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Opinon needed for Mid Century front door

12 years ago
My husband and I bought a 1961 bungalow and the previous owners replaced the original front door with something with ornate glass which doesn't go with the brick and clean lines of the house. I would like to install an appropriate era door (mid century) or something that has a mid century feel to it (I would love to buy a Crestview door but they're out of my price range right now).

I recently found a glass door (see image) that I think sort of feels mid century and I'm wondering if anyone else agrees that it would be a good choice (it's only $700). I want to make sure that other people see the mid-century feel. I wouldn't have the sidelite as well since I don't have enough room, so only the door.

I plan on painting the blue siding a mid grey colour and bringing the grey up into the gable and then painting the new door a yellow or a green/yellow or leaving the new door wood. (ignore the horrible landscaping, this house needs a lot of love).

Thank you!

Comments (35)

  • PRO
    12 years ago
    That door would go well with the mcm feel you are after.
    Brooke thanked Dytecture
  • 12 years ago
    Here Design - I was kind of worried about that. It's the only door that I've found locally that doesn't have any paneling on it. I guess I should keep looking. I know it wouldn't clash but I'd rather be a bit more true to the style.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Do they make it without the leaded glass? A single panel of clear or obscured glass would fit right in.
    Brooke thanked HERE Design and Architecture
  • 12 years ago
    HERE Design - I'll have to check this company or keep looking. Someone here must sell a door like that. Thank you for the great alternative!
  • 12 years ago
    I don't know about pricing and how it compares to Crestview, but Simpson Door has quite a few contemporary styles that could work.

    I agree the current door is the wrong style for your home.
    Brooke thanked mmilos
  • 12 years ago
    I think the door would blend in well, but a similar one with a single pane of clear or obscure/reeded glass would go just as well and probably save you some money.
    https://www.houzz.com/photos/30th-street-residence-modern-entry-san-francisco-phvw-vp~477513
    Brooke thanked brickln
  • 12 years ago
    mmilos - they have some great doors! quite a few that look exactly like vintage MCM doors and they have a few local dealers! Thank you so much :) I'll keep my fingers crossed they aren't in the $3K range like Crestview
  • 12 years ago
    ^ You're welcome! Good luck!
  • 12 years ago
    brickin - I like that one a lot. I think that's pretty close to what HERE Design was talking about as a good alternative if I can't find anything overtly MCM in my price range
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Here are a couple of ideas for your consideration. Tinted glass sidelites could compliment your gray body color you are thinking of. Happy Houzzing.
    Brooke thanked DMH DESIGN
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I love the door and definitely think it has a mid century vibe. I bet it is from the 70's. Love rescuing old architectural elements. Will give your house a more one of a kind look.
    Brooke thanked Savant Design Group
  • 12 years ago
    Would it be impossible to make your own door that looks like a Crestview? Get a plain solid door and have a carpenter cut holes and add glass. No?
    Brooke thanked orangecamera
  • 12 years ago
    Have you been to wreckers /demolition yards or looked on ebay for old doors
    Brooke thanked 2dogssashatess
  • 12 years ago
    orangecamera - I guess I could try and find someone who could do that. It's always an option anyways. I know Crestview used to offer kits to do exactly that but they stopped selling them. Thanks!
  • 12 years ago
    2dogssashatess - I've been keeping an eye out on kijiji (like Craigslist) but nothing has come available and typical MCM doors weren't very prevalent in my City compared to the USA. Most EBAYer's wont ship large items like that to Canada so I'm generally out of luck on that but I should go back and see if anyone in Canada has one on ebay. Thanks!
  • 12 years ago
    Look at crestview.com great mid century doors.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    You would definitely find a great selection of Mid-century Modern (MCM) doors at Crestview of Austin Texas. However, they have been changing up their business model the last year or so and have raised their prices significantly. Check out Therma-Tru's new "Pulse" line which includes 4 designs that are very MCM. Much less $$.
  • 12 years ago
    Matt Worthy - they do have great doors but around June of this year they went from around $1k+/- to $3500+. They also used to sell kits which you could use to add windows into a solid wood doors but they stopped selling those when they price jumped their doors. I originally came across their site a over a year ago but I didn't own a house at that point and wasn't planning on buying so I book marked it for the future and I can tell you that I was plenty surprised to see the doors were triple the cost 8 months after I found them and had bought a house (we weren't planning on buying and then this house came on the market and we jumped at it since it was exactly what we wanted). There are a lot of angry people who had been planning on buying their doors only to find they couldn't afford them anymore
  • 12 years ago
    Joan58 - thanks, I'll definitely check Therma-Tru's Pulse doors and see how much they are. It'd be nice to find an affordable alternative to Crestview
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I would probably finish some "love" on that exterior, THEN pick out the door of your dreams... holding back some $$$ for that.
  • 12 years ago
    I agree with Sustainable, because once you have the rest of your home exterior changed, it will make your door choice a lot easier.
  • 12 years ago
    Sustainable - hahaha yes I know it's pretty bad. We plan on painting the exterior in the spring/summer. The previous owners king of ruined the front yard with an badly done "urban edible forest" and we have to basically scrape it down an start from scratch. We'll remove all the cement blocks and a lot of extra plants but we're going to have to spend out money inside for the first few years. I figured the exterior paint and a new door would help the curb appeal a bit. We plan on terracing the front hill but it's going to be a while before it's done. I think all the neighbors are happy we plan to clean up the place :)
  • 12 years ago
    They also turned the entire backyard (1200-1500sqft) into a vegetable garden (built on sticks for some unknown reason) and we have to scrape it down and start from scratch back there as well. The previous owners did a number on the front and back
  • 12 years ago
    The door you're considering definitely does look Prairie by way of the 70s, but in the best possible way. I think it's a find despite the undoubted anachronism. When you get your facade properly cleaned up, this door could be just the right touch of restrained, linear ornamentation your house needs to be truly individual and beautiful.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Urban edible forests are great ideas if you have too much time on your hands, OR a herd of elves to work it! hahahaha
  • 12 years ago
    Here's a better view on the horrible front "garden"
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I think it can clean up nicely, I do like the door you have, I was a kid during that era, but in Germany. There were definitely doors like that on the more modern homes, i.e. built in the 50's/60's. Good luck
  • 12 years ago
    Best wishes for your new house. My two cents: renovation can take a long time. After getting the fundamentals in shape (electrical, plumbing, roof), it can be helpful to tackle one thing at a time. When something is completed, you get a sense of accomplishment.

    May I ask what kind of evergreen trees those are? Are they as old as the houses?
  • 12 years ago
    Brooke, have you tried Habitat for Humanity? I'm not sure were you are in Canada, but The Door Store in Toronto has a website and sells antique doors and hardware from several periods.
  • 12 years ago
    I took a pic of the crestview door I wanted to a good mill house they are making mine for under 1,000.00 will post pic when I get it next week.
  • 12 years ago
    Apple pie - thanks, you're right! It'll all work out once the list of items is slowly taken care of. The trees are as old as the house (52 years) and I believe they are White Spruce since those are pretty common in my city but I'm not 100% sure. Hope that helps :)
  • 12 years ago
    Bchr - I haven't looked there yet. Calgary has a Restore which has some doors so I'll have to go and take a look. TO has so many more great shops and options than Calgary :)
  • 12 years ago
    Matt - that's a pretty good idea. I'll have to look into some shops here and see if something similar could be done fairly cheap. Thanks!
  • 12 years ago
    superb