The Importance of Proportion and Scale for Entry Doors
As you consider which kind of entry door to add to your home, it’s important to look beyond color and style. Yes, those elements are certainly important, as they can enhance and add value to the property as a whole. But perhaps even more important is how your new door will look in terms of proportion and scale. Perhaps you’ve come across a front door that just didn’t look right. Maybe the opening was too small for the grandiosity of the chosen door, or perhaps the proportion of the door to the surrounding space was off. Sometimes you just can’t put your finger on what’s wrong — you just know something is.
We see it all the time, and are asked to correct those oversights that came with the original house or as a result of previous shoddy installation and design work.
Check out some common ways in which proportion and scale can impact your exterior doors.
Uniform Grid Work
If you’re looking to incorporate a door with grids and have corresponding windows with grids complementing it, take a step back and look at the way the grids impact the overall look. Are they too busy and small? Do they all match in size and pattern? Sometimes you have to look at the whole appearance of your property to ensure uniformity. It’s not just the door you’re replacing — you have to take into consideration how it looks in relation to other glass elements.
If you currently have a mismatch in grid patterns, you may want to give your home a more open look and feel with a larger grid pattern for additional daylight openings. The last thing you want is for your home to look too busy. Go for cleaner, simpler lines in an effort to better match the scale and proportion of your home.
Door Style
Proportions of the door opening will dictate the style of door that you get. For example, if you have a standard height door with two sidelights and a large transom over the door, you may want to go for a taller, double-door configuration featuring less transom area. This allows you to stretch the appearance of the entryway while reducing the intimidation factor and increasing aesthetics. Another example of poor proportion is when you see double doors that are just not in scale with the home — seemingly squeezed into an ill-fitting opening. No, you don’t have to change the size of the opening and alter the structure. You can add a single door with two sidelights that better enhance the low ceiling height of your porch.
Playing with Proportion
There are certain design rules that traditionalists should stick with in terms of proportion and scale. But some people, particularly those with edgy, more modern homes, decide to throw proportion out the window. It can work — sometimes. You just have to be careful to be deliberate in your design so it follows some proportional and structural detail. Yes, symmetry is a strong tool for choosing a front door, but it’s certainly not the only one. If you’re going for a contemporary expression of shape and form, try an unbalanced exterior door choice as evidenced by this low-slung ranch home outlined by Better Homes and Gardens. This door features a subtle texture as part of its exterior material palette, a variation which bears repeating on the front door. And instead of matching sidelights, try a single window accented with reflective glass.
Contact Dallas Door Designs
If you would like design assistance for your entry doors, don’t hesitate to contact us at 214-973-0373 or visit us at our central location as 1241 Majesty Drive, Suite #102 in Dallas TX. We aim to help homeowners like you understand the importance of proportion and scale when it comes to door replacement. Rest assured we don’t just shove a door into an opening; rather, we take the time to consider the relationship of the door with the rest of the architecture.