I really like the yellow color with oil rubbed bronze hardware. Defiantly better than just cream. It adds interest and pop of color to the front. Good job on color selection!

thanks DC :) I saw someone here on houzz post their door painted SW classical gold and they had a brick front. That was what gave me the idea. At first I was thinking a shade of green, but since the siding is cream wasn't sure how a sagy green would work. At least I have time and could always change the color again before I make a final decision.
The door definitely stands out and doesn't look like I'm copying the color of any other door in our immediate neighborhood :)

Classical gold looks lovely. I would not paint the side lights JUST the door. And why are you changing the door style?

I hope to add a portico like this one and maybe change our steps so there will be a bit more room, kinda of a small porch [houzz=]

question, I notice this door is one color, and the 2 sidelights are the white like the trim. I painted mine the same as the door. Do you think one works better over another?

Ive seen it both ways in my neighborhood. I prefer just painting the door and leaving the side lights white but I think it can look nice either way.

ha jck910, I didn't see your reply until now :) we have to replace our door, the whole wood frame is bad. I wanted to change the front door for the circle top to get more light in the front of the house since it's Northern exposure and less sun. It was the other reason I wanted longer side light glass for more light. If the door was in good condition, not dinged and dented steel door, I would just keep it. Hoping to go with fiberglass.

Sidelights should match trim so door is focal point. Love the portico, just not a fan of the half moon window

I like your gold door, but not the sidelights - they would look better the trim color.

so what shade of white would you choose? If we changed the color white shade, we might have to paint the whole front trim, which as far as the higher areas, that I don't think we could do ourselves. 20 years ago we would have done it no problem, but when just about 60, don't think I will or want my husband climbing that high :) Trim around the windows should be easy to paint, just open the windows from the rooms.

since I wanted more light, instead of the 3/4 glass like some of our neighbors are doing for the front door, thought I would opt for just the top so its a little more private than a 3/4 glass door. The whole front 1st floor has circle top windows.

think I'll run to Sherwin Williams and check the whites for the front sidelights :) gotta do it now before the rain starts overnight lol.

I kind of like the sidelights painted the same color as the door because it makes the door appear larger and in this case where your house is a majestic size it works for me. Also I would trim those bushes under your lovely windows a bit lower to showcase them. Nice digs!

New stairs, yes. IMO the portico won't add anything. Beautiful home and setting.

:) I just painted it Sherwin Williams classical white :) At the moment, leaving the bushes a bit higher. They make privacy in the living room on the left, and the study on the right. We usually trim them down a foot every year but think this may not be the time to do it.
I couldn't help but laugh when I took this file off my computer. All my files have 4 digit numbers at the end generated by the camera.
Strangely enough, this time the 4 digits happen to be my house # :))
[houzz=]

as far as the portico, my reasoning is to help with rain and snow. Especially rain when at the front door with a key in hand or someone knocking at your door when its raining out :)

my husband just came home, lets see if he even notices the difference in sidelight paint and the painted hardware :D :D

surprise! :D Looks good.

I love the architectural beauty of your entry the way it is now, especially the arch above the doorway! I would hate to cover that up with a portico. The only thing I would change is larger sidelights; I think that would let enough light inside.

thanks, I'm sure the portico is beyond what we can afford right now, but if I did do a portico, it would arch like the sunburst as to not cover it :) We had 4-5 options with the fronts of this particular model when it was built 1994. I chose this one because I liked the arched windows on the front of the house, and the architectural brick edges along with the keystone.

A lot fancier house than I ever grew up in, but it's now worth 2 1/4 times what we paid for it since we were the 1st 4 who bought property. Builders tend to give first buyers deals to get the community started and so the banks will lend them money showing people are now interesting in moving to the community they want to build.

maybe something like this but instead of the glass, my current sunburst. I think glass above the door is at minimum another 2+ thousand. Looks like this house below is in my region. It says Philadelphia, but I'm in one of the counties surrounding Philly. [houzz=]

interesting, I just noticed the top 4 squares in that door above are glass. Have never seen that before in this style door

diyher- I REALLY like your door as you have just shown in your last post. The half moon doors are a dated look, well, to me anyway. I would leave the money in your pocket;))

:)) money in my pocket for the new range I want for the kitchen we are working on.
We do have to replace the door though. The framing around the door rotted from water damage, most likely rain and snow and since the sun doesn't directly hit this side of the house. I'm always scrubbing the cement at least once a year because moss seems to grow because it tends to stay a little damp when it rains many days in a row.
I think full sidelights will help with a lot more light in the foyer.

Well the rain just started, I could tell the past 3 hours it was on its way. It's all this rain that's holding me up on spraying the finish on my cherry kitchen cabinets since I want to do that in the driveway

I've been checking out manufacturer names for doors and heard so many good things about Provia doors. Many of the contractors and installers seem to love installing them because of the quality. They have a new door they just came out with that is newly engineered to be more efficient, but they don't have glass in the doors. Maybe I could go with one of their doors and just do the full sidelights in glass http://www.proviaproducts.com/productdetail/entry-doors/embarq-door

https://www.facebook.com/ProViaProducts

To answer your original question: sidelights same as trim; gold more interesting than cream.
I really like the portico example you posted above. When you get to it, it will be lovely!

diyher, what color is your door?

Colleen, the color is Sherwin Williams Classical Gold, the sidelights Classical White.

I just used the same paint in the semi gloss Classical White for the woodwork around the window above my kitchen sink where we also have a window. It seems a shade lighter than Antique White which is what I painted my upper kitchen cabinets. Since this one particular window is near the sink, and we tend to leave it open a lot during late Spring through Autumn and sometimes rain blows in before we catch it, thought the outdoor water resistant paint would work good. Guess this means I need to buy another quart in the inside paint in the same Classical White for the rest of the kitchen trim :)

The new side windows look great - good call. The Classical Gold is vibrant and definitely an exciting change in color.

thanks, it actually looks a bit less vibrant than it did the day I painted it. I guess that means I'm getting used to it and it's not as a shock when seeing it for the first time, and seeing the color in the paint can that almost looked a shade of light orange ice cream lol

Painting a door is even something I can do. You're the diy queen! Change the color: lots of possibilities - http://www.google.com/search?q=gold+color+pics&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=vw1zU9K_J8GSyAT5v4LwDw&ved=0CEEQ7Ak&biw=1079&bih=886

I like the classical gold. It certainly gives a nice energy and adds warmth

J Design Group, Modern Interior Design Firm in Miami, Florida. http://www.JDesignGroup.com

Haven't read all the posts, but the door with the half moon looks dated, kinda 1970s, sorry. For a home that elegant, I think a door with a full or at least 3/4 window and full, clear sidelights (not the fake leaded glass) would be beautiful! (You could place a full or 3/4 window storm over it too) I think it would match the windows better, too.

thanks, but not doing full clear sidelights :) that means someone can look directly into our house and see everything on the first floor except for the family room and the whole hallway and bedroom doors on the 2nd floor. Not what I'm looking to do :)

Here is the same model I found listed in another state by the same builder. We had the option to add this large window in the foyer probably for another $1500 which was somewhat cheap compared to todays prices, but any in our neighborhood who chose large glass window, anyone driving by can see them walking back and forth across the upstairs hallway. We also notice a couple have all glass front doors and same thing, you can see everything :-/ We live in a nice area but that also means people from some city areas like to case these type of neighborhoods and break in. It's happened to a few over the past 20 years, and those that showcase what is inside their house with the large glass windows. http://imagehost.gsmls.com/IDXINC/35/100888916_8.jpg

I plan to do a full storm door and see if I can get them to colormatch the front door so it blends in rather than standing out. Have seen some in our neighborhood that have done that and it seems to look nice.

Gosh, I would not want the fear of someone seeing me walk back and forth through my home dictate my choice of a door. So what if someone sees me in there? To me, homes are for living in, not hiding in. At any rate, the full door in the pic looks nice, and would work well with 3/4 sidelights, tho I still would not get the fake leaded glass. Any of your color choices are very pretty and would make your home look lovely. Best wishes!

I agree with diyher. I like my privacy more than I like the latest trend in windows.

when you run down from the 2nd floor in your robe to the laundry room to get your clothes out of the dryer lol, and right at that moment is when you walk by the front door, someone knocks :)) Right now we have clear sidelights, but the opening isn't that large, as a full glass with not wood or fiberglass sides, so it doesn't bother me. Since we are on a corner, everyone that drives down at night, mostly neighbors or their friends visiting, the light from the cars shines right onto our front door. Again, I don't mind the lights, just don't want it to happen as I'm walking by in my robe :))

Well, I guess you were only asking about color, so my apologies. Your house is very elegant, and it just screams for a beautiful front door that matches the architectural style of the windows. I know that's what you were trying to do with the arch window door, but somehow, it seems to miss the mark. (Well at least to me!)

What you have is just fine, fits your needs perfectly, and is certainly cost effective. Any color could be fun. You could, however, add to the beauty of your home, add to the value and get more light, which is what you said you wanted, by going for something a little different.

Look at this option, it doesn't have to be in wood, metal is fine.


With newer, larger porch lights, and once your plants grow out, how nice.