as an architect myself, it depends on a few things to me. First of all, obviously the proportion of not only the room it leads into, but also interior, the ceilings and exterior, the overhangs and roof. If you have a front elevation or image you can post, that would be helpful for us to see and propose what we think looks best.
I am a fan of 8' entry myself and our new house will have one. There is just something more grand about walking through an 8' opening.

Hi Lzerarc -- thanks for your reply. Are you able to see the front elevation link in my OP? The front door steps into a 9' plate height with no vaults, etc., so it's a rather "cozy" space.

The rough opening and the door will look completely different. Much of the opening is to accommodate the trim etc that is part of the door.

I vote for 8' - we are building a small, (by today's standards) single story house and went for an 8' front door and sliders. It makes the space feel so much larger and more airy - I think it was one of the best decisions we made. 8' doors make a nice statement - especially for the front entrance.

I think 8' is my vote too, we just put one in our new home that is being built.

What is the width of the door? JMHO, but I'm usually not a fan of 8' doors. The proportion seems off to me unless they are of substantial width. Also, with a 9' ceiling, I feel the trim can get squished-looking at the top, especially if you have crown molding.

Did your architect spec 8' interior doors as well?

Oops, meant to add that we're doing 7' doors on the first floor (9' ceilings) and 6'8" doors on second floor (8' ceilings). HTH

cintijen -- it's framed out for a 42" door right now. I'm with you -- not a fan of the "tall and skinny" 36" x 8'. If we do 8', we're going with the 42" as well. I'm actually kinda considering a 42" wide by 6'8" door now. I can see it functionally being really nice and adding a nicer grounding to the space.

Oh -- and regarding interior doors -- they will be standard height (not 8').

Good point, jey, that the opening will look much larger than the actual framed door.

I agree with the OP. The Very Big Door looks out of proportion with the windows and the stoop. (My brain sort of strips out the shutters, making the difference even greater.) The foyer can't be terribly large, judging from the elevation.

We have 9-foot ceilings. Our interior doors are 8 X 36" with 4" casings. Our stoop is 11 feet wide. Our foyer is 14 X 16. Our solid wood archtop entry door is 8 X 42" within an archtop surround. It looks 'in proportion'.

Isn't there an 'in between' solution for the door and its setting? Door plus transom?

I vote 8' door. I think it works fine with the window heads. The reason is because it is a different element with the gable over the door, as well as the curved top to the door. I think it makes a statement and fills the void created by the gable entry. I think a smaller door will make the gable look too big and heavy, resembling squashing the door. I say keep with what your architect says ;) (i may be biased!)

chisue -- do you have a photo of your space?

Our foyer is NOT large, but it is open to adjacent rooms.

I am thinking we might do as you suggest and use a standard height door, but put an arch or something interesting above the door to make the space feel a little larger.

Ugh. These little decisions get me really hung up.

Oh, I can talk the talk, but I can't walk the...no, no, I mean I'm computer illiterate about posting photos! LOL Besides, our foyer and door are not what you want anyway.

I looked at your elevation again. I'm still favoring a shorter door -- maybe with a two or three pane flat-topped transom. That would echo the shed dormers to the left of the door. The overhang and pillars and the door all work together, but they don't work with the rest of the house, IMO. That whole bit looks 'pasted on' to me.

When in doubt...simplify.

I LOVE roofs with that little upturned end at the bottom! The style probably has a *name*, huh?

Yeah, we call that little "upturned end" a swoop -- that's the technical term. :)

We are going with the standard height door -- adding some elements to the entry to tie in with the rest of the house and I think will bring it all together. We don't want the space to feel 'grand', but to instead feel a little more intimate. It's more of a cozy space.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

We are doing 9 foot ceilings on the 1st floor and are doing 90 inch (7'6") doors everywhere... entrance and interior.

The proportions look very good. Similar to 6'8" w/ 8 foot ceilings...

8 foot doors are too tall for 9 foot ceilings in my opinion...

Where can I find 7'6" interior doors

Custom size so any custom door shop.

6-8 is OK for second floor doors but I have always used 7-0 doors on the first floor.

There seems to be a mismatched of scales on the elevation. The center section is of a larger scale with high eave and a wide tall door and the side parts have low eaves and low window heads possibly no taller than 6-8 AFF. Lowering the window heads is a big mistake because it greatly reduces the natural light in the house and lowers the apparent scale of the house making the center section and door look out of place.

IMO windows should be taller than exterior doors unless a transom is added above the doors. The lowest-common-denominator height alignment approach is the result of the post war building boom. Today there is no reason to use short doors and low window heads if the ceilings are taller than 8-0.

A "standard door" size is effectively whatever distributors or retail vendors keep in stock. I usually use TruStile doors from Colorado because they are made to order. Interior and exterior doors heights are 4 ft to 12 ft in 1/16" inch increments. Doors over 10 ft tall are not covered under warranty. Shorter doors are made in smaller widths.