What do you feel when you look at your front door? Does it welcome you with open arms, or do you sigh and wish for something better? If it’s the latter, take the reins—what can you do within your budget to improve it?
Put on your creative thinking cap—it’s time to play interior designer. If you’re not sure how to remodel your entryway, consider these nine trending front door styles.
Your Front Door Welcomes You Home
Walking through your front door can feel like an embrace with the right aesthetic. You come home and sigh in contentment. Whether you love something sleek, dark and modern or a farmhouse escape, your front doorway enhances the rest of your decor and sets the tone of your home.
Modern Trends in Front Door Designs
The trends in modern front door designs are as unique as you are. Color is back in vogue, letting you opt for something other than basic black or millennial gray—although you can still choose industrial hues if it’s your yen.
“Little” big doors, such as French doors designed for tiny spaces, allow you to create a palatial entrance to a smaller home. Windows can change the door’s character or mount above it, preserving privacy while allowing natural light.
Accessorizing Your New Front Door in Style
Once you select your new front door, it’s time to accessorize. Wreaths, columns and even climbing ivy complete your signature look. Are you the extroverted sort?
Enhance your entryway with garden seating replete with fragrant herbs—you can give your guests cuttings to propagate as gifts. Mirrors open up tiny spaces, and water features add an atmosphere of tranquility.
How to Know When It’s Time for a New Front Door
Replacing your front door isn’t a matter of mere aesthetics. It also protects you and your loved ones. The following clues let you know when it’s time to exercise your decorating skills:
- A door that sticks: This may indicate little more than loose hinge screws but often happens due to larger issues like the foundation settling or your door becoming warped from weather and use.
- Drafty, loose and weathered doors: This creates a security and ecological risk. Not only are they easier to break into, but they also let in drafts that run up your heating bill and increase fossil fuel use.
- Your door lacks security: Your door may be worn or made from inferior materials. Builders normally don’t install hollow-core doors on exteriors, for example, but novice DIYers might. You can increase security by adding longer screws and striker plates or installing a security camera, but the best fix for a weak exterior door is often replacement.
- You need a new style: There’s nothing wrong with upgrading simply because you crave an update to your decor, especially if you do so with sustainability in mind!
9 Modern Styes to Consider When Replacing Your Front Door
Need to whet your creative appetite a little more? Explore nine modern front door styles you can incorporate into your updated entryway.
1. Greco-Roman Renaissance
While this aesthetic often blends well with Mediterranean architecture, you can make it work with other styles as well. Those embracing this look may add a porch roof supported by architectural columns or purchase half-columns that frame your front door.
You don’t need the budget for marble, either—you can find replicas made from fiberglass, metal or wood that look as good as the Colosseum.
2. Industrial Security
A heavy steel door could make you feel super secure no matter your neighborhood. A sleek, industrial aesthetic complements this heavy-duty style. You might even offset the look with a touch of steampunk artwork above your front door.
3. CottageCore
Of course, you could prefer an entryway that evokes a cozy cottage look. Consider letting ivy trail around your entryway, although you’ll need to periodically check for signs of damage or insect infestation. Add window boxes to nearby windows and include plenty of containers with dangling flowers. If you’re a proficient DIYer, you might even consider installing a rustic hobbit-style round door reminiscent of Bilbo Baggins.
4. Shut the Barn Door
Another rugged, outdoorsy look to consider is the barn door. You can go with a split model that opens at the top and bottom—your kids will adore playing “drive-thru window.” You can also explore dual-sided models that meet in the middle and either swing open from a hinge or slide open along an overhanging beam.
5. A Geometric View
Geometric windows can create elegant light designs on your floor and grace your home with natural illumination. Such models provide the perfect combination of security and indoor/outdoor living. You can find them in single and double-door models to fit your space and overall aesthetic.
6. Light and More Light
You can increase the amount of natural light in your home by selecting a new front door with windows or by adding adjacent windows. Long, vertical windows alongside doors may pose privacy concerns, which you can address by adding stained glass or applique that looks every bit as good as the real thing. Transom windows sit above your door, allowing for natural light while preserving privacy.
7. A Red Carpet Entrance
You’re a star, and you know it. Paint your front door a colorful hue to illustrate your bold style. Add a carpet and perhaps even an awning appropriate for your grand entrance. As a bonus, the rug whisks dirt from your shoes, keeping your interior floors cleaner.
8. Front Porch Sitting and Sipping
If you’re the extroverted type, replace your front door with a cozy, homey model and make the surrounding porch welcoming for guests. Include plenty of chairs and small tables for placing beverages. You might even add an old-fashioned tea cart so you can sit with your friends, sipping Arnold Palmers and watching the passersby.
9. The Marie Kondo
Maybe simple minimalism suits your aesthetic best. If so, go ahead and replace your front door with a well-insulated yet plain model in a neutral tone like white or gray. Add a small end table for holding your keys and a single vase with a bloom as your only additional decor.
Wrap Up: Modern Style for Your New Front Door
If it’s time to update what you see when you pull into your driveway, draw inspiration from modern trends. Whether you take what’s old and make it new again or invent your own signature style, your entryway can reflect your unique personality and tastes.
