Door Trends
More glass to provide more light, taller and wider front doors, and bright colors are all trends among today’s homeowners, according to the experts.
“Glass is becoming more popular recently—it can help showcase the home,” saus Michelle Peake of Sara Ray Interior Design. “The architectural style of the home can, and should, greatly influence the door style. For a more modern look, we see clean lined, solid panel doors, but for a more traditional house, the door can really change the look. It can either play up the style or contrast a bit to update the look of the house.”
Adding that she is seeing exterior doors of all styles recently, Peake says. “We have loved seeing doors play up the facades of all different homes! In addition to glass doors, wooden doors with glass panels are becoming more popular, as well. These give a clean look, compared with ornate glass decorative doors of the past. Solid doors are always popular, and we are seeing solid wood doors with lots of different panel configurations.”
Painted doors have come into favor in the past couple of years, with colors ranging from clean grays, dark greens, and gray-blues to red, yellow, lime green turquoise, orange, and more. Peake says, “clean grays, dark greens, and gray-greens or gray-blues can work on any style home.”
“Front door colors that will be favorites this year are all earthy, stand-out shades,” says Kate Smith, president of Sensational Color.
“From bold and expressive colors influenced by cross cultural experiences to muted hues that invite us to relax and step out of the fast flow of life. All of the 2016 color trends allow homeowners to express their personality and style.”
For homeowners looking to convey their “colorful self,” Smith suggests selecting paintable doors, such as those found in the Therma-Tru® Classic-Craft® Canvas Collection®, Smooth-Star® and Pulse® doors. “These doors are a blank canvas for color and can work as an accent for the home exterior,” says Smith.
Bohnne Jones of Decorating Den Interiors says she also is seeing a lot of bright, clear colors being used for front doors. It make a home interesting and eye-catching, she adds.
When selecting a new front door, homeowners should think about their own style, as well as the style of their home, Peake says. “They need to consider how they want the front of the home to appear overall.”
One consideration, Peake says, is that any door can stand out with the addition of decorative hardware. “The front door handle, a brass kick plate, or a central knob can change the whole look of the door,” she says.
Privacy is another matter to consider when deciding between glass and solid doors. “I usually deal with clients after they’ve made their selections, “ says Jones. “What we’re seeing is clients and builders putting in clear glass doors and sidelights—and then the homeowner realizes that they need to deal with privacy and light control issues. This is the biggest challenge for specialty shaped glass, such as arched topped glass. We can create custom window treatments to address these doors, or have privacy film applied.”
Jones adds that she has seen people put reflective film or UV control film on windows or doors in the belief that it will provide privacy. “But the rule of thumb is that if you can see out during daylight hours, others can see in at night,” says Jones.
Solar Insulation offers a variety of window film options for dealing with light control and privacy.
Another trend in exterior doors is additional height and/or width. Donna Contat, director of brand management for Therma-Tru, notes that 8-foot-tall doors work well on smaller homes as well as larger ones. And not only are doors taller, they’re also growing wider as entryways increase in size. For instance, Therma-Tru now offers a 3-foot 6-inch-wide, 8-foot-tall unit.
Another overarching theme is simplicity, which Contat says allows for versatility and transitional styling. And entry doors in dark hues—shades of blue, gray, and black—are popular in many regions because those colors offer sophisticated, enduring looks.
The front door is one of the first things guests notice when visiting a home. In addition to providing security and protection, the front door can make a bold statement and reflect the homeowner’s personal style.
If you’re thinking of replacing your current front door, first consider the available materials. Though beautiful, solid wood doors are expensive and sensitive to the elements. Some modern wood doors come with steel cores to minimize warping and reduce cost. Wood is natural, and is a sustainable resource.
A durable and cost-effective option is a fiberglass composite door. The doors’ foam cores are good insulators, and they can withstand harsh climates. Fiberglass can look very much like wood.
Strong but subject to dents, steel doors are the least expensive of the three. They are said to have a shorter life span and aren’t well-suited for extreme climates, but depending on their core, they can be energy efficient.
There are, of course, also decorative iron doors which generally incorporate a large proportion of glass.
Once the homeowner selects a material, the next decision is door style. Possibilities include solid panel doors, arched doors, dutch or split doors, double doors, and decorative doors with glass inserts.
Front doors can also be complemented with sidelights or a transom window designed to introduce more light to a home’s interior.
Another trend among homeowners is the desire to make old new again. Some credit for this must go to the growth of home renovation shows on television as well as the surge of social media featuring pictures of beautiful home remodels.
Experts suggest that thanks to exposure to these ideas, homeowners are more in touch with the resale value of their homes than ever before. And enhancing their property with unique windows and doors can give them an edge on other properties on the block.
To make today’s modern homes distinctive, homeowners look to differentiate themselves through the use of traditional windows and doors. Experts say windows and doors are the best architectural elements to upgrade when improving a home. Installing a new entry door isn’t just about improving aesthetics and increasing home value.
In a recent report by Remodeling magazine, seven of the top 10 value-yielding projects were exterior projects. And steel exterior replacement doors came in close to the top in the return on investment category. The magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report consistently points out that creating curb appeal may offer a higher return on investment than a homeowner would think.
There are other benefits, too. A quality entry door can improve a home’s energy efficiency, helping to lower heating and cooling costs—it can be a practical means of raising the value of one’s home.”
There are a number of sources for doors in the Nashville area including:
Builders Window Supply
Nashville
615/ 834-9291
Central Woodwork
Nashville
615/ 244-00086
Classic Doors
Nashville
615/ 256-7278
Dale, Inc.
Nashville
615/ 254-3454
Decorating Den Interiors
Nashville
615/ 469-7334
Pella
Nashville
615/ 292-7080
Sara Ray Interiors
Nashville
615/ 253-6329
Solar Insulation
Nashville
615/ 329-2500