Choosing Beautiful Glass for Your Entry

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for Direct from the Designers™

The front door is the natural focal point of your home—does yours draw attention for all the right reasons? One of the best ways to improve an entry’s style and ambiance is with decorative glass. It can be appreciated from both sides, so it’s a great way to get more bang for your design buck! If you’re interested, here’s what you should know about selecting glass for your front door.

Decide on an Entry Configuration

A door can be so much more. Double doors add grandiose flair, but you can also add sidelite and/or transom features to dress up a single door. And don’t forget about doorlites, especially if you want glass but space is at a premium. You’ll find all sorts of shapes and sizes to outfit your entry whether you want to maximize glass or privacy is a concern. For more in-depth information to help you figure out which configuration is right for you and your home, please read Using Sidelites and Transoms to Define Your Entry.

The look of a glass pattern can be affected by the configuration—consider rectangular vs. half-round transoms, or full vs. half sidelites—because different versions are needed to elegantly fill different spaces. Not all designs work in all spaces, either. You should decide whether the configuration or the glass style is more important in case you need to alter your plans.

Pick the Perfect Glass Style

No matter your architecture or preferred aesthetic, there are multiple glass families that’ll look great. They range from simple to complex and incorporate a number of types of glass—clear, seeded, hammered, baroque, etc.—as well as bevels and caming to shape and accentuate each pattern. Most designs fall into one of two stylistic categories, traditional or contemporary, so start in the right section to ensure your final choice complements the house. It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and fall in love with something that clashes with the rest of the design scheme!

Traditional glass designs are elegant and flowery. They tend to focus on graceful patterns full of curves, inspired by greenery and European motifs. Contemporary designs are typically linear or geometric, with sharply defined angles. Within these categories there’s a lot of variation, so consider whether you want emphasis with a small centerpiece or otherwise basic design, or if you want the whole pane to be filled with a repeating or radiating pattern. Have the glass be a level or two more complex than the overall look of the façade, because you want it to draw attention, but you don’t want it to stand out so much that it looks out of place.

Consider Fine-Tuning the Look

Depending on the specific glass, there may be color options to explore. Most often, caming is the variable you can change, and it can really make a big difference! For example, black nickel very clearly shows off the lines of the design, while brushed nickel and bronze have a lighter and brighter effect. You may discover that a pattern works well for rustic and glitzy aesthetics alike. The same glass can take on a whole new vibe when this element is changed, so don’t discount anything until you’ve seen it in all its forms.

There are so many more possibilities than can be covered here, so check out the full range of Decorative Glass Designs available from Therma-Tru® Doors. They note which configuration elements and door collections are compatible with each type of glass to make planning easier, and you can also brainstorm using their Design Your Door tool. If you’d like expert guidance, find a local dealer to start the conversation!