How to Choose a Modern Front Door

A modern front door makes a huge impact on your home’s curb appeal. Eye-popping front door colors and etched glass designs let in loads of light and create a unique look.

This modern wood French-style front door is set into a full glass wall with side lights and transoms. The long pole-style stainless steel handle and deadbolt match the door’s color for a cohesive look.

Solid Black

Black front doors can harken back to traditional elegance and also highlight the sleek lines of modern houses. Solid black doors look great with a light tan or white houses. They offer a stark contrast with dark brick and wood, too.

Whether stained or painted, a solid black door can stand out against any home exterior color. For a high-contrast effect, add sidelights or other glass elements to your front door. This entry from Makemineaspritzer is a good example: the sidelights let in tons of natural light without sacrificing privacy.

Keep in mind that black front doors can require more maintenance than lighter colors. For instance, wood doors can swell in hot weather, and dark paint may exacerbate that problem. Steel and fiberglass doors, on the other hand, won’t warp or swell in extreme heat.

Brown Metal Frame

Brown front doors are a great option for cream house colors. They’re a warm complement and blend in nicely with the exterior. Many of these modern doors feature a “sandwich” construction that combines steel and wood panels for reliable protection.

This Bohemian-style modern Ipe front door has a lot of thin vertical strips of real hardwood-stained dark chocolate brown. The stacked panels provide texture and dimension up close. It’s topped off with long stainless steel pole-style door handles and a square deadbolt lock.

Selecting the right color for your front door is a huge decision. Luckily it’s easy to get it right using some basic color theory.

Picture Frame Gray

When choosing a modern front door color, look for neutral hues that can stand the test of time. Even deep reds and navy blues can work if they complement the home’s exterior. For a more neutral option, opt for a wood stain that highlights the door’s natural material or grain pattern.

A bright pop of front door color can create a bold statement. If a bold shade is too much, try a dark version to tone down the effect.

This oversized real wood modern front door features a picture frame design with long stainless steel pole handles and a square deadbolt lock. This home uses a glass wall system with side lights and transoms that accentuate the door design.

Pivot Style

Pivot doors offer an elegant look while remaining functional. They’re wide enough to easily fit furniture and are perfect for large sleek glass doors that let natural light flood into your home. They can also masquerade as walls, allowing you to hide office space, a bedroom, or even a home library from view when it’s not in use.

These doors revolve on a pivot box in the floor and top jamb instead of traditional door-side hinges. They’re ideal for large panels and create unique opening architectures. But be aware that with this sleek design comes less walkthrough space than a traditional hinged door.

Ipe Wall

Many modern front doors feature horizontal designs of some sort but it’s cool to throw in a vertical element as well. This door is a natural light-colored Ipe wood French style with a single slim glass side and transom panel. Stainless steel pole handle and deadbolt lock complete the look.

The homeowners chose to accentuate the Ipe wall with a custom-built double door that matches all the black framed windows and doors. The color choice is a nice compliment to the neutral colors of the house.

It’s important to understand complementary, analogous, and neutral colors when choosing your front door and house color. The color wheel will help you choose a color that works best for your home.

All Glass

A full glass modern front door provides a stunning focal point for your entryway. It can also let in more light while showing off your house’s interior design. Choose from a wide variety of decorative glass options like geometric patterns or etched frosted glass.

Full glass doors are a good choice for homeowners who want to see who’s coming up to their doorstep without opening the door. Adding a peephole is another option.

Full glass doors can also be energy efficient. JELD-WEN exterior doors use solid fiberglass “skin” and foam core insulation to reduce heat loss. They’re durable and resist cracking, swelling, and rusting.