Number One

The house is "International Style." These tend to have solid doors. I have a couple of choices with windows below, and I would not mind a little more light in the living room, but I am coming to the conclusion that a solid door may be the way to go.

Number Two

I like this door and I don't think it clashes with the International Style of the house, but I am also concerned that there are too many vertical windows here. I should also note that all of these doors are fiberglass, and I do like the darker wood tones.

Number Three

I like this door but fear that it is too trendy.

Yes, likely the original door was a flush slab, but any of your choices look good.

The only other thought would be getting an iron door made to match the windows but with frosted glass (this would be a little more contemporary as this was not common in residential architecture of the time)

The kitchen door could just be a flush fiberglass door slab to save money.

The frankenstein stage was quite something- I bet that new header was expensive on the first floor.

Number Four

Now we get into colors. This is an approximation of the current door color, which I do like. It is Ben Moore Radicchio. The house color is Ben Moore Glacier White. I wanted a warm cream color for the body of the house, and chose this one because it seems to hold that warm creaminess even in the shade, and the house is surrounded by a number of mature trees. So I definitely want to go with a warmer color.

Number Five

Dragons Blood

Number Six

Golden Damask. It was very difficult to find a Ben Moore Yellow suitable for exterior application. I really liked Hannah Banana but no go. Gold Damask is similar.

Number Seven

Thanks for sticking with this. I wasn't going to go in this direction, but figured that as long as I was doing mock-ups I should try the window color, Wrought Iron. If you've stuck with it this long, I guess I can tell you that this is my new fave. I was surprised at how good the house looked with this the door color. Please let me know if there is you think of another option which I did not consider!

wrought iron! I just painted my island and the exterior part of my house w/this color. I love it.

I also like Hallet's idea to go w/an iron door. that would look perfect w/your windows (great job btw). this door is Iron.

couldn't find on w/o the arch.

or maybe for the side door?

just wanted to try a wood door again.

you know, once you lose those bushes and get in some landscaping that matches the home style, it will look 100x better. those bulbous shrubs are distracting.

I don't think I like any of the colors. the Dragon is ok, but for this home I think subtle is better.

I like the wrought iron, but wondering how it would look on a diff door.

Thanks for your comments!

houssaon: I agree, and we will trim them, but the bushes are eventually going away when we do the landscaping reboot.

Hallett & Co.: we hired a GREAT mason. The gentleman who restored the windows recommended him. The first mason who quoted me a price wanted to replace ALL the lintels (17). I knew that some of them would need to be replaced but not all of them. I hired the gentleman who actually did the work because he said that we would evaluate them as bricks were removed. He ended up replacing around half a dozen lintels, re-pouring three sills, and rebuilding a wall in the back. He's one of those craftsmen who doesn't advertise and has enough work that he can pick and choose his jobs and doesn't have to inflate quotes.

I'd bring in some of these elements w/your landscaping. and if there is anyway you could add some cedar or redwood for a bit of warmth/depth, I think it would look perfect

I like the classic look of Wrought Iron. Eggplant would be dark with a hint of fun.

(162) Pinterest · More Info

I liked beths iron door without the arch as my first choice. Followed by one then three. Love the paint you chose and the landscape ideas i think would look amazing!!

I couldn't find an iron door pic w/o the arch (for a front door) . So, I tried again and found these:

I like the solid door with wrought iron paint, but a deep eggplant color could be nice, too.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

I like the suggestion of an iron door, but my concern is that we are in the upper midwest, and I think we'll be more comfortable with something more solid. That said, I believe that the wood-finish fiberglass doors with windows that everyone seems to like do are available unfinished, so we can choose colors. I've mocked up both the doors we (and many others) like, and painted them with Wrought Iron and with Benjamin Moore Tulsa Twilight, which is a very deep purplish black. I think it's one of those colors that needs to be tested in real like, in a deep gloss. In the mock-ups, I think that the Wrought Iron is coming out the winner.

Our condo building replaced our old wood doors with Provia Heritage fiberglass doors which are available in many styles and colors. The new doors are very energy efficient and have also dramatically reduced the noise from the street. Provia has a visualizer into which you can up load a picture of your house and try various door options. We chose the standard Mountain Berry color which similar to the door color you showed on door #4.

Have you given any thought to providing some cover for visitors during your Upper Midwest winters and springs? Do you have an awning for the door the family uses, or does the family normally enter from the garage?

To my eye, your front elevation is stunning in the severity and discipline of its lines. Putting in a solid door in a surprising but subtle color like the deep eggplant would be my choice. I find the doors with windows compete but do not compliment the lines of the house.

Thank you, Sonja! That is one of my concerns, that there are so many severe verticals and horizontals that adding more just increases the net chaos of our crazy world!

I can’t believe I’m saying this since i love colorful doors- but i like the sophistication of #7- wrought iron. And it gives you the opportunity to change up your landing a bit with colorful containers or flowers based on the season.

I vote with Sonja - a solid door in the eggplant color. To my eye, anything with windows detracts from the uniqueness of your house and its windows. A solid door lets the architecture be the star. I LOVE your house numbers. And the house color is really perfect. Your hard work has paid off.