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by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
The front door sets the tone for the façade and disproportionately affects curb appeal—make sure this relatively small feature is tailored to complement and elevate the house! Whether you’re going for a simple or ornate aesthetic, there are a variety of ways you can define the entry. And by doing so, you’ll likely see an increase in property value, too! Here are some door design options you can employ to make your front entry stand out for the right reasons.
Fitting Decorative Glass
If you want to really define the front door, all you have to do is make it more interesting than its background—which is not difficult! Any decorative glass design will answer the call. Your choice of configuration—i.e., the size and shape of the doorlite(s) and any sidelites or transom—allows you to draw only as much attention as you want to the entry. Of course, the genre and complexity of the glass pattern will also have an effect. Whatever you have to work with in terms of space for the entry system and the breadth of the façade as a whole, take a step back to consider the bigger picture. It just needs to be more interesting, not overwhelming.
With so many patterns ranging from traditional to contemporary, it’s easy to find decorative glass that’ll suit the architectural style of your home. So, what are you looking for, specifically? Do you prefer clean lines or flowery curves and shapes? Do you like minimal motifs or for the whole lite to be full with a complicated caming design? Or perhaps you primarily want to keep the view inside obscured while reaping the benefits of natural light in the foyer? For more on choosing glass that balances your practical and aesthetic concerns, check out Entry Door Glass That Is Pretty and Private.
A Bold Door Surround
The trim around the door, also known as a door surround, is composed of two pilasters on the sides and a crosshead across the top. The thickness and intricacy of the components determine what sort of style they support; modern surrounds are typically thinner and flat while more traditional surrounds are thicker and might have decorative elements like fluting on the pilasters or a keystone on the crosshead. It’s a good idea to choose a surround in the right style realm for your house, because it can look strange if mismatched.
The power of a door surround to define the door comes from contrast, first and foremost. Most often, surrounds are left white so they pop against dark or colorful siding to highlight the entry. If you have a white or light-colored house, paint the surround like you would window trim to keep the exterior design from falling flat. This is especially important if you have a white door, but if your door is dark and stands out on its own, you can keep it simple with a white surround and just let it be appreciated up close. We’ve also seen homeowners who take it a bit bolder with brightly painted trim that really draws attention, though this is usually done on modern-leaning homes designed to be visually striking anyway. In any case, so long as there’s contrast, the door surround is doing its job!
A Colorful Door Statement
Finally, the door itself can be its own highlight. A brightly painted door is favored in some situations, such as when a house has a narrow façade that can’t support or would look cramped with a larger or more complicated entry system. Densely packed brownstones or rowhouses also often have colorful doors to set them apart from their neighbors. And finally, anything goes with modern designs! If you want your home to grab attention from the street, giving it a door that pops is the simplest and most tasteful way to achieve that.
If you’d like to see more beautiful front door possibilities and learn about the latest style trends in the industry, check out Therma-Tru®. They offer lovely solutions for every type of house, and numerous ways to customize each door to your liking. With smooth and woodgrain surfaces available, and factory-applied paint and stain finishes to impart long-lasting color and durability, it’s easy to achieve a look you’ll love to see on your home every day. And with plenty of glass options and door surrounds to dress up the entry, you can ensure your house looks like no other in the neighborhood. Find a local dealer to help bring your vision into reality!