An inviting and elegant front door is a perfect introduction to your family home’s character, creating the all-important first impression.
Regardless of the size and style of your home, the front door is the focal point of a home façade or exterior and is what welcomes you and your family home every day.
The front door is a ‘transition point’ and sets the tone for what might lie inside. But it also is a significant component of the entire front façade so important consideration must be given to how the front door works from the perspective of both the inside and outside of the home.
And at Henley, we take our front doors seriously!
From the timeless classics to the grandest of colours, Henley’s National Interior Design Coordinator, Michelle Holmes, takes us through front door styles, what makes a beautiful front door, and trends for 2025.
The top choices
- Corinthian ‘Blonde Oak’ door (AWO40, AWO21, AWO 5G and AWO 5VG styles) – a versatile option, this door can be stained or painted to tie in with window colours, cladding features or sectional garage doors (including woodgrain-style, Decowood).
- Stegbar ‘Statesman’ Aluminium Pivot Door – another impressive, large-scaled entry door. We frequently specify this beautiful front door - finished in black aluminium - to tie seamlessly with black aluminium window frames – this is particularly popular right now where black accents in both interiors and exteriors are being enthusiastically embraced. These impressive doors are most popular for double storey designs due to the impressive width and height which is effortlessly handled by the pivot style design.
- Corinthian ‘Madison’ – this door style features various configurations of glazing with each door offering a timeless sense of style. This entry door compliments almost any exterior style and is very cost effective.
What makes a beautiful front door?
As the saying goes, ‘beauty lies in the eye of the beholder’ and this is most certainly true of the entrance to a home.
For what is one relatively small component of the entirety of a home, the front door consists of so many elements of choice and opportunities to create a unique story. Colour, the use of glass, size, the handle and other accessories such as knockers are all important elements.
Firstly, the size and proportions of the door must be considered in relation to the rest of the façade’s scale and styling. A large double storey home, such as the Sahara 375-D40 below, requires the scale and presence of a wide and high pivot-style door, like the Stegbar “Statesman AP4VG” which we have on display at Coridale estate, Lara.
A smaller, single story home such as the Geneva 210-S23 at Woodlea estate, pairs well with a timber style front door with feature glass inserts. Using a door with glass for a smaller single story home offers both functional and aesthetic benefits. From a practical standpoint, it provides more natural light to the smaller proportioned internal foyer area of a single-story home whilst also offering visual interest and architectural character to the overall façade of the home.
Selecting a timber door offers further choice such as whether to have a painted or stained finish. Again, this taps into the aesthetics of the complete look of the home. For example, a modern façade such as the Aegean 371-D40 Kube at Smiths Lane in Clyde North, features the Corinthian Blonde Oak AWOWS 19H pivot timber door stained in Johnstone’s ‘Charcoal’. This stain ties with the dark and moody Axon vertical cladding finished in Taubmans ‘Tornado’ and also provides a softer natural ‘wood’ element to contrast the very structured modern elements of this façade, like the rendered projections.
A more classic and somewhat coastal-style façade such as the one on our Bordeaux 311-D34 at Smiths Lane in Clyde North, works well with a painted timber entry door. The Corinthian Madison PMAD 4G door, which we have painted in Taubmans Alpine Snow, compliments the white-on-white effect created by classic weatherboard cladding, posts, balustrade and trims of the Northampton façade design.
In contrast to timber entry doors, aluminium is an alternate choice of finish with both practical and aesthetic benefits. Featured on the Valletta 493-D53RVE displayed at Cloverton estate, Kalkallo, the Stegbar “Statesman” aluminium entry door compliments the modern Brookfield façade and pairs perfectly with black aluminium framed windows which are so ‘right now’. Dressed in impressive black aluminium, this door marks entry into a whole new level of refinement and being aluminium, it boasts a high fire rating and is almost maintenance-free.
Selecting the hardware for your front door – namely the handle – offers an opportunity to consider the aesthetics of the door as well as the functionality.
From knobs to pulls or lever-style handles, the options are endless. At any budget and in any style, there is certainly no limit to choice. From modern, very minimalist door pulls to security handles where the lock function is not a key but a finger-tap of your smart phone, to the ornate, decorative and vintage-style handles reminiscent of centuries ago, choice certainly abounds!
A sophisticated entrance door might include a sleek vertical pull handle in a brushed metal finish for example. Taking the definition of ‘sophisticated’ to a functional realm, these days, there are a plethora of high-tech security handles for those of a ‘tech-inclination’.
The 2025 trendsetter
An unexpected paint colour for your entry door adds a punch of personality without a lifelong commitment – as the front door colour can easily and quickly be updated simply with another tin of paint.
For example, the entry door to our Geneva 225-S24 at Cloverton Estate in Kalkallo, features the bold and moody hue of Taubmans Lava Grey. This contrasts the classic light and white scheme which envelopes the rest of the façade and provides a central focal point for the eye when admiring this home from the street. In a similar fashion, Taubmans So Hip has been used on the classic profiled Corinthian PCL4G entry door of the Carmelle 254-S28 at Mt Atkinson. This gentle splash of eucalypt adds an extra touch of personality to a façade design rich in charm and character.
When considering ways to customise elements of a home without breaking the bank, a custom-made doorknob, lever or pull is a relatively inexpensive way of setting your front door apart from the rest of the street scape. Examples include hand-forged, sculptural door pulls, upcycling or re-purposing some object that has personal meaning or ties with the theme of the home, for example a brass seahorse used as a door pull on a beach house. This can be a unique and memorable way to mark the entry in to your ‘castle’ and can offer a glimpse into the individuality of the homeowner.
Another way of personalising an entry door is by installing a knocker. From the classic, refined English townhouse style to something more nostalgic, it is an element that can be installed by any homeowner within an afternoon but certainly provides character. Perhaps re-installing one from grandma’s house or something in a similar style to a well-loved childhood home. Such a simple element can add that touch of sentimental meaning and also provides a memorable conversation starter with a first-time visitor to your home!