Expert Talk: Front Doors Hold Key to Great Style
You can't take back a first impression. Professionals explain why they chose these striking front doors for their clients' homes
I've come across many homes where a person's welcome mat stands out more than the front door. That's definitely not the case with these carved, painted and patterned door designs. Inspired by Parisian vacations, damask fabric, geometry and more, these are one-of-kind doors that give visitors a proper greeting. Do you want your front door to make a statement? Get inspired by these professionals.
Be inspired by your travels. "My inspiration for this carved front door came from my travels in Paris," says Marie Meko of Gabberts Design Studio. "I truly enjoy walking the streets of the city because I get so energized and inspired by everything I see. Among the great hidden treasures are all the sumptuous and still private Left Bank residences. One of the most memorable things for me is the incredible wooden doors that line the streets. They're intricately carved and wonderfully detailed, and make you long to see what's on the other side."
Go for a graphic look. "This has been a very popular door," says Allison Cosmos of The Art & Design of Alison Cosmos. "The design was inspired by a damask pattern on a piece of fabric. I just simplified it so it had more of a graphic look. The white paint is gloss, and the coral color is semigloss. By ignoring the panels on the door it gives it a more modern look."
Make geometry your friend. "We based our design for this door on squares and rectangles," says Michael Fullen of Fullen Design Group. "The driveway is broken up in a similar way, so it made sense to incorporate these shapes into the entry. They are also a repeating element throughout the house."
He adds, "When the sun hits this side of the house in the late afternoon, it casts a distinct pattern across the entry floor."
He adds, "When the sun hits this side of the house in the late afternoon, it casts a distinct pattern across the entry floor."
Explore a pivot and slide. "This door is solid maple and was hand built onsite by a carpenter to my specification," says Mark Silva of Silva Studios Architecture. "Plugs on the edge of the door cover threaded-steel rods that run through the laminated planks of maple to hold it together, and make for a solid door that works with pivot hardware."
Here's another view of the same door by Mark Silva. "A large part of the idea was to create something that became one with the structure by incorporating the radius of the Kalwall skylight above," he says. "The copper strips tie in with the copper fascia."
Bigger might be better. "It really creates a stunning first impression, not only for the beauty of the materials, but for the simplicity of the design and its relationship to the whole — a pretty large house with a very large view," says Noel Cross of Noel Cross+Architects.
"Originally the front door was to be a fairly normal size, with sidelights on both sides and transoms overhead," he says. "But once we began to finalize the order, I took a chance and asked the owners if they would consider one large pivot door since the original idea began to seem too cut up and fussy."
They settled on a "huge" door — 80 inches wide by 120 inches tall by 3½ inches thick. It was built from solid sapele mahogany with bronze accents and installed on a pivot hinge that can be opened with one finger. "In this case," says Cross, "proportions demanded the larger door, and it was the right thing to do."
"Originally the front door was to be a fairly normal size, with sidelights on both sides and transoms overhead," he says. "But once we began to finalize the order, I took a chance and asked the owners if they would consider one large pivot door since the original idea began to seem too cut up and fussy."
They settled on a "huge" door — 80 inches wide by 120 inches tall by 3½ inches thick. It was built from solid sapele mahogany with bronze accents and installed on a pivot hinge that can be opened with one finger. "In this case," says Cross, "proportions demanded the larger door, and it was the right thing to do."
Add character with age. "This door is a great example of client collaboration," says Hugh Randolph of Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects. "The homeowner was also the builder, and his wife is a designer with a great sense of style. She found the door at a salvaged door store in Gonzales, Texas, about an hour away from Austin."
He adds, "The Gothic arched door became the inspiration for the interior arches from the entry hall to the adjoining rooms. And the fact that it's an old door adds greatly to the character of the house."
He adds, "The Gothic arched door became the inspiration for the interior arches from the entry hall to the adjoining rooms. And the fact that it's an old door adds greatly to the character of the house."
Organic Modern Doors
Use antiques in new ways. "The Chinese screens in this door are from Beijing, my client's hometown," says Amber Hobbs of H&H Design. "She wanted to incorporate Chinese antiques into the home, and I wanted to see her screens featured in an unexpected format rather than just hanging them against a wall. The screens duplicate a very old method for separating space while sharing natural light, yet in a modern setting."
Brighten the entry. "This door was selected to complement a Craftsman-style house," says architect Tali Hardonag. "The paneled glass in the upper part over a small shelf with dentils is very typical of the style, as is the wide casing around the door. The arched overhang was designed to allow more exposure to daylight, which brightens up the entry hall inside."
Set the tone for what follows. Here's another custom-built design by Tali Hardonag. The opening was slightly oversized for a 3-foot, 6-inch by 7-foot door. Different wood species were applied to a slab door, and the design of the overlapping inverted L shapes is integrated in other places in the house, including the fireplace surround, the gate handles and the baseboard details.
"I added sidelights that pick up the door design," says Hardonag, "and the homeowners' children colored in prints of the sidelights — that's how we picked the colors for the glass."
"I added sidelights that pick up the door design," says Hardonag, "and the homeowners' children colored in prints of the sidelights — that's how we picked the colors for the glass."
Hang on to original details. This old Tudor home in Essex Fells, New Jersey, is used as a summer residence by a New York couple. "The architectural details, including this front door, are quite beautiful and include many Arts and Crafts moldings and light fixtures that are original to the house," says Ruth Richards of Ruth Richards Interiors.