The front door is the gateway to your home - it is one of the first things guests see before entering your home.
Bigger doors create an impressive focal point for the home in question. Picture courtesy of Swartland.
It is also the one thing that you use more than once a day, so it stands to reason that most homeowners won’t mind spending a little bit extra to ensure their front door is something special.
Charl Jacobz, from Swartland Wooden Windows and Doors, offers some insight into the latest front door trends.
Today, a home’s front door has moved away from merely being a pleasant looking entrance, to become a true feature that not only complements the rest of the home’s architecture and décor, but stands out as a feature in its own right.
Jacobz says modern front doors provide homeowners the opportunity to make an individual statement with the entryway to their homes – front doors have become a personal signature that can express the unique character and style of the home and those that live in it.
For this reason, homeowners are spending a great percentage of their overall building budget on the entryway to their homes.
Doors with decorative stained glass inserts are increasingly popular due to their classic styling.
To cater for the increased demand, there are countless varieties of front doors available on the market – made from a wide range of different materials and styles to suit almost any architectural style imaginable.
Jacobz says the best way to choose a front door for your home is to have a good idea of what the latest trends and innovations are with regards to front doors – he offers the following pointers:
New innovations and technology
Front doors are made from a number of different materials, including metal and fibreglass.
However, the most popular material is arguably wood, and wooden door manufacturers have met the challenge of moving into the future by introducing front doors made of specially treated wood to enhance their performance, durability and energy efficiency.
Jacobz says that kiln-dried timber for example, allows the moisture content of the wood to be controlled more easily than air-dried timber, thereby increasing the lifespan of the wood in question.
Kiln-dried timber helps to maintain the properties of the timber within various climatic conditions, he says.
Customised doors are suitable for those homeowners who are looking for a signature look that really sets them apart.
“ The ideal moisture content for the South African climate for example is 8%, and as such, Swartland kiln-dries all its wood in its own kilns to guarantee that all its timber boasts an 8% moisture content retention.”
Treatments for wooden doors have also evolved – today, you can choose between solvent and water-based finishes, such as Maxicare – which promise to increase the durability of the wood.
These finishes make the wood UV and water-resistant and they include anti-fungal properties to aid in the prevention of dry rot and fungal attack.
Jacobz notes that Swartland’s front doors can even be bought pre-treated for optimum convenience and longevity.
Let the light shine through
New door trends seem to be including more and more glass in the entryway – front doors with oversized glass inserts, surrounding panels, decorative stained glass inserts, sidelights and transoms are increasingly popular due to their classic styling and the extra light they let into the home.
The improved strength and insulation qualities of glass has greatly added to this new trend, says Jacobz, the insulation problems so often associated with the inclusion of glass in and around your front door in the past, has now been solved with the introduction of specialised coated glass and double glazing.
Wooden doors are the best green choice - they are well insulated, durable and biodegradable.
He says that the type of glass used has also evolved and nowadays both clear and sand-blasted glass has become increasingly popular.
“Although clear glass remains a popular choice, obscured glass has become ever trendier as it transmits light without compromising privacy. For classical or period styles of architecture, leaded and bevelled glass is also gaining in popularity, as is the inclusion of intricately patterned stained glass inserts and panels.”
Considering Mother Nature
As with all building materials, more and more consumers are concerned with how environmentally friendly their front door is.
Jacobz explains, modern homeowners have never been more conscious about the environment and as such, they are interested in buying sustainable and energy-efficient products for their homes.
To keep up with this trend, modern front doors need to be well-insulated and made from sustainable materials.
In this regard, wood is a very green choice of material – it is sustainable, boasts excellent insulation qualities, is durable and long lasting and at the end of its lifespan, it is also biodegradable.
Bigger is better
Large format front doors have become progressively more popular, with many architects and designers including front doors with extra height and width in their designs for a more dramatic aesthetic.
Bigger doors also create an impressive focal point for the home in question.
The oversized and fully assembled pre-hung pivot doors for example, are amongst the most popular entrance doors that Swartland produces. Jacobz says, these doors are fixed to the frame and include features that comprise an easy-to-adjust steel top pivot point and brass bottom pivot point with a bearing action for seamless opening-and-closing functionality.
He says that including side panels and transoms around the front door frame is a popular way of visually increasing the apparent size of a standard front door – for a more dramatic visual impact.
Custom designs
For top-end homes, bespoke design is a must have – suitable for those homeowners who are looking for a signature look that really sets them apart.
Custom designs are also a great way of expressing your true sense of personal style. - Antonella Desi
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