Hi I think light oak would look nice, but think you should have keep the side panels but have light oak with opaque glass, like "red interior design" idea of having your house number etched in, light oak will blend well with the stone facia.

Hi Red,

Thank you for your response, yes I would like to keep the light in the hallway so am keen to keep the side panels, although I'm now thinking of a wider door with narrower side panels as previously suggested. I would like a classic look that won't date, perhaps something with some glass in the door too which would go with the windows. I'm keen to avoid black or white but navy blue is a good choice. I would also like to add silver door furnishings, again for a classic look. I've always really wanted a solid oak door but I just can't quite picture it on this house. Do you think it could work?

Hi Deborah,

Thank you, I feel like I might actually be getting somewhere with my door project now. If I go for oak would you keep the frame white to match the windows? The garage door is also white.

A good way of checking light levels is to tape wallpaper over the sidelights to see if it makes a big difference to your hallway. If you are slimming your sidelights down this will still change your light levels slightly. Have you considered a half glazed door with narrow glazing bars? This would mirror the glazing bars on your windows and you could have frosted satin obscure glazing for privacy.

Good luck with your project.

Great suggestions from everyone else; light oak with silver door furniture would definitely look good and be a tonal look with the stone as mentioned. Stick with white framing to tie into to rest of house frontage. Maybe even think about changing the render paint to a warmer colour too (mushroom) to add a little more sophistication? (Hehe, sorry, adding to your project expense!!). Please post pics of it when done. :)

Thanks again for some great responses & ideas. I'll try the wallpaper trick this weekend to see how much difference it makes to the light. I've got lots of great ideas to consider now! I hadn't really thought about changing the colour of the rendering but I can see that would work with an oak door, it would soften the overall look. What was becoming a bit of a burden to work out has now turned into an exciting challenge! Thanks again for all your ideas.

Here are a couple of examples of masterdor engineered timber doors in timber clad aluminium frames with farrow and ball colour range - it means you can have a slim elegant outer frame without door "bounce"
Plenty of light in but with toughened modesty glass protecting your privacy.