Story by Jeanie Erwin | Photos compliments of Kansas City Millwork and Scottish Stained Glass
A strikingly designed entry door system speaks of beauty and comfort. Allowing more light to illuminate your entryway beautifies the inside and outside of your home and is the easiest area to make the biggest impact.
“Homeowners are recognizing that the main entry is the first impression of a home. They want something that has a lot of curb appeal and is memorable. A well designed door can make a very memorable first and lasting impression,” stated Martin Faith, President of Scottish Stained Glass in Kansas City.
Troy Beeler, Manager of Kansas City Millwork, agrees. “While kitchens and decks add to the value of your home, front entry doors are right up there too when talking about a return on investment. The effort put forth can be relatively small when compared to other home renovations. It is the first thing people see when they come up to a house and they definitely add character to the home,” he shared.
Building Beauty
Homeowners have several choices when it comes to incorporating glass inserts into their door or entry system. One choice is to add inserts into existing doors and doorways. Another is to replace the door or entry system with elements that include glass inserts.
A retrofit is a simple installation and the homeowner gets the benefits of beauty and privacy with less effort and expense. Replacing the entire entryway with all new materials offers the opportunity to change not just the look and style of the door, but increases your home’s energy efficiency and allows the homeowner more options.
“We are seeing a lot of single doors with side lights or the changing of a double door into a single door with side lights, hence creating a new entry system for the home. Many times a transom window above the door is added to complete the package,” explains Beeler. Choosing this direction adds to the character of your home.
Illuminating Trends
The options in style and implementation are amazingly ample in the types of glass available.
“Decorative glass, bevel or clear, and stained glass are very popular,” notes Beeler. “The nice thing about bevel glass is that it is timeless. The caming color in stained glass could have the tendency to date the door if that color goes out of style, while bevel glass retains its style.” Beeler adds that glass designs offer a varying level of privacy and light to suit your preferences.
Heirloom Beauty
For homeowners that want to incorporate more color, and sometimes even more meaning into their design, stained glass is a beautiful and versatile option.
“Stained glass designs are completely custom, so they cater to a broad spectrum of clientele and styles,” explained Meghan Hessman, Senior Designer at Scottish Stained Glass. “Mission Style/Prairie Style designs are immensely popular in Kansas City. Homeowners with a contemporary style tend to lean towards these simple lines, geometric shapes and delicately placed design elements. Those with more traditional homes are usually drawn towards beveled glass designs with plenty of curves and embellishments. Those that consider their home neither contemporary or traditional, lean towards the transitional styles that have simple, straight forward designs with plenty of privacy.”
“Personalized designs provide a myriad of glass options,” notes Hessman. “These designs become family legacy pieces that are passed down as an heirloom to future generations.”
The front entry of your home is the gateway to your personal sanctuary, a complement to your home architecture, and a reflection of your style.
