Garage Doors with Unique Traditional Appeal

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers

Appreciation for traditional homes runs deep, with aspiring homeowners scrambling over authentic century homes and building new construction inspired by houses of the past. But tastes change over time and we’ve adapted this popular architecture to today’s aesthetic preferences—that’s why you’ll see flowing open layouts and larger windows in homes of all styles now. If you’re looking to update your curb appeal while remaining true to the traditional charm of your home, the garage is the ideal place to focus. Traditional garage doors go far beyond designs established in the days of carriage houses now, so don’t be afraid to branch out—explore fresh takes on traditional style with these unique garage doors!

Neat Recessed Panel Garage Doors

Panel garage doors are popular, but most of the time, you’ll see raised panel styles. These have been favored for quite a while, so much so that steel raised panel doors are preferred by spec builders, synonymous with new subdivisions, and readily available from many big-box home improvement stores. So, if you want a more unique panel door, consider a recessed panel design.

Like Shaker-style cabinetry, recessed panel garage doors have panels that are lower than the rest of the surface. This is in contrast to raised panels, where the panels are raised to the same level as the surface and only the outline of each panel is lower. Recessed panels offer a similar sort of grid pattern, but with sharper, cleaner lines that lean transitional. There are plenty of customization options, too—the panels can be wide or narrow to impart the right level of complexity for each home, and you can add windows to the top section, if you like. When you see all the options available, you won’t believe these garage doors fall into the same general category as the most common and basic style!

Carriage House Garage Doors with a Twist

Preferred for formal and historical house styles—like colonial and Victorian—as well as many other popular favorites—like cottage, farmhouse, and Craftsman designs—carriage house garage doors come in a wide range of looks. Their diversity comes from their structure, with overlays arranged over the base in a variety of ways. Simple carriage house doors have overlays around the edges while more complex designs place additional overlays across the door.

So, with so many options already, what else can make a carriage house garage door special? Change up the base! Beyond standard plain or vertical plank-style bases, you’ll find additional lines and textures in chevron and louver options. Chevron carriage house doors arrange their base planks in an upward or downward slant or a V or inverted-V pattern, and you can let that pattern stand out clearly or partially cover it with overlays. Louver garage doors have fixed slats to offer the classic venting look without worrying about weather intrusion. They aren’t flat by definition, so you can’t put overlays over the louvers, but you’ll still find plenty of door designs that pair louvered sections with overlays on a flat base elsewhere. If this route interests you, make sure to compare designs across all categories—the overlay options and overall look vary quite a bit!

Natural Wood Garage Doors

Finally, the material and finish of your garage doors can completely change the impression they give. If you want to create authentic traditional appeal, you can’t go wrong with natural wood—what all doors were made of in the past. It provides a truly unique product every time because no two pieces of wood are exactly the same. You also have tons of customization options. You can choose your species, of course. Grain pattern and color variations can be highlighted or downplayed depending on your choice of stain, or you can protect your investment with paint like was common in the olden days. Even with the relative visual uncertainty of a natural materials compared to today’s carefully manufactured goods, you still have control over the final look!

No matter what sort of garage door you’re in the market for, Clopay® has you covered with their extensive catalog. Explore the possibilities in steel, faux wood, and real wood to find the perfect fit for your home, budget, and maintenance requirements! Not sure where to start? You can test different looks with the Door Imagination System™ or find a local dealer to walk you through the options!