Ideas

3 takes on a modern front door

More than just a welcome change, a new front door can be transformative. We’ll show you what we mean.

A white-painted brick home with a mid-centry style entry door and a sidelight.

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Whether you’re taking on a major remodel or just looking for a quick update, a new front door is a low-hassle way to boost curb appeal and more. To get your wheels turning, we’re sharing a few of our favorite front door projects.

The finishing touch on a full-scale remodel

A new front door was the missing piece of this project. When designer and editor Michelle Adams decided to remodel her 1950s ranch home in Ann Arbor, MI, she made changes inside and out. Her exterior updates included painting the brick a clean white, rebuilding the front steps, installing a new garage door and more, but she couldn’t find the right front door. “I wanted a solidly built door that felt Scandinavian and also nodded to the home's mid-century origins,” she said. Finally, she reached out to us to make it happen. Our team was able to take Adams’ inspirational photos and create the custom door she'd dreamed up — completing her exterior look perfectly.

If you can dream it, we can make it!

Takeaway

Exterior photos of a 1950s ranch house before and after being remodeled.

“Far too often, I see well-designed homes with completely outdated front doors. The right door can add style and curb appeal while also helping to lower your energy bill,” said Adams who completed the remodel of her 1950s ranch with a new front door that’s both period correct and contemporary.

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The “star” of the kitchen

You might not consider a new front door in the scope of a kitchen remodel, but that’s exactly how it turned out for Rashida Banks. When the designer and influencer transformed her kitchen into the bright and elevated space you see here, she leaned into a creamy color palette. To make sure it didn’t fall flat, she knew she needed contrast and that’s where her natural wood entry door came in. It adds texture and warmth — literally! Light pours through the windows and “allows for the essence of the outdoors to shine through,” Banks said. It’s even become a favorite spot for her two pups to sunbathe.

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Don’t forget that a new front can also transform your interior space!

Takeaway

An oak front door with large windows lets light into a remodeled kitchen.

“I wanted a door that made me smile every time I walked in from the grocery store but also a door that my pups would adore,” said Rashida Banks who chose an unfinished oak entry door with a Straight Line 181 panel style.

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The perfect “first impression”

A “sleek and modern door” was exactly what Cass Smith had in mind. Since purchasing her grandmother’s home, the blogger and DIYer behind Cass Makes Home had been working to give her traditional home some modern curb appeal. Chipping away at projects, she’d already achieved a lot both inside and out. When she found the perfect door to complement the traditional elements on her exterior, Smith didn’t hesitate to make the update. Not only is the door the perfect finishing touch to her exterior, it also showcases the modern classic style she loves.

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The perfect front door doesn’t just complete your exterior, it also hints at what you’ll find inside.

Takeaway

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Cass Smith opens her new front door on the left, while a contractor shows Smith a feature of her new front door on the right.

“A quality door is long-lasting and totally worth it,” said Cass Smith of Cass Makes Home. Smith hired an Andersen Certified Contractor to install her door, because the intrepid DIYer knows some jobs are simply best left to the professionals. Smith’s door is a black painted pine door in the Straight Line 181 panel style.

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Do you need a side door?

And if your front door is in good shape but your side door or back door needs replacing, remember that you can order a single-panel hinged patio door! That's what Mandi Gubler, the DIYer behind Vintage Revivals, did when she needed a side entrance to her renovated family home. Gubler chose a single-panel A-Series hinged patio door. Not only does the door’s full panel of glass bring light into her home, its styling with colonial grilles and a transom above is true to the home’s historic style.

A woman unshelving a book from her bookshelf pets her dog as sunlight filters in through an adjacent door.

Did you know hinged patio doors can be ordered in single panels? Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals selected a single-panel A-Series hinged patio door as a side entrance when remodeling her family home.