A paneled craftsman door is often set within a matching ornamental frame.
Craftsman architecture employs simple, straight-lined designs and natural materials to achieve a visual quality which appeals to working-class sensibilities, yet is mildly ornate. A craftsman door incorporates this design principle by making use of paneled or battened woodwork, modest window panels and matching sidelites. The entryway around a craftsman door incorporates many of the trademarks of craftsman architecture, including exposed wood construction, natural materials and subtle attention to detail. Does this Spark an idea?
Craftsman Architecture
Built-in cabinets and custom woodwork define the craftsman style.
The craftsman style dates back to the early 19th century, when smaller, simpler homes began to overtake the more ornate Victorian architecture of the time. Craftsman-style bungalows remained popular among working-class home buyers until after World War II, when the casual ranch style emerged. The craftsman style features straight interior lines and open space, and is distinguished by an abundance of custom woodwork. Craftsman-style woodworking extends from indoor shelves and wood trim to the home's exterior doors and entryways.
Door Construction
A battened door, with horizontal boards, creates a classic look and feel.
Craftsman doors gain their features and texture by virtue of the wood from which they are made. The door may feature one or more recessed panels. Two tall panels might run vertically along the face of the door, four panels may be arranged in two parallel groupings, and other numbers or arrangements of panels are also possible. A door may also be battened, with an exterior arrangement of parallel boards held together by a second level of horizontal boards. As with paneled doors, batten doors achieve slightly different looks according to the angle of the outside boards, which may be either vertical or diagonal in relation to their horizontal support boards.
Windows
Stained glass incorporated into a vintage panel door adds color and character.
The process of fitting windows into the panel space of a craftsman door is called glazing, and is common in paneled doors. Windows are generally glazed within the upper third of the door, where they take the place of the upper recessed panels. If the door has sidelites, matching glass windows are placed in the sidelites as well, and dentil shelf is common below them. Glass may also fill some or all of the other panels, or a single window may be built into one large panel on the door's surface.
Entryway
Sidelites and brickwork accentuate the natural materials of a paneled craftsman door.
The décor and trim around a craftsman door are built to match the door itself. In addition to matching sidelites, the entryway may feature other handcrafted wood trim that emphasizes natural materials and sturdy simplicity of the craftsman design. This design may also extend beyond the door frame and its immediate surroundings to include matching woodwork on a porch, with tapered square columns for support, and an unfinished wooden ceiling. Even seemingly inconsequential features, such as house numbers and wall sconce, may be custom-made to accent the central feature of the door.
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