daughter arranged for him to get a personalised door, which helped alleviate his homesickness. Photo: True Doors
The creative designs have also been credited with creating a nicer working environment for staff, giving residents a sense of pride, and encouraging social interaction between residents through discussion about the doors and their former homes.
True Doors’ first project was in 2014 at a care facility in South Holland where many residents have dementia.
Many clients picked doors from the sticker collection that were similar to the front doors of previous homes and five had personalised doors specially made.
Ms Roodenburg’s personalised door reminds her of the warmth of her previous residence. Photo: True Doors
Among them was Ms Roodenburg, who said she loved her door as it brought back fond memories of her home.
“I really enjoyed living [there] … this brings back good memories. That comfortable feeling, I do miss it here. My old place really felt like home. I would love to get my old front door back. That door represented the warm and cosy feeling of my home.”
Fellow resident Mr Rojas said he was “very happy with my door”: “It is a beautiful door. My daughter made this possible. She knows I am still homesick.”
They are also a great solution for apartment dwellers looking to add a bit more character and personality to their entrances.
Apart from the tailor-made door stickers the company creates as part of its well-being service, True Doors has more than 100 different designs that can be used to personalise entrances.
With everything from sweet pastels to bright reds and grungy Gothic styles you might hurry past on the street, the doors can help re-create the entrances to a wide variety of homes from around the world.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161125130134im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/v/j/6/v/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1479863993104.png)
![Photo: True Doors.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161125130134im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/v/j/6/i/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1479863976980.png)
![True doors.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161125130134im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/v/j/o/s/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1479864777435.png)
Photos: True Doors