Window and Door Designs to Match Your Home

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With the McMansion trend coming to a screeching halt, our brick&batten designers are swarmed with questions about how to match the right window and door styles to their home. To match correctly, it requires a bit of knowledge about your home’s style, trends, likes and dislikes. That said, your doors and windows are essential to the overall curb appeal of your home. Not only do they contribute to your everyday enjoyment, but they lend character to your home and tell visitors a bit about your personality and style.

Windows and doors serve a practical purpose; however, they should be beautiful! Our designers are standing by to help you with these selections, but here are some tips in choosing the right window and door styles to complement your home.

♦ Victorian Home 

Characteristics of Victorian Homes:

Victorian homes have character all their own! They were original architecture refers to styles that emerged between 1830-1910. Bay windows, stained glass doorways, iron railings, ornate trim work, decorative wrap around porches with fancy spindle work. Victorian homes are designed to impress.

Window and Door Designs:

Because of this, the windows and doors should follow suit. You can consider a mixture of double hung, transom, arched, and bay windows. Trim usually has detailing in the corners or throughout. Doors may include decorative glass panels or stained glass and preferably made from wood or sometimes fiberglass. Hardware on a Victorian door is a place to get creative and key to expressing the time period. Enlarged hardware with scrolling and details isn’t uncommon. Placing the hardware in the center of the door and etching house numbers in the transom above the door is also appropriate. 

An example of a classic Victorian home
A classic Victorian front door with an intricately patterned transom window

♦ Spanish/ Mediterranean 

Characteristics of Spanish Mediterranean Homes:

Mediterranean homes are inspired by seaside villas in France in Italy. They are gorgeous but can’t be pulled off in every environment! Many have terra-cotta roofs and stucco exteriors. Spanish Mediterranean style homes may have small wrought iron balconies outside windows and upstairs doors. Many homes have ornate tile and curved arches over doors and windows, with ornamental ironwork and tower like chimneys. There’s nothing not to love about Spanish Mediterranean architecture. 

Window and Door Designs:

That said, windows and doors are critical to complete the look of a Spanish Mediterranean style. We often recommend double doors, arched windows and/ or doors, made of wood. Most of the time the wood is done in dark stain staying away from cherry, natural, or cedar. Wrought iron grilles are still used today to complete the look. Some doors include a peek-a-boo window at the top with a grille around it, like a cage. Think 90% The Bachelor mansion meets 10% gothic Game of Thrones.  

Before and after of a Spanish-style home with wood front door and garage doors
An example of a classic Spanish Mediterranean style home
An example of a Spanish Mediterranean style front door
Before and after of a Spanish Mediterranean style home with updated double wood front doors with large windows

♦ Craftsman 

Characteristics of a Craftsman Home:

A Craftsman style home originated in the early 1900’s with the Arts and Crafts Movement. They generally have low pitched roofs, front porches with square or tapered columns, heavy window trim, exposed beams, and larger eaves with brackets in the gables.  

Window and Door Designs:

Windows and doors need to reflect this. Most doors are made with solid wood. They usually have decorative glass or divided light windows on the top or even half of the door. Doors and windows are planked with heavy trim and/or sidelights with a similar window pattern. Windows in a Craftsman generally double hung with a more complex grid pattern on the top part of the window. The bottom of the windows are generally open open. There is nothing simple about Craftsman windows and doors, as you notice in a more contemporary design.

An example of a three-season porch, including front doors, on a Craftsman-style home
brick&batten rendering of a Craftsman-style home rendered in white paint with a black front door
Example of a classic wood Craftsman-style front door
Before and after of a Craftsman-style bungalow with painted windows and front door

♦ Contemporary 

Characteristics of a Contemporary Home:

Many people confuse contemporary and modern. Modern refers to an era in time that has passed. Think vintage. Contemporary refers to now and in the future. Contemporary homes explore ways to use glass and metals. The colors are more black, white, grey, and steel. These designs stay away from curved lines and prefer straight edges. 

Window and Door Designs:

This minimalistic approach is continued on doors and windows. Windows and doors are created without a grille to obstruct the view. Occasionally there will be simple lines outlining the edge of windows; however, the design must be simple, open, and straight. At brick&batten we prefer iron glass doors to open up the design and draw eyes to the doorway. 

Example of a contemporary style home with large windows, without panes or grilles, and a large wood front door
Example of a contemporary home with lots of large windows that don't have grilles
An example of the front door of a contemporary home

Overall, certain home styles need certain window and door designs. A contemporary house looks ridiculous with a craftsman door. Discover your home’s fullest potential with a brick&batten virtual exterior design. We take the guesswork out of home exterior choices by allowing you to SEE your home with a new door or window style…. let’s get this right!

Author

Cassie co-founded brick&batten in 2017 with her sister, Alli, but her love of home design was born years earlier. Cassie’s passion for design can be traced back to her childhood, when she’d accompany her parents on road trips through small towns in search of inspiration for properties they would buy, fix up, and sell. Prior to launching brick&batten, Cassie worked as a fourth grade teacher, but her love of design, architecture, home renovation, and open houses inspired her to pursue a new career. When writing for brick&batten, Cassie aims to empower homeowners to make the best informed decisions for their property. She knows from experience how challenging home renovation can be, and when she writes, she puts herself in the shoes of every homeowner with similar frustrations. Cassie currently lives in Florida with her four children, an old dog, and her loving husband. When she’s not working, Cassie is most likely checking out a nearby open house or traveling to learn about the latest house trends.