bendersnwenders

Design help needed - Victorian house - new front door issue

Wendy
4 years ago

We have just had a new door with frosted panel above fitted to our 1885 farmhouse, to replace a non-original dark plank door with no windows.

Unfortunately, the new door is too tall and only opens 45 degrees before hitting internal door lintel (measuring error by installer), so it is having to be remade. The glass in the outer and inner (original Victorian) front doors should line up such that light streams into the (dark) hallway (we had a solid outer door before - not original). The front door design itself will remain the same as you see below in the photos, but obviously made in the correct size to open and proportioned to match the internal original Victorian door. However, there is something not quite right about the framing - the whole thing looks like an arrow pointing upwards. Can anyone suggest what we could do to the frame and/or triangle window above to make the door frame tie in better with the porch corbels, etc.? I feel like our house has had a nose job, but it has gone just a little

bit wrong. When the new door is made shorter, there will be even more timber frame above than is there now. There just seems to be too much white around the door - making the arrow shape so obvious. The wooden frame for the window above the door is too thick (again mismeasured and padded out so too much white we think) and seems out of proportion with the narrow glazing bars and frames of the new windows. Is the solution simply to paint all of the door surrounds, including the frame, in Pigeon, thus taking away the white altogether? (Our side porch - just seen in photo - and other doors are painted this Pigeon/anthracite colour.) Should we remove or keep the glass above? (It gives us a little borrowed light into the hall, but we are not fixed to the idea of it having to be glass vs. panelled.) Any other ideas would be gratefully received. Also, do we match the outdoor lights either side of the door to match door fixings or gutter? The door fixings will be nickel, but the gutters are black cast iron. Black or chrome/nickel lights? Fixings are just seen ready for lights to go on. Thank you!




Comments (14)

Ireland
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