Entry Doors - Victorian Era

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Pinterest

What makes a house Victorian style? It’s describing Victorian era architecture in the period of Queen Victoria’s reign. The Victorian styles include Queen Anne, dominate from 1880-1910, Gothic Revival 1840-1880, Second Empire 1855-1885 and Italianate 1840-1885. You’re guaranteed to win a round of Trivia with this question.

It was common for American home styles to follow style trends from England, but what also accounts for an abundance of Victorian style homes in America was the building boom during the later nineteenth century.  Victorian homes were the first product of our Industrial Age after the Civil War when munitions factories were converted to make house parts. The factories mass-produced wood trim for the decorative trim, porches, gables, towers and dormers.

Although Victorians are largely made of wood, this was not always the case. In fact a large number of old Victorians around the Midwest are built with patterned brick and stone, which was the preference in urban neighborhoods.

DYINetwork.com

What are the characteristics of front entries during this period? Typically entry doors are rail-and-style wood construction with raised panels. Commonly they’re designed with two panels with the upper panel made of glass and decorative motifs. Four or six panel doors will combine flat and glass panels. Generally speaking these homes have a porch or a projecting pavilion above the entry door.

Wood or Fiberglass

Either material will be suitable to create the Victorian style entry door look, however wood is preferable. In most cases, the entry door is protected by a porch, which eliminates weather exposure concerns. Second, wood can finished to mimic the same carved moldings throughout the rest of a Victorian house. Expensive Fiberglass is an alternative that will give the look of wood, but it’s unlikely you can match the overall finishes to the home.

Finehomebuilding.com

A very real challenge that most homeowners face when selecting an entry door is translating their favorite style photos into an actual door that will give their home the look. Selecting just the right door for a Victorian style home presents this challenge in spades because Victorian is a stylistic hodgepodge of classical decorative elements – it’s expression is very individual. Bring photos into Woodland’s showroom and we’ll show you the door profile and glass options you can build from.

For example, a classic London Victorian will have twin glass panels in the four-panel door.  Jeld-Wen Custom Wood Glass Panel Collection or Simpson Door Selects Series offer the door profile to create this look. Or if you’re looking for a single large glass opening the Therma-Tru Fiberglass Classic Craft Canvas Collection is a good place to start.

Glass

Use your imagination and design away. Today the availability of glass options is as endless as the glass expressions you’ll see on Victorian style doors and windows. Large single panes of clear or etched glass, standalone or framed by square panes are universally liked.  Frequently you’ll see multi-paned clear glass or colored glass insets.  More elaborate use of glass includes stained glass or beveled glass designs in a variety of motifs’.  Check out Simpson Door for glass panel ideas.

London

Hardware

You’ll have no trouble finding an assortment of suitable hardware choices for your Victorian entry door. We suggest you make your entry door hardware traditionally conforming, yet unique. You can do this by observing the door hardware of yesteryear such as, an oversized knob centered on the door or an address etched in the glass above the door. The Victorian era was the romantic period – express yourself.

Entry Doors - The Traditional Classic

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Colonial - Homeguides.sfgate.com

What’s the right entry door for a traditional style house? It depends on which traditional style house you live in or plan to build. Traditional style means long established or customary and is the most common style in our area. Traditional is a broad term compromising many styles including Federal, Gothic Revival or Queen Anne.

When we describe a home as traditional we’re often referring to either a common style historically prevalent in our region, such as Colonial, Georgian or Cape Cod, or likewise, we may be referring to the specific classic features such as symmetrical windows, Greek shapes or a portico. What’s common to this type of home is that it has a timeless design with historical roots.

When shopping for an entry door for your traditional style home, it’s important to be clear about which style you’re trying to capture. Since most traditional home entries feature a decorative surround, focus on selecting a door to compliment and illuminate that feature of the home.

Balanced Symmetry

French Revival -Jefferybrianfisher.com

When planning a traditional front entry pay special attention to how you’ll create symmetry. Will you have plants, glass, lights, ornamental trim or some other artifact adorning either side of the entry door? The door needs to appear balanced with each element carefully placed and scaled to match the rest of your home’s exterior.

Six-panel - Pinterest

Solid Door

The most common traditional door style is made of wood with rail-and-stile construction with raised panels. Panels are quite suitable to Colonial, Federal, Cape Cod or Georgian styles. If you’re designing a French or Spanish Revival you’ll want to consider plank door styles, which elongates and simplifies the lines of the door. The tongue-and-groove look emulates plank doors, but usually is built using rail-and-stile to ensure greater performance. Victorian, Queen Anne or Ranch home styles often use a French or flat-slab door.

Transom and Sidelites

Victorian - Therma-Tru Doors

Bring light into the entry hall by adding a transom above or sidelites flanking the door. Glazing, the glass, should match your home’s windows. Let’s say that your grid pattern is a colonial style traditional. It’s likely six-panes of glass, separated by muntins in both the top and bottom window panels. Your transom would also have six-panes of glass with muntins and your sidelite divided glass panes would each match the size of one of the window panes. If you have Victorian style windows you can repeat the diamond-patterned grids.

Just because you have a traditional style home doesn’t mean your entry door is the same as every other traditional entry door. Using this traditional style guide you can create your own look from our manufacturer’s traditional style doors: Therma-Tru, Jeld-Wen, Simpson, Andersen, and Marvin.

Entry Doors - The Contemporary Look

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Marvin Website

You say modern, I say contemporary and some say industrial to describe today’s contemporary home style. Contemporary means todays style and todays style is indeed a cross of modern and industrial, so we’re all right.

If you’re building a contemporary style home or remodeling your existing home and want an up to date look, remember the entry door is a key element of the design. The right contemporary door screams, look at me, I stand out from the crowd.

The contemporary look strives to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces, so it’s common to use glass, tall or wider openings for the entry door design. Modern and industrial style eliminates ornamentation or excessive detailing, so that doors without panels and are likely to be flush with plain facings on both the inside and outside door frames. This bold simplicity can be achieved in multiple ways by following some simple principles of contemporary door design.

Jeld Wen Pivot Door

Taller and Wider

Contemporary entry doors are commonly taller and wider than ordinary doors, creating a sleek profile that seamlessly blends into the home’s design. An example of these sleek profiles are pivot door systems like the Jeld Wen example shown in the photo. These doors are designed to handle the weight of taller and wider entry doors. The weight of the door is carried at the top and bottom rather than on traditional hinged jambs. The effect of what appears to be a floating door is dramatic. The taller and wider effect is also achieved using overhead transoms and sidelites.

Thinner Profiles

Hue Interiors Translucent Glass

Strong clean lines define the sash, casings or trim giving the door a crisp look. Today’s French entry doors, by Marvin and Andersen offer thinner profiles and contemporary finishes. Contemporary homes are designed to connect the outdoors with the indoors by using fewer interior walls to create uninterrupted views. Designers frequently specify glass doors in order to optimize the views and connections between the interior and exterior. For privacy, consider translucent glass such as textured or frosted to still allow natural light into your home.

Koch Interiors Industrial Design

Industrial Design

Mixing materials like wood, aluminum, steel, utility hardware and color to create an industrial design can create a powerful look. For instance, use an aluminum frame with a wood or painted steel door to create contrast. Or use industrial grade hardware to make a bold statement. Industrial design is the art and craft of selecting products and systems that optimize function, value and appearance – it’s key to achieving the look of a contemporary style entry door.

When you’re ready to remodel or build your contemporary style home, Woodland can help you create the look without breaking the budget. Bring your dream and we’ll show you how to achieve it.