A front door can tell other people a lot about those who live in the house beyond it. The entry door you choose can tell you a lot about yourself. So, pull up a beverage and find out who you really are.
A funny thing happened around 2010. There was a shift to a more contemporary style. Everything changed in its look, and those who could, rushed to jump on the modern white design chariot.
However, for most people, their home’s renovations happen in a piecemeal way. Partial renovations create conflicting styles on the outside and inside of your home, making choosing a style for your entry door, well, conflicting.
Be brave. If you are changing your door before you can finish your other exterior house renovations, you have two choices:
Any rule, including those of colour and design, can be broken given the right circumstances. The following guidelines will hopefully help you get started choosing a new entry door.
The best principle to keep in mind is one of creating visual blocks. Put each of these three together on the front of your house:
Avoid creating a look that causes your eye to jump from one busy thing to another:
A balance between detailed interest and calm is needed between the house’s individual components. Only one of the house’s components mentioned above (in blue) can be visually busy, usually it’s the face of the house.
Scenario: If your house has a mix of stone veneer, siding and stucco, or has many structurally varied parts that come forward, or extend higher, or are completely different shapes, it is a lot for our eyes and brains to make sense of so the rest needs to be calming and simple.
Solution: The door and sidelights should be one colour and kept to a minimal design in this case.
Scenario: Alternatively, for instance, if you paint the face of the multi-patterned house all one colour, you lessen its busyness.
Solution: You can have a slightly busier front door if you make a busily patterned house-front, one colour.
Scenario: If your house has columns, they are thought of as medium-sized components, which is visually pleasant. However, if they are in the door’s vicinity, they add visual busyness around the door.
Solution: Repeat a visual of the columns in the door’s sidelights and colour block it all. If you can create a large enough block of colour, for example using white on sidelights, door trim and columns, you can use an accent colour for your door. Note the repeating of the small accent visuals in the wrought iron of the door and sidelight glass and metal chair back.
The white double door example can only work in the same colour as the columns, house facia, brickmould and eve. It creates a perfect block of colour and component block. They are just too large a contrast block when side by side, to be painted an accent colour. So, only the single door in the other example works as a small accent colour block that doesn’t visually compete.
The rules of colour follow the same rules of blending design styles.
Scenario: If you spray paint all of the face of the house the same colour, or if the busiest patterned component of your home is made up of monochromatic colours (various shades and tints of one colour), its busyness is lessened.
Solution: You can move closer to a bright accent colour on your front door.
Scenario: If the home uses dark tones overall, whether it is traditional or modern, it often feels visually pleasant to carry that dark theme to the front door.
Solution: The large colour blocks should be similar in saturation, meaning their intensity should be equal.
Scenario: If your brick or siding is lighter in colour, consider keeping the colour palette all lighter, with only one component, the mid or darker tone.
Solution: For example, the roof could be the dark component and the facia, eves, and windows a tint or tone of the white or light brick. The door could be an accent colour if it didn’t compete with the busyness of components near it.
All photo examples above are provided through Gentek, KV and North Star Doors. All our door suppliers have specific company colours and can match your custom colours.
Visit North Star Windows & Doors to see their selection of stunning Steel Insulated and Fibreglass door options.
Visit Gentek entry doors to see their Premium Fibreglass and Steel insulated door offerings.
Visit KV Custom Windows + Doors to see their array of styles of fibreglass and metal insulated doors. Steel door designs. See them here. Textured Glass options. See them here.
What are the benefits of a Multi-Point Lock System on a door?
Whether you choose a contemporary styled door or more traditional, all of Forest City’s doors come with an optional multi-point lock system. The multi-lock mechanism not only provides extra security, but it also prevents the deflection or warping caused by excessive sun exposure a south or west facing wall. Argon gas between the panes of glass provides the best thermal insulation possible in double Low ‘E’ glass with layers of transparent sliver deflects the summer heat.
A Sampling of Standard Paint Colours and Stains:
