Stylish Doors for Transitional Homes

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for Direct from the Designers

Appreciation for transitional architecture is on the rise, so there’s never been a better time to find suitable finishing products for these beautifully balanced homes. Crisp, clean lines, simple shapes, and plenty of brightening glass define transitional houses, but they are quite diverse—take a step back and see what feels right for your design goals. It’s especially important to install a great focal point for the façade, so here are some transitional front door ideas that will set your home apart on the street!

Chic Decorative Glass

If you choose a front door with a doorlite, the glass you fill it with can completely change the overall look. The amount of glass is not the end of it, because there are plenty of full-lite and fully opaque doors in every style. Many transitional schemes stick to clear glass to let the shapes/lines of the door set the tone, but there are also specially tailored decorative glass designs to consider.

Traditional glass types tend to be ornate and complex while contemporary ones strike a bold note with sharp lines and asymmetry. Between these, transitional glass typically features repeating geometric patterns that fill the whole pane. Think straight lines and/or clean arcs over clear glass, without any extra embellishments. This hits the right balance and stands out from the other options—because transitional glass wouldn’t look quite right on regular traditional or contemporary homes. If you want to customize the look for your house, you can mix it up with different caming colors!

Distinctive Lines

Not a fan of a lot of glass? No worries—there are plenty of suitable options for transitional style in the solid door department as well. Many people gravitate toward recessed panel styles with clean lines—more on that below—but there’s another option that definitely makes a bold statement: flush doors with lines routed out of the flat surface.

Leaning modern as many transitional finishes do, flush doors eschew panels and grab attention as a result. We’re so used to seeing raised/recessed panel doors that forgoing them completely really draws the eye—which is exactly what you want your front door to do. If you want a super stark look, there are line-free flush doors available, but make sure to look at the different pattern options. With lines that highlight just one edge, focus around one corner, or fill the full expanse of the door with horizontal, vertical, and/or angled components, you can go all sorts of ways with this kind of entry.

Clean Panels

Transitional style isn’t new—in fact, you’ll see that streamlined traditional features actually came around before modern architecture developed. Back in the 1700s, the Shaker movement aimed to simplify the carpentry of the day, putting an emphasis on modesty where others were drawn to more ostentatious designs. Shaker-style furniture, cabinetry, and doors—of course—became known far and wide and still remain popular, especially when it comes to transitional design.

Shaker-style entry doors may be simple, but they still give you a lot to think about. They feature recessed panels in a variety of layouts—like a single large panel, a stack of three to five, one in the top section with a pair side-by-side beneath, etc.—and you can choose to keep them solid or fill the panels with glass to fit today’s brighter transitional aesthetics. Whatever you prefer, you’ll outfit your home with a timelessly attractive entry!

Whether you’re looking for a beautiful transitional door for your home or have more traditional or contemporary tastes, you’ll find plenty of options with Therma-Tru®. Their collection offers tons of wood-look and paintable fiberglass doors in a wide range of hues to complement your whole house. If you’d like to discuss the possibilities with an expert, reach out to a local dealer today!