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Cottage entry door


10 ways to create a warm welcome |

(Image credit: Bridget Pierson/Little Greene/Richard James Joinery)

Selecting the right cottage front door ideas for your home will create the finishing touch that will take your cottage from lowly to idyllic. Of course, choosing a new front door is no small task, in fact it is one of the most important decisions you can make for your home. When researching cottage front door ideas you must find a design that offers protection while also being aesthetically appealing.

So how do you know that you've chosen the right design for your home? With so many different front door ideas to choose from it can feel daunting. However, so long as you opt for a front door design that you love, which is in-keeping with your home's style and that complements the other home's found in your area, you can't go too far wrong.

Cottage front door ideas – 10 ways to create a warm welcome

Your front door is the most seen part of your house and, as such, makes an important first impression, setting expectations for the interior beyond. Therefore, choosing the right design is vital. The materials, color, size and fielding, as well as the doors that are used on other houses in your area will all influence which cottage front door ideas will best fit your home.

'When researching into styles for your new front door, always take the age and architecture of your home into consideration to ensure you choose an appropriate style door that perfectly complements and enhances your home’s beauty. Take some time to do some research online and look at neighboring properties of a similar style to see what would be a suitable choice,' advises Charles Fox, director at Timber Windows .

1. Consider the color when researching cottage front doors

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Color is a defining feature of many cottage front door ideas. However, it's far more complex than just picking a color that you like. 'When thinking about which color to select for your front door, there are a number of considerations; is the property brickwork or painted, is it a specific color or is there a color within the brick that you can pull out and coordinate with your front door? Alternatively, consider a bold color to create impact,' advises Ruth Mottershead creative director at Little Greene .

'If you’re struggling to select a shade, greens work well in an exterior setting, it’s a really comfortable color to use outside as we are surrounded by green in our natural environment. If you’re looking for a shade that will bring personality to your cottage exterior, consider a bright and cheerful yellow or pretty pastel pink which will put a smile on the face of your guests and passers-by.'

2. Add unique charm with a bespoke front door

(Image credit: Jack Badger)

Cottage style is all about the craftsmanship behind the products, so why not consider a bespoke cottage front door? 

'Getting the right door for the house, sitting just right in the doorway, can transform the entire look of the building and be equally rewarding every time you use it,' says Chris Harrison, commercial director of joinery company Jack Badger . 'The character and age of cottages lend themselves to using a specialist joinery company to work with on something as prominent and fundamental as a front door. A specialist will be able to help inform the design process to ensure the period detail is correct, and importantly will have the experience to fit the door in a way that works with the character of the property.'

3. Add period charm by selecting an antique door

(Image credit: Getty Images)

When looking for cottage front door ideas, be sure not to discount antique doors. Available from a variety of salvage yards, antique front doors bring with them an aged patina that is impossible to replicate with modern doors.

However, buying a reclaimed front door requires some additional consideration. ‘Check the measurements and make a list of the size of doors you need,’ says Andy Warnes from The Reclaim and Salvage Company . ‘Be aware that door frames require doors up to 10mm smaller in width and height – to allow a 5mm gap all round the door. You may have to be adaptable, especially on heights, as old homes often used to have thresholds in the doorways. The majority of these have now been removed making the height generally 20mm taller than the door it originally contained. '

‘Be wary of doors that have been stored outside in the elements, and avoid doors with black mould spot on them, especially if you wish to wax or oil them as the marks are hard to remove,’ adds Andy.

4. Dress a minimalist front door with seasonal wreaths

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Contrary to popular belief cottage front door ideas aren't all pastel colors and cheery designs. Darker front doors are very much in vogue at the moment, especially when paired with a white trim, and can work well as alternative cottage front door ideas.

A dark front door provides the perfect backdrop to other front door accessories such as wreaths and hardware. Antique brass door knockers and latches are a great way to elevate the look of your cottage front door ideas, while a seasonal wreath adds the elements of rustic charm that define the look.

You can even learn how to make a pine cone wreath or how to make a poinsettia wreath to add the finishing touches to your cottage front door ideas – both of these designs would look great all year round.

5. Restore an original door to add to the rustic charm

(Image credit: Polly Eltes)

If you're lucky enough to have an original front door, then it is vital that you preserve it. 'Always try to retain as much of the door’s existing fabric as possible, including door furniture. Seek professional assistance and minimise the amount of original material lost by splicing in new timber only where necessary. When making repairs, use like for like materials and techniques,' says Alison de Roeck, managing director of Kierson Sash Window and Timber Restoration . 

You can also update an original door by adding new door furniture. 'Buy the best you can afford and check the manufacturer’s instructions for the correct use of external lacquers and protection. Reclaimed or salvaged antique door furniture generally has the advantage of assured longevity and quality, even if it does need polishing,' continues Alison 

(Image credit: Richard James Joinery )

While commonly used for backdoors, a Dutch door, sometimes known as a stable door, also offers some great cottage front door ideas.  

Dutch doors get their name from the fact that this style of door was common in colonial Dutch-American houses in the early 1700s. 'Split at the center, the upper section could be opened independently of the lower half to let in light and fresh air while simultaneously keeping children in and unwanted animals and vermin out of the house,' explains Peter M. Kenny and Beth Carver Wees from The Metropolitan Museum of Art . These same benefits continue to be one of the major draws of this Dutch style of cottage front door ideas.

As well as offering safety from the outside, it also means that you can answer the door without providing access into your house. This is especially helpful if you have pets, as it enables you to open the door to delivery people while keeping your furry-friends safe behind the lower portion of the door. 

7. Bring life to a cottage with a bold front door color 

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While a color palette of pastels or natural wood might seem like the go-to choice for cottage front door ideas, you can still go bold while embracing cottage-chic.

'Don’t underestimate the impact of the color of your door on the overall look of the property. Keep the style of the house in mind, as the wrong color can devalue the property or reduce its appeal,' suggests Ryan Schofield, managing director of Thames Valley Window Company . 

Therefore, if deciding to opt for a bolder hue, take into account not only your own home's exterior but those around you. If your door is the only bold one on the street it will stand out, and not necessarily in a good way. If your cottage is on a street where several front doors can be seen in one glance, then you need to make sure that your door works with the palette of the neighbors' doors. 

8. Give your front door a cottage feel by growing wisteria

(Image credit: Bridget Pierson)

Purple wisteria tumbling over the facade of an idyllic brick cottage is a definitive feature of cottage-style. Of course, knowing how to grow wisteria is a key part of achieving this quintessential look, as is knowing how to prune wisteria – so before embarking on this gardening exercise, make sure you've done your research as this will ensure you get the very best blooms.  

Your cottage front door ideas will then revolve around complementing your cascading floral display. Opt for a more minimalist front door in a pale grey or sage shade that will not compete with the blooms for attention. Natural wooden cottage door ideas also work well as they complement the twisting trunk and branches of the tree. 

9. Add a porch to complement your cottage front door

(Image credit: Polly Eltes)

Offering shelter while you unlock the door, a porch offers a practical addition that also helps to create a cozy, welcoming entrance to your home. There are endless cottage porch ideas from which to choose, whether you're looking for an authentic oak frame pergola, a beautiful glazed design or a spacious sheltered area  where you can enjoy the results of your front yard cottage garden ideas.

When trying to pair cottage front door ideas with front porch design, it is important to consider how the two will work together. Try to echo architectural elements, such as matching weatherboards or gable ends with patterning in the door's fielding. Alternatively, opt for a complementary color palette that ties the two looks together.

Once built, your porch will also present lots of decorating potential.  Wondering how to decorate a front porch? Planters filled with cottage garden plants, ambient twinkling lights or even a cozy seating area are all great ways to add cottage charm to the front of your home.

10. Think about how your door looks from the inside as well as the outside

(Image credit: Robert Sanderson)

Cottage front door ideas are usually orientated around how they look from the outside, and this is important – after all it's the most seen part of your home. However, it is also vital to consider how your front door will look as part of your cottage hallway ideas.

White is a timeless choice that suits a variety of schemes and as such is a brilliant to pair with cottage front door ideas. However, when choosing white durability is essential, 'opt for a semi-gloss finish as it is a little more forgiving than a standard gloss paint,' says Ryan Schofield of Thames Valley Window Company.

What is cottage door?

A cottage door is one that exudes country charm. Think tongue and groove designs in pastel tones; the warm character of rustic wood or a versatile Dutch front door. Cottage front door ideas are not prescriptive, as is the ethos with all cottage designs, it is about embracing the character that makes your home unique and adding elements that complement its overall look.

How do you make the exterior of my house look like a cottage?

There are many ways to make the exterior of your house look like a cottage. From replacing your front door with a cottage-style design to growing wisteria up the front or  adding a rustic wreath, all add cottage charm to the exterior of your house. You can go one step further and research cottage porch ideas or grow cottage garden plants as these will also help the exterior of your house look like a cottage.

Having graduated with a first class degree in English Literature four years ago, Holly started her career as a features writer and sub-editor at Period Living magazine, Homes & Gardens' sister title. Working on Period Living brought with it insight into the complexities of owning and caring for period homes, from interior decorating through to choosing the right windows and the challenges of extending. This has led to a passion for traditional interiors, particularly the country-look. Writing for the Homes & Gardens website as a content editor, alongside regular features for Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors magazines, has enabled her to broaden her writing to incorporate her interests in gardening, wildlife and nature. 

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PL404 in MDF with Roman Ogee (OG) sticking and Flat (C) panel

The American cottage style of architecture is inspired by the English countryside and features a cozy, almost storybook character. Characteristics of the style include steep roofs, arched doors and casement windows. A variety of natural materials can be used ranging from wood siding, stone, shingles and copper.

Trustile’s Cottage series represents historically accurate door styles in both panel and glass configurations, as well as updated interpretations of the historic designs.

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Quarter Bead (QB) sticking with Flat (C) panel

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Doors to the cottage - catalog of metal entrance (street) doors for the cottage, prices from the manufacturer

Beautiful, luxurious and reliable doors for the cottage - the subject of our special care and pride.
To increase the thermal insulation characteristics and frost protection we use a special thermal break in the door structure (any of our doors can be made with a thermal break).

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What you should pay attention to when choosing an outdoor door:

room, you need to take care of the insulation.

We offer a thermal break device and comprehensive door insulation for street doors: fill the leaf and door frame with special materials, stick rubber seals, protect the metal parts of the door with a finish. We will do all this ourselves, carefully and accurately.

Deformation

Sometimes a private house shrinks, which can affect doorways. To prevent the front door from deforming, you can use special strapping frames.

We manufacture doors from strong 2 mm steel, so the risk of deformation is significantly reduced.

Atmospheric phenomena

For additional protection of the street door from the sun, snow and rain, it is recommended to install a canopy or canopy. When designing a cottage, you can provide a special niche for the door. We offer only weather-resistant materials for finishing exterior doors to cottages.

Vandal proof

As for the burglary resistance of cottage doors: it does not make sense to overpay for enhanced protection if the windows in the house are not closed with strong bars. We will offer you the best complete set of a warm door for a cottage or home, with reliable locks and branded fittings.

Finishing

Also, our specialists will perform the installation of the front door on a turnkey basis, with repairing wall irregularities and making slopes. You can order a full service cycle from Optima.

Frost protection thermal break

In order to improve the thermal performance of cottage doors, we recommend installing a frost protection thermal break

Such doors are always subject to higher requirements, they must be especially durable, with good noise and heat insulation.

We make the frame of the street entrance door from a reinforced welded profile. The metal sheet itself has a thickness of at least 2 mm, high-quality hardened steel is characterized by increased strength.

Metal doors for a cottage, like a work of art

We are sure that you need special entrance doors for your home - not only durable, but also unique in design. After all, a beautiful house with original architecture requires a decent “frame” in the form of an eye-catching front door.

Even if your house or cottage is built according to a standard design, you should pay maximum attention to the design of the front door. A beautiful, unusual door will immediately distinguish your house from similar buildings, give individuality. The building will acquire its own style, "charm", status.

What kind of doors can we offer for your house or cottage?

The choice of a good door depends on your preferences, the architecture of the building, the interior style of your home, and your budget. You get a 5-year warranty on all our products and components!

Among the range of our catalog, we can distinguish the main directions of external cottage doors:

  • solid panel doors made of solid oak or MDF;
  • original doors with wrought iron elements, glass or stained glass.

Metal doors with glass (stained glass) and wrought iron look particularly elegant, European-style. Artistic forged elements can be of any shape, they also have a protective function. Colored stained-glass windows enliven the appearance of the door, give brightness and a special mood.

Massive solid door leaf does not seem boring at all - we finish the surface with complex patterns using curly milling, convex panels. Branded fittings enrich the interface of the product and complete its style.

The Moscow company "Optima" will produce any metal doors for the cottage, according to individual design and in a short time. We value your time and opinion, we work until the client's requests are fully satisfied.

characteristics and operation features of doors for a private house

Contents

What will you learn

5 important characteristics

The price of a wrong choice

Where does the condensate come from

2 Ways to Prevent Outdoor Door Condensation

An effective solution - layer separation

To spoil the beauty

professional advice

If doors without thermal break

From us - a guarantee, from you - the implementation of recommendations

Preparing to buy: no spontaneous decisions

What you will learn

Entrance doors to the cottage, as well as apartment doors, serve as a boundary between the outside world and the interior of the house. Special requirements are imposed on their aesthetic and practical characteristics. The main feature of metal entrance street doors is that they are operated in more severe conditions than the entrance door to an apartment located in the entrance. After all, it doesn’t rain on it, it doesn’t snow, it doesn’t heat up from the sun’s rays in the summer heat.

And a good street door, like a faithful guard, steadfastly withstands the vagaries of nature and retains its impeccable appearance, remaining a reliable outpost for many years. In order to avoid mistakes in choosing street metal doors, it is important to realize that not every entrance door can be used in the "building-street" mode.

5 important features

High-quality entrance street doors should be:

  1. Reliable, well protecting the home from unauthorized entry.

  2. Practical, as they open and close many times a day.

  3. Attractive in appearance, to blend harmoniously with the facade of the house and organically fit into the interior of the room.

  4. Insulated to maintain a comfortable microclimate in cold weather and provide energy savings.

  5. Not subject to corrosion, fading of the decorative coating and other negative environmental influences.

If you want to buy entrance doors to a cottage, entrance, office or other building that meet all of the above characteristics, check out the Guardian's offers.

Wrong choice price

Owners who have not taken into account all the nuances of the correct choice of metal doors to the cottage often face such difficulties:

  • Sweating from the inside.

  • Freezing and icing of individual sections of the door leaf and frame.

  • Deformation of the decorative panel due to exposure to moisture, which is easily absorbed.

  • Stratification.

  • Changing the original shade of the color of the decorative coating.

As a result, not only the appearance of the door suffers, but its functionality is also impaired. To avoid problems, you should carefully study all the parameters of the product when buying.

If we draw a parallel between street insulated metal doors and outerwear of a person, then we can say the following. When choosing a jacket for rainy weather, we prefer the item to be made of water-repellent fabric. And for its inner part (lining) the presence of such an effect is not required, the fabric just needs to be pleasant to the touch and practical to wear. As for the door, the influence of precipitation and other natural phenomena occurs both on the outer part and on the inside. After all, for example, when opening a door to the street in frost, snowfall or during a downpour, we also test the strength of a decorative panel installed from the inside of the doors. Entrance doors freeze through, are exposed to ultraviolet radiation and deteriorate. One of the common problems with street doors is condensation.

Where does the condensate come from

The accumulation of wet drops can be seen on the overlays, handles, eyes and the inside of the entrance street insulated doors. Why does such a phenomenon occur? The steel from which the doors are made has a high thermal conductivity. It is almost three hundred times higher than the thermal conductivity of wood. When cooled, the metal becomes a conductor of cold. Frost appears. The main causes of condensation on the door:

"Cold bridges" are formed by the door frame, stiffeners and other details, despite the use of material for thermal insulation. Condensation negatively affects the condition of the door, so you should take care to prevent it.

2 ways to prevent condensation outside door

The acute problem of condensation is not typical for regions where there is little humidity and no frost. For example, in Sochi or Anapa it is very rare for the temperature to drop to zero degrees. As for areas where winters are severe, and autumns and springs are rainy, it is important to take special care to prevent the collection of moisture on the doors. Otherwise, you may encounter deep corrosion of the metal. At first, moisture accumulates in places where staining is difficult, and as a result, the entire product may rust.

To avoid condensation, you can do the following:

  1. Install an additional door in a cold vestibule.

  2. Install entrance doors to the house with a thermal break.

Let's look at each method in more detail. In the first case, at the entrance from the street you will be met by a steel door. Opening it, you find yourself in a cold vestibule that is not heated. Its depth should be at least one meter. This is followed by a door made of wood or plastic. After opening it, you find yourself in a living room.

In the second case, as soon as you open the entrance metal doors with a thermal break, you immediately find yourself in a living room.

Effective solution - layer separation

Entrance doors with a thermal break do not allow the inside to freeze due to the fact that the metal installed on it does not come into contact with the street side. Thermal break metal doors help prevent 3 problems:

1. Freezing.

2. Blowing out.

3. Icing.

This is achieved due to the fact that the outer and inner parts of the entrance street doors with a thermal break do not touch each other. A special layer with low thermal conductivity is installed between the two layers of metal, so materials with high thermal conductivity do not transfer their temperatures to each other. The formation of "cold bridges" is excluded.

In order not to spoil the beauty

Doors that separate the room from the street can be divided into the following types:

  • Technical purpose (door to a warehouse, barn or basement).

  • Entrance door groups (an integrated design solution that is used to decorate the entrance to shopping and office centers, administrative buildings).

  • Doors at the entrance to the cottage, house, entrance.

The price of high-quality metal insulated outdoor entrance doors with interesting design solutions is certainly an order of magnitude higher than the cost of technical doors. Therefore, it is important for the owners to keep the product in its original form so that it can reliably serve for many years. When buying entrance doors with a thermal break for a country house, entrance, office or other outdoor doors, it is important to take measures to protect the outer coating:

  • Install a canopy that will protect the doors from rain, snow and hail. It will also prevent the negative effects of UV on sunny days. If the balcony of the second floor is located directly above the door, consider that the problem has been solved. It or other architectural forms can serve as a natural barrier for protection. The main thing is not to allow the door to suffer from weather phenomena.

  • Order a special weather-resistant door treatment, which is successfully used by the Guardian company. This is the application of anti-corrosion primer or the method of double painting.

  • When installing outdoor metal doors with a thermal break, as well as doors without this function, it is better to choose a panel treated with a special protective varnish.

In the Guardian catalog there are many interesting options for decorative panels that have undergone weather-resistant processing. For example:

  • From ship plywood: Italy, Aquitaine.

  • From MDF: Mistral, Premier, Provence - painted; Vega, Italy, Legend - veneered; Maya 02, Mistral - laminated.

  • Plastic: Vega, 16 FP.

  • From the array: Senator, Verona.

When choosing a polymer powder coating, pay attention to the information specified in the catalog. Not all options can be used for double painting. A 28 (bright February) and 29(red anthracite) are not used for street doors. Black and brown moire is not used for interior decoration. Silk coatings are not used for certain types of door blocks (DS 1, DS 6, DS 10).

Professional advice

Guardian technologists strongly recommend not to install doors with unfinished decorative panels:

  • In rooms where the air temperature can drop below 10 ºC degrees Celsius and rise above 60 ºC with relative humidity above 60%.

  • In places where the rays of the sun freely fall.

  • Near sources of heat.

If you ignore the above tips, then this is fraught with unpleasant consequences: the wood may dry out, the color may fade, the plastic will peel off, the film will swell. Take care of your metal entrance street insulated doors if you start repair and construction work, which are accompanied by dust and increased humidity. Such a “shake” will not be useful even for the highest quality and most expensive product.

If doors without thermal break

If you do not plan to buy entrance doors with a thermal break, then take care of your own comfort and durability of the product in the following ways:

  • Order insulation of the door frame.

  • Get rid of the peephole. It is better that the door be solid so as not to provoke the appearance of icing.

  • To avoid freezing of the rods of the vertical bolts to the box, choose locks without a vertical drive.

  • Create a vestibule (it must be airtight and not heated).

From us - a guarantee, from you - the implementation of recommendations

Over the long years of existence on the market, Guardian products have gained a solid reputation. Manufacturers are confident in the quality of the goods, therefore they give an official guarantee for purchased insulated entrance doors with a thermal break and other types of products. Basically, it is from one and a half to three years - for coating, up to five years - for the metal structure of the door unit, from one to five years - for locks, fittings and components.

In order for products to serve for many years without any complaints, not only buyers, but also manufacturers are interested. But if the damage to the doors was due to non-compliance with the manufacturer's recommendations, the warranty will be voided. In particular, no claims will be accepted if a steel door block without pre-treatment for weather resistance is installed for building-street use.

Preparing to buy: no spontaneous decisions

Prices are set for Guardian street entrance doors, which will suit buyers with different budgets: from economy to premium class. To purchase exactly the product that suits you in terms of functional characteristics, you should clearly define the purchase criteria. Arm yourself with a pen and paper (or an electronic medium on which it is more convenient for you to make notes) and answer yourself these questions: