Your Guide to Contemporary Style Doors
By: Architectural Visions
From Traditional to Modern to Victorian to Art Deco, there are a plethora of popular styles in which you can design and renovate your home. There are also numerous design choices you can make to create a certain style for your household, and an integral part of accentuating that style is through installing new doors.
An immensely popular choice currently for homeowners is Contemporary doors. At AVI, we are here to help you understand what elements truly comprise a Contemporary door, and what types of households and furnishings match well with a contemporary style. Here is a guide to help you choose the perfect contemporary front or interior door for the next time you decide to renovate your home.
Key Takeaways
- Unlike the straight lines and earthly hues of modern styles, contemporary styles can be harder to characterize because they’re happening right now and always evolving.
- Typically, contemporary styles have colors with neutral hues such as blacks, whites, and grays.
- Although contemporary door styles change, some common characteristics include clean lines, neutral tones, and flat surfaces
Modern vs Contemporary Style
Although people often use “Contemporary” and “Modern” interchangeably, they are in fact two distinct styles. Therefore, it’s important to lay out the unique elements of both. Modern style refers to a specific era in the 20th century, the most popular arising in the 1950s and 60s. Just like its predecessors, Modern style is basically set in stone. Straight lines, bright, earthy hues, metal material, lack of ornateness – these design aspects really encapsulate a modern style.
On the other hand, Contemporary tends to exhibit the current, albeit fluctuating trends of today; it is continually looking towards the future. As of now, this style is associated with curved lines and neutral colors. Contemporary does draw from Modern style, however, in that both focus on minimalism, clean architectural lines, and an open space feel.
What is Contemporary Style?
Contemporary literary means, “of the moment”; it’s always evolving. What we think of as contemporary in the realm of design, however, began distinguishing itself in the 1970s. This style stands on the legs of giants, creating a unique expression that combines elements of styles such as Modern, Art Deco, Traditional, and Futurism. In current Contemporary style, there is just as much focus on form as function. Therefore you will see such combinations as the vivid, straight lines of Modern style with the elegant curves of Art Deco. As previously stated, Contemporary colors tend toward neutral hues: blacks, whites, grays and tan are a priority. Also, contemporary style currently calls for an abundance of light and open space.
What Makes a Door Contemporary?
So what elements of a door do you need to consider when you are creating a contemporary feel in your home? While these elements are always changing, the mainstay contemporary elements include clean lines, a lack of clutter, and neutral colors. Flush front doors are a popular contemporary choice, characterized by a flat surface over the entire door. These doors can have additions such as panel windows, combined wood species, and grooves. Multi-horizontal lite doors also make for great contemporary front and interior door additions. The long, clean lines of glass panels of the door create a dramatic, open feel. A contemporary front door or interior door may also contain a simple lite or one large flat panel. The addition of the panels and units allows you to control the amount of light that comes in a room, key for creating an air of openness.
Contemporary Front Doors and Contemporary Interior Doors
When considering Contemporary front doors vs Contemporary interior doors, the actual design elements of Contemporary style tend to be universal, meaning you can include them in a door no matter the location inside or outside. Clean lines and neutral colors accentuate the feel of a contemporary front door as well as a contemporary interior door. Flush doors work inside and outside the home, and grooves can be added to allow the combination of straight lines with curves. Multi or single glass units or large windows work just as well on the exterior as well as the interior.
Obviously, the inherent differences of an exterior and interior door, in regards to insulation and the material used must be considered. An exterior door will require more insulation and need to be made of more durable material, while an interior door does not necessarily.
Contemporary Door Trends
It again must be emphasized that contemporary style is by definition always changing, and this rule applies just as much to Contemporary front doors and Contemporary Interior Doors. If you’re looking to give a contemporary feel in its current version, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to those neutral hues, the combination of strong straight lines and curves, and that feeling of openness. Flush doors, multi-horizontal light panels, and simple one panels are popular choices currently to help you achieve that contemporary feel.
Choosing a Contemporary Style Door for your House
As with any home renovation, you’ll want to consider the current style of your house and whether a contemporary front door or contemporary interior door is a good fit. The inherent advantage of Contemporary style is that it borrows from others, so perhaps it is possible to blend and achieve an overall contemporary feel. Window choice is, however, key to creating a cohesive feel, so definitely consider installing Contemporary style windows if you intend to do the same with your doors.
Obviously, a Contemporary door will fit most easily in a household with a completely Contemporary motif. As stated previously, however, if you can find where styles overlap, you have a better chance of creating an overall unified effect in your home’s style. With Contemporary style, you are looking to combine clean lines, open space, and simplicity over ornateness. Therefore, contemporary doors can potentially match well with Modern, Art Deco, Futuristic, and Industrial styles for example.
Find Contemporary Doors Near You
Regardless if you are looking for contemporary front doors or contemporary interior doors, AVI Windows and Doors is your one stop shop for all your home renovation needs. Our experts stand ready to help you pair up the best contemporary doors to your house. Furthermore, our high-quality door brands and door installation service are second to none, meaning we can definitely help give your house a trendsetting, contemporary look.
Please come by one of AVI’s Southeast locations where you can come view our contemporary door selection in our showrooms or contact us to set up a virtual online experience to view our doors from the safety and comfort of your home. From there we can provide you an estimated project price. We look forward to helping you renovate your home and keeping it current with our contemporary doors.