Hello!
One of the things about winter is that it throws in clear relief the architectural lines of houses and buildings. Without the softness of leaves and greenery, it’s easier to see and appreciate great architectural details, such as a wonderful front door. Here in Dallas, there are a lot of homes that have been inspired by the architectural style of various regions in France. Yet I often see a mismatch in the door and the rest of the home – often the door is made of glass and wrought iron rather than wood. Wooden doors are ubiquitous in France, and they are wonderful and quirky. Some are painted, some are stained, some carved, some simple, but all seem to have an intrinsic charm about them.
I visited a website for antique and vintage doors from France called Portes Anciennes. It’s a wonderful website, full of images of great charm. I wish I had stumbled upon it when I was deciding on the front doors for my house. I love the design that we came up with, but it would still have been so much fun to use some of these doors below for inspiration. If you are building a new home – lucky you!- it might be worth considering buying a vintage door. Not that you would necessarily get one from France, which could be pricey, but perhaps you might look at an architectural salvage yard. Old doors are much more substantial than doors that can easily be ordered “off the rack.” They are likely to be less expensive as well, and with a great patina, even if you choose to repaint or refinish.
Here are some more of their wonderful doors:
I love the moulding details on this door. The stone surround is lovely, too.
This is such a charming entry, isn’t it? I really like the transom windows at the top of the door to allow sunlight to come in. I don’t imagine that any of us will keep our firewood over our front doors, but hey, to each their own.
This is a fantastic courtyard door. It lends a sense of mystery and surprise to the entry. This would also be a great inspiration for a garage door, wouldn’t it?
What an unusual door, no? I don’t think I have seen many tri-fold entry doors. But this one is lovely and simple. You can see that it opens between the panels. The lanterns look just like the ones I got from Pottery Barn!
Ok, I LOVE this door. Perhaps it’s the lighting, the gorgeous stone color, or the yummy color of the door itself. I am not sure, but I am smitten.
This would be such a charming garden gate, or courtyard entry. It would look fantastic in either a contemporary or traditional setting. This would be very easily copied, and the patina would come quickly once it was left in the elements…
This is a showstopping door. The carving on the bottom panel is wonderful, and so are the diamond panels. This is actually walnut, if you can believe it. We often think of walnut as being a dark wood, but that is not always the case. What a wonderful and rich patina.
This is another walnut door. Isn’t the detail at the top unusual? The horizontal carved detail really sets off the diamonds. I really like the finish on this door.
This door has such elegance and simplicity. It would look wonderful on a Georgian style home, I think . Once again, this is walnut. Who would have thought?
The finish and detail on this is so appealing. I would consider using a door like this as a piece of art. I love the look of vintage shutters leaning against a wall in place of art. Why not a wonderful door, such as this? You could even hang a great mirror or piece of art on the top panel. Hmmm, let’s take that idea a bit farther.
This is another stunning door. Just leaning against a wall, perhaps between a pair of windows, this would command the room.
Another thought might be to have a door like this retrofitted as a refrigerator panel or pantry door. Isn’t this just so charming? Or it could be installed on a wall, with a great but small piece of art hanging on the top panel. Maybe one of Things That Inspire’s beautiful intaglios…..
You don’t need to be building a house or remodeling to use a great vintage or antique door. Simply replacing your front door with something with more character will transform the facade of your home. If you can’t find something locally, a good carpenter should be able to copy these doors for you. You can use reclaimed wood and vintage hardware to achieve the feel and patina of some of these doors.
Hope I gave you some food for thought.
Kristin
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