As we turn the page to December and settle into the start of the holiday season, we are excited to share this month’s featured project from the 2025 Horner Wall Calendar. Some homes make an impression the moment you step inside. Not because of one dramatic feature, but because the details work together in a quiet, steady way. This home, built by Jon Palmstrom of JNP Contracting, is one of those projects. Horner Millwork supplied custom MDF interior doors, a mix of custom and stock mouldings, and stair parts, with guidance from Horner Sales Rep and interior specialist Matt Barnes, whose product expertise helped shape many of the finishing decisions.

The Quiet Impact of Custom Interior Doors

Going from room to room, it becomes clear how much care went into each decision. The interior doors are a perfect example. Instead of relying on doors that come only in standard sizes, Jon and Matt chose custom MDF doors so every opening could be built with the right proportions. This approach allowed the architectural style of the doors to stay consistent throughout the home, something that is difficult to achieve with stock doors.

In many homes, smaller or unique openings require doors to be trimmed down, which disrupts the balance of the stiles, rails, and panels. In this home, every door was custom built to its exact size, ensuring each one remains architecturally correct. A narrow pantry door carries the same thoughtful proportions as a full-height bedroom door. Even tucked-away storage spaces feel intentional because the detailing stays true.

The full-size passage doors help establish the look of the home. These five-panel doors, built with square sticking and flat panels, have balanced proportions and clean lines that bring a sense of clarity to each room.

NARROW DOORS // This narrow pantry door is a great example of what custom sizing can accomplish. The stile and rail dimensions remain correct, which keeps the door looking purposeful instead of improvised. Even in tight spaces, the design stays true.

SHORT DOORS // Reduced-height door leads to storage tucked into an eave. Short openings can be challenging, but here the door maintains the same architectural integrity as the full-size versions. The proportions remain balanced, keeping this door consistent with the others in the room.

DOUBLE DOORS // The closet in the entry features a pair of custom MDF doors that were built specifically for this opening. Because the design wasn’t limited by stock sizes, the closet could be sized perfectly for the space.

POCKET DOORS // Pocket doors were custom built with a the poplar wood edge at the top, providing a secure anchor for the pocket door hardware to attach to the door.

Thank You

Projects like this show how the right products can support a builder’s vision. Jon’s attention to detail, paired with the flexibility of custom MDF doors, created a home where every opening feels well thought out. Thank you to Jon Palmstrom and JNP Contracting for partnering with Horner Millwork on this project. It was a pleasure to be part of the process.

In addition to the interior doors, Horner also supplied the stair parts and mouldings for this home. The staircase features the classic New England look of box newels paired with square balusters. For the oval window shown here, Jon provided a template, and our custom woodworking shop built a casing that matches the rest of the home’s trim.