Buying Guides · 4 min read
Choosing the Right Entrance Door
How to choose between composite and aluminium entrance doors, what security and insulation ratings actually mean, and what a good door costs.
Luxury Entrance Door Ideas
The entrance door sets the tone for the whole house before anyone steps inside. A handful of proportion and hardware decisions do most of the work.
3 min read
An entrance door is seen more often, by more people, than almost any other element of a house, and it carries a disproportionate amount of a home's character. Getting it right is less about an expensive product and more about proportion, colour and a small number of well-chosen details working together.
This guide covers the design decisions behind a genuinely striking entrance — sizing, colour, glazing and hardware — along with the mistakes that undercut an otherwise good door.
Proportion and scale
A door that is well-proportioned to its surrounding opening and porch reads as intentional; one that is simply the largest size that fits can look oversized and out of place. A taller, narrower door often looks more considered than a standard wide door, particularly on period properties, while contemporary homes can carry a wider single-leaf or double door well if the surrounding elevation supports it.
- Check the door against the full height of the surrounding opening or porch, not in isolation
- Consider a glazed side screen to add width and light without widening the door itself
- On period properties, keep panel proportions and mouldings consistent with the property's age
Colour choices
| Colour | Effect |
|---|---|
| Jet black (RAL 9005) | Classic, strong, suits most house styles |
| Deep green (RAL 6009) | Traditional, distinctive without being bold |
| Anthracite grey (RAL 7016) | Contemporary, matches modern window frames |
| Deep red or burgundy | Traditional character, works well on stone and brick |
| Bright colours | Distinctive but should suit the wider streetscape |
Glazing and light at the entrance
A fully solid door can leave a hallway dark; full glazing can compromise privacy and security. A glazed upper panel, a narrow vision strip, or an obscure glass panel balances light into the hallway with privacy from the street — obscure glass rated 4 or 5 gives good privacy while still admitting daylight.
Hardware and canopy details
Door furniture is handled and seen up close more than almost any other detail on a house, and it is worth specifying deliberately rather than accepting a standard handle set. A well-chosen pull handle, letterplate and knocker in a consistent finish do more for a door's character than the door colour alone.
- Choose one consistent hardware finish — brass, matt black, bronze or chrome — across handle, letterplate and knocker
- Consider a canopy or porch roof to shelter visitors and protect the door from Cumbria's rainfall
- Specify PAS 24 rated hardware and multi-point locking as standard for security
What to avoid
- Avoid mismatched hardware finishes — a chrome handle with a brass knocker rarely looks intentional
- Avoid a door colour that clashes with the render, stone or brick tone of the property
- Avoid oversized glazed panels on a busy street-facing entrance without adequate obscuration
- Avoid a standard composite door style if the house has a distinctive period character that a more considered panel design would suit better
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Related products
Relevant colours
Colours StudioJet Black · RAL 9005Fir Green · RAL 6009Anthracite Grey · RAL 7016
Suitable glass
Glass StudioObscure Glass CollectionRelated hardware
Hardware StudioDoor Knockers
Letterplates & Numerals
Pull Bars
Escutcheons & Cylinder GuardsQuestions
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