Consider your home’s front door.
When’s the last time you really noticed it? Have you ever really, truly looked at it — its components, color, texture and condition? If you strip away any wreaths, décor or personalized house numbers and just had the basic elements to identify it with, could you?
You use it multiple times a day, every day. Open, close, push, pull, lock it behind you, yell at the kids every so often for leaving it ajar. But entering and exiting your home has likely become second nature to you, and you don’t give it a second thought. And why should you? As we come and go, we’re often doing so while going through the motions of day-to-day life and thinking of a million other things besides our entry doors.
But your entry door deserves your consideration. It does a lot more for your home than serve as a thoroughfare for your family and visitors. Your front door can boost curb appeal, enhance your home’s security and help achieve cohesive, whole-home design.
Door Parts and Hardware
To understand the role your entry door plays in your home, you should first understand its various parts and hardware. Think of this as Doors 101.
A typical entry door is made up of multiple components. We know you’re familiar with some of these, but we’ll give brief descriptions of others that may not be as commonly known. Components include:
- Knob or handle
- Key lock
- Hinges
- Frame — the entire framework surrounding and supporting the door, including the sill (bottom), jambs (sides) and head (top)
- Threshold — the transition from the door sill to the floor of the room
- Door sweep — a piece of weather stripping at the bottom of the door that forms a seal between the sill and frame
- Strike plate — a small metal plate screwed into the door jamb where the door’s bolt meets its hole
Other elements, such as doorglass and its frame and sidelights are optional, but as just as impactful.
Each part plays a role in the door’s operation, effectiveness and coordination with surrounding home décor and architecture. But it’s perhaps one of the optional elements that plays the largest role in both giving your entryway character and using it to its fullest potential. As a doorglass manufacturer, that’s where we come in.
Doorglass is huge contributor to the capabilities we listed earlier — improving curb appeal, security and design cohesiveness. Let’s explore the powers of doorglass.
Boosted Curb Appeal
Festive wreaths and front porch décor can help amp up your curb appeal, but they don’t have the same sense of permanence as a beautiful front door. But doorglass stands apart from the other components of an entry door in its ability to add personality to a door, either subtly or boldly.
Decorative doorglass options, like those from ODL, range from etched glass to layered patterned glass, and can bring your curb appeal from drab to fab the moment they’re installed.
Enhanced Security
A sense of security can make or break a homeowner’s interest in a home. No home is at zero risk of damage or security incidents but selecting the right building products can help mitigate the risk of danger.
As the portal to the outside world and all of the danger it holds, the front door and its components are subject to scrutiny. But doors that are built with quality materials and properly-installed hardware do wonders at keeping those dangers out.
A working lock and sturdy deadbolt help protect your home from unwanted visitors. A door sweep works as a seal, keeping your entryway free from damaging water or uncomfortable drafts. Believe it or not, some doorglass models can help protect your home from storm damage, too.
Our severe weather doorglass is designed for security and engineered for strength, a perfect solution for homes in hurricane-prone areas or regions with high winds. Our severe weather glass, available for a range of our decorative doorglass products, undergoes missile-impact, water-infiltration, structural-loading and forced-air-infiltration testing to ensure it is durable against wind- and water-borne debris, as well as the elements themselves.
More Cohesive, Whole Home Design
Finally, when it comes to design, most homeowners want cohesive, complementing décor and building products. Your doorglass can play an integral role in accomplishing those whole-home design dreams. For instance, you can use decorative doorglass patterns to complement other surrounding décor in a subtle way.
For a bolder look, you can use divided light looks, such as simulated divided light (SDL) or grilles between glass (GBG) to achieve an aesthetic vision. The popular modern farmhouse and urban loft trends both often use divided light.
Homeowners looking for coordinating, yet functional doorglass options should look no further than Enclosed Doorglass Blinds from ODL. Enclosed blinds give homeowners the utmost control over privacy and light, and are now available in a new, neutral color collection that blends seamlessly into a wide range of color palettes and design tastes.
Yes, your door is so much more than a thoroughfare. It’s also a design element, a security feature and your home’s welcome to family after a long day and guests from near and far.
To learn more about doorglass options from ODL, please visit our Inspiration Gallery.
