21 front door entrance ideas to help your home stand out

We all want our homes to be warm, welcoming places where we feel comfortable and guests look forward to visiting. Creating an environment like this means paying attention to every detail, including your chosen front door. The good news is that there are plenty of different door styles, designs, and ideas to get inspired by.

A modern, sturdy industrial front door made of materials such as steel or aluminium can create a strong sense of presence and drama at the entrance of a home, particularly one with a concrete exterior. The robust design of industrial-style front doors enhances a home's security, particularly when they are affixed with secure door locks.

At the same time, it showcases the unkempt beauty of raw material. These style front doors also offer design flexibility. Industrial-style front doors suit urban environments as their sleek design complements modern architecture, while in rural areas, their resilient design makes them well-suited to withstand daily wear and tear and varying weather conditions. 

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Having some greenery or pot plants in your front entrance provides a nice contrast with your doorway and a mixture of colours. Strategically placed plants can frame your front door, drawing the eye and inviting guests inside. Plants also offer a sensory experience for guests upon arrival. Implementing greenery is an easy way to add life and personality to your home's entryway.

Adding a front gate between the pavement and your front entrance provides an extra layer of security, complementing your home's sturdy, welcoming front door. A gate functions as the first entry point, setting the stage for the main entrance, where the door itself can mirror the gate's design for design cohesion. A door and gate combination is another effective way of framing your front door as the centrepiece, particularly if you have steps leading up to the door.

The right barn-style front door combines the traditional charm of the countryside with modern design. These doors feature distinctive large wooden planks and crossbeam architecture that add an earthy element to a home's facade. They are a popular choice for homes that require a wide entryway, as they facilitate easy movement in and out. Traditionally, barn doors were needed to facilitate easy movement of large, heavy farm equipment, hence the wide design. They are often available in hinged forms and sliding models, offering plenty of design potential.

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A grandiose traditional-style front door can help create a picture-perfect entryway to your home. These style doors often feature unique designs such as intricate carvings, ornate glass inserts, and classic panelling that capture the eye. They are particularly well suited to Colonial, Queenslander and Victorian homes and new builds designed in these styles.

Creating a contrast between the materials of your home's exterior and your front door can break the sense of monotony that can come with a single facade material. This is particularly the case when your front door has an entirely different tone to the exterior material, such as a stained timber front door and a brick exterior. The bold, dark-tone timber tones can stand out against a lighter facade. In contrast, if the exterior of your home is darker, consider a front door made of a lighter, softer wood like oak or pine to create an equally appealing contrast. 

To create a sleek entryway that demands attention, consider using a solid matte black front door, particularly if you want to create a consistent design style between your front door and the rest of your home's exterior. The minimalist design creates a polished look that feels ultra-modern and truly unique. The dark, striking tones a matte black front door and exterior offer can also contrast nicely with any greenery or shrubbery present in your front garden and give a nice mixture of refreshing and bold, commanding tones.

If you need a more functional front door with impressive thermal insulation properties, a PVC front door could be an option. PVC is a non-conductive material that helps prevent heat transfer, meaning the warmth stays inside your home instead of escaping through the door. Front doors made of this material are usually available in various colours and finishes, so you can select an option that fits in or contrasts with the colour of your home's exterior and combine practical benefits with your style preferences.

We've spoken a lot about creating contrasts so far, but another popular exterior design choice is aligning the colour of your front door with other prominent exterior features, such as cladding, paving or a garden fence. This style can make your home appear larger and give it a more unified appearance. When the front door is in sync with the rest of a home's exterior, it can lead to a subtler accentuation of other architectural features. For example, in the house below, the bright white pillars draw the eye, with the slightly creamier cladding and front door sitting subtly in the background, allowing the posts to shine.

Related article: 17 stunning house facade ideas from Australian homes

If you want to add a bit of personality to your home, an easy way to do it is to choose a colourful front door. Yellow, for example, is a colour known to evoke strong feelings and grab attention, particularly when it's used tactically, such as when it's used in conjunction with an exterior material that has a slightly darker tone, such as brick. Opting for a bright, warm front door is an easy way of making your home stand out amongst your neighbours.

Another fabulous colour choice for your front door is red. Red is associated with strong emotions, such as love, passion and anger - an energising and exciting colour. It's a colour that can also bring a sense of tradition and vibrancy to your home. It is a popular choice for Georgian and Victorian homes, it works well with a broad spectrum of exterior colours and can instantly help your home stand out, and if you're ever looking to sell. A colourful front door is also a great way to capture the imagination and attention of potential buyers.

An instant way to add character to your home is to choose a front door that has its own story to tell, such as a weathered front door. Weathered doors exude charm and bear the signature of nature's influence over time. They can tie your home identity to the local environment, particularly if you live in a coastal area where exposure to salt, moisture and humidity will all weather a door over time.

Another stand-out feature that weathered front doors offer is their uniqueness. No ageing or weathering process is the same, and each door is shaped by the specific conditions it faces. If you want to add something distinct to your home in a design that can't be replicated, then a weathered front door is a great choice.

If you want the entrance of your home to leave an impression, then you need a door to match. Plenty of front doors are available that go beyond traditional design; some examples would be doors with ornamental metalwork, intricate patterns and stained glass panels - doors with these elements can captivate and spark curiosity and be the cherry on top of a home's exterior.

Related article: How to design a modern house facade for your dream home

Building your front door into the side of your home is a concept that can add a sense of intrigue and privacy to your home's entrance, drawing visitors into a more intimate setting. This design choice also allows for a streamlined facade, where your home's exterior architecture can stand out without being uninterrupted by the traditional placement of a door.

Creating a cottage-style entryway invites warmth and character to the front of your home. If you live in a cottage or want to create an entranceway resembling the style, you can opt for a welcoming door colour, like the vivid red below. To captivate attention and offer a cheerful greeting, you can surround your doorway with potted plants and a wooden bench to foster an organic setting.

If your property is graced with geometric forms, you should get a door that resembles the same shape. A door mirroring your home's geometry creates a unified look that can enhance natural light flow, especially when the shape allows for larger glass panels. To give your shape of choice further prominence, give thought to choosing exterior features that match this shape, such as circular stepping stones or a curved archway on a path leading to your front door.

If you prefer the exterior of your home to have a uniform design, then look at incorporating a door that echoes the architectural style of your home. For example, if you have intricate iron railings on a balcony or a particular design pattern on your window frames, contemplate working the same style into your door design. Opt for a door with similar wrought iron detailing, or choose one that features glass panels with etched or frosted designs that match the patterns on your window frames.

One way to maximise the natural light entering your home is to opt for a glass front door. The door material acts as a large window that can illuminate parts of your home that otherwise wouldn't receive much natural light, such as those located some distance from windows or openings. You'll also come across glass front doors on various homes, including traditional, farmhouse and coastal homes, which owes much to the material's design flexibility and the way glass is used on a front door. For example, glass can be a standalone material or used in tandem with other materials, particularly different types of timber.

For a bold yet classic style, it's hard to go wrong with a black-and-white combo. This timeless combo offers a clean, minimalistic appeal that works with various architectural styles, and there are plenty of ways to achieve it. You can paint an existing front door in a deep, matte black to serve as a focal point against a crisp white exterior. Or, if you prefer a lighter touch, opt for a white front door set against a black exterior. Either choice will provide a sharp, sophisticated contrast, immediately drawing the eye.

Your front door doesn't always need to take centre stage. If you want some of your other exterior features to take centre stage, consider using a smaller front door that doesn't distract the eye from any other elements you want to feature. For example, perhaps you want passers-by to notice the decorative feature in your driveway or that new type of luxury cladding you've invested in. If this is the case, choose a front door in a subtle colour or tone with minimal design elements that blend with your home's exterior rather than sticking out.

Enhancing security doesn't mean you need to compromise style. Elevating your home's entryway with a fresh, modern set of shutters is a great way to create a barrier between the outside world and your front door while adding to your home's kerb appeal. In the summer, you can keep your front door open while the shutters are locked to keep that cool air coming in; in the winter, the additional layer provided by the shutters can help break up a cool drought to help your home stay warmer.

As you can see, there are many different ways to style a front door, and plenty of options suit every home style. Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to choose a front door that suits your tastes and helps you create an entrance to your home that truly stands out. 

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