How to make a fairy door

We all love to get immersed in a different world from time to time. In books, where it’s built up word by word, or in movies, where imaginative sets and visuals make the magic happen. Or just by using a bit of our own imagination. Sometimes all your mind needs is a couple of wooden sticks glued together in the shape of a door, and you can see how this could very well be the entrance to a little house inhabited by a tiny creature. A fairy door. It’s thoughts like these that trigger a sense of wonder, even if it’s just for a second, and can bring out a smile. And we can all use a bit more of that! See how to make some of this whimsy yourself, in this tutorial on how to make fairy doors.

It’s always nice to be able to pick up a craft without needing to pay a visit to the craft store first, and fairy doors happen to be one of those projects. Either you already have a couple of useful craft supplies at hand, or you might be able to repurpose something else. Here are some examples of materials you can use.

Typically, a fairy door is made like a miniature variant of the old-fashioned wooden doors that we know and love, like the ledged doors with their cottage charm. To make a door like this, popsicle sticks and coffee stirrers are ideal, as they can be used as boards.

Alternatively, you might like to make more of a panel door style. Such designs can be nice when you’re making a fairy door to place inside your house, rather than outside. Craft sticks are less suitable for these designs though, so I’d recommend using a sheet of basswood.

If you don’t have these kinds of wood at hand, and like to take an upcycling approach instead, you could also use a piece of cardboard to make your door. With a bit of carving and texturing, you can give it a more wood-like appearance. Another material you could consider using, is some tree bark. When placed on a tree trunk, such a fairy door would blend near perfectly into its surroundings, and be all the more exciting to discover.

A fairy door will not be complete without some hardware. For starters, it will need a doorknob or door handle. This is where I suggest doing a bit of out-of-the-box thinking, and looking for little trinkets to repurpose. In my case, I have a bunch of stud earrings that have been left unused in my jewelry box for years. These work perfectly as little doorknobs. Some studs resemble a conventional doorknob, but you could also go for a more whimsical alternative, like a flower-shaped one.

A fairy door will not be complete without some hardware. For starters, it will need a doorknob or door handle. This is where I suggest doing a bit of out-of-the-box thinking, and looking for little trinkets to repurpose. In my case, I have a bunch of stud earrings that have been left unused in my jewelry box for years. These work perfectly as little doorknobs. Some studs resemble a conventional doorknob, but you could also go for a more whimsical alternative, like a flower-shaped one.

Besides a doorknob, you might want to add some additional hardware to the fairy door, like hinges and studs. Also here a bit of upcycling can come in handy. I used some old brooches and leftover diamond painting gems for these purposes, as you’ll see below.

Making a fairy door starts by deciding on its size and how it’ll be shaped. To determine the size, it’s a good idea to already go and see where you’d like to place the door, and measure which dimensions would make a good fit. For example, I had my sight set on a specific tree with a wide furrow that a fairy door could nicely integrate into, if made to size. So I had to make sure that the base of the fairy door would be no wider than the base of the furrow.

As to the design of the fairy door, there are several styles that give it a dash of whimsy. You can make it rounded, for a hobbit-like feel, a go for angular approach. Try a triangular design, for example, or a door with four lopsided angles for a playful effect.

Once you’ve decided on the size and shape of the fairy door, you can start to create it. If you’ll be making it from craft sticks, first grab a piece of cardboard or card stock to use as a backing for your fairy door. Then glue the sticks onto the backing, arranged side by side like boards, covering the dimensions of the door.

With this set of glued boards – or a sheet of wood or cardboard, if that’s what you’re using instead – you’re ready to draw the outline of the fairy door and cut it out. If you’re working with relatively soft material, such as basswood or cardboard, this can be done with a craft knife. In contrast, for my own rounded fairy door that was made with birchwood popsicle sticks, I found that a jeweler’s saw was handiest.

With the door cut to shape, you’ll probably want to give it a little coat of paint or stain. Depending on where you intend to place the door, and what effect you’d like to achieve with it, some colors might be more suitable than others. Using a color that contrasts with the surroundings will help it draw attention, and add to its playful nature. On the other hand, you might prefer the idea of it being a little hidden secret, that will only be discovered by the attentive eye. In that case, pick a color or stain that blends in well with the surroundings.

Small creations like these tend to look their best with a bit of weathering. Try applying a brown wash or a bit of dry brushing, and see how your door gets a little more depth.

Now we’ll give the door a bit more character. Depending on the type of door you’re making, there are different kinds of hardware that you can add. First of all, a doorknob. As I mentioned above, stud earrings lend themselves nicely to this purpose, but there are other options too. You can look for a small metal ring, like a connecting piece in jewelry, and turn it into a door knocker. I found an old, brass nail in a junk drawer that made for a doorknob with a more rustic appeal.

As for inserting the doorknob: if you’re working with craft sticks, you can either squeeze the doorknob in between two boards, or drill a hole into the wood with a rotary tool.

Some of the most charming fairy doors are the ones that went a step further with the hardware. You can buy some miniature-sized T hinges with an antique design online, or find something to repurpose, like I did. Specifically, I found that the back of a brooch bears a nice resemblance to a hinge, so I took apart a few old brooches. They’re not perfect – in fact, they’re not even identical – but I think that has a whimsical effect in and of itself. It’s like the fairies went rummaging through our rubbish to find bits and pieces that came in handy.

To go all-in on the cottage charm, you might want to add some studs too. If you happen to have dabbled with diamond painting before and have some leftover gems, those would work great. Otherwise, you could take some small nails and cut off their heads to use as studs, or make them out of clay. Little embellishments like these can also be useful for other, stud-less, door designs. For on of my own fairy doors, I used gems to mimic the screws to complete the hinges.

As a finishing touch, it’s time to frame the door. For a fairy door with defined angles, this can be done with strips of wood, like a regular doorframe. Personally, I like more of a rustic approach, using twigs and branches foraged from my garden. You can use a couple of twigs to line each of the edges of an angular door, with their natural unevenness giving it a playful effect. Or, use a bendy twig to create a door-hugging frame for a rounded design.

For a fairy door that is to be placed in a natural setting, I like the frame to have a few green accents on it as well. So when I used a twig of pine, I removed most of the needles but made sure to leave some attached. For other door frames, I added a bit of moss here and there. You’ll find that extra little touches like these go a long way in making the fairy door integrate into its surroundings, making it seem that nature has already been creeping up on it for a while.

When it comes to finding a spot to install a fairy door, there are lots of possibilities to look out for. In essence, anything with a vertical surface could be a good candidate. Tree trunks, for example.

A fairy door can be placed at the base of a tree, where it could be half-hidden behind a hodgepodge of leaves, twigs and strands of grass, or neatly surrounded by a soft bed of moss. But you can also place it higher up the trunk. I for one love the whimsical effect of reimagining mushrooms growing on trees as a doorstep leading to a fairy door. For a more permanent installation, you could consider attaching your own little platforms to the tree, like they did at the Giant’s Lair in Slieve Gullion, an enchanting home to fairies in Northern Ireland.

In short, trees are a quite perfect destination for fairy doors. But they are by no means the only ones. A mossy mound works really nicely if you’re going for more of a hobbit-like scenery. A less nature-based approach could work just as well, like placing the door against a stone garden wall, or a rectangular planter. Add some miniature patio furniture, and you’ve got a fairy garden.

And those are just examples of spots you’ll find outdoors – let’s not forget there’s fairy door-potential indoors too! Like a little nook that’s been awkwardly empty, or an unsightly outlet that could do with a cover, like shown in this video. Sure, it’s a little fanciful. But who cares? Life’s too short to stick to boring home decor and garden design. Let’s invite some fairies in.