Front Doors - Georgian, Regency, Victorian, Edwardian, Traditional & Moderne Style

1714 - 1837 Georgian & Regency Style

A typical Georgian door would of been a simple six panelled design without glass. The two smaller top panells may of been changed to glass in the later Georgian or Victorian period.

Georgian houses would have had simple flat frontages. Windows and doors would be set back at least four inches from the brick face. Front doors sometimes had a simple semi-circular fanlight above. Later in the Georgian period more detail appeared. Stone work to provide a grander entrance with classical pillars, pediments, hoods and porches.

1830 - 1901 Victorian

Victorian houses tended to have narrow hallways and entrances. The front door was often made of softwood and painted, stained or grained to look like hardwood. The doors would have been panelled, divided into four or six sections with some panels filled with glass. A beautiful front door would have been very important to the Victorian home owner so it would have been well maintained with gleaming brass furniture.

1901- 1920 Edwardian

Edwardian houses were often built on wider plots so a side window sometimes flanked the main door letting in more light to the hallway. The front door was often large, panelled and painted with Art Nouveau or Neo-Georgian glass. It was popular to paint the doors red or green. By the Edwardian period most householders no longer had maids to scrub the step and polish the brass knockers so door furniture was finished with a maintenance free black coating. Steps were made of stone or covered with a simple sheet of metal.

1920's Traditional

The ideal look for a traditional home would have been heavy oak doors but often a more affordable choice was staining a cheaper wood. When doors were painted they would have been in dark colours of green and black with edges and panels picked out in cream. Traditional style doors would have used cast iron door furniture. Handles would often be seen two thirds of the way up. Decorative led glass work would have been found in the top half of the door or as a sidelight.

"The best way of finding the right style of front door is to look at the other houses in the neighbourhood. Chances are you'll see the original style for your house, but don't try and commit it to memory always take a photo of the other doors before you choose one for you." Channel 4 Homes

1930's Moderne

Moderne style homes would likely have had painted softwood doors with geometric shapes of coloured glass, often using patterns of sun rays or chevrons. Door furniture tended to reflect the Hollywood fashion with chrome.