5 Favorites: British Front Doors with Style

A door with no information in England is a door which probably belongs to: a) someone very grand, whose address is possibly “xx Hall, in the County of xx” or b) a person who has posted all the relevant information at the top of the drive, so why repeat it.

My favorite kind of door has less furniture and more patina and color. Brass, chrome, and nickel are all subject to fashion, and so are best avoided if one is going for the pure essence of a front door.

(N.B.: For more paint color secrets from England, see “Paint Colors for Iron Gates and Fences.”)

Photography by Kendra Wilson, for Gardenista.

Above: A house with no information; it’s all at the top of the drive. (N.B.: Want to see more of our favorite photos? See what we’re pinning and then follow us on Pinterest here.)

Above: A door in Spitalfields, London, has subtle, well-appointed numerals, immaculately carved. Beautiful colors for a really glossy front door from Papers and Paints.

Above: In Spitalfields, more immaculately carved numbers. They do not “go” with the door color, and they do not “not go.” They are integral to the door. In the UK, Philip Surey specializes in carving of wood and stone.

Above: On Mermaid Street in Rye, East Sussex, two houses have been joined together on the inside but instead of an unattractive gap or omission there are still two front doors. No numbers required and possibly, no letters either, as everyone will know this as “The House With…”

Above: “…Two Front Doors.” Further along the paved streets of Rye, there are plenty of Tudor houses to gaze up at, when really you should be studying the ground due to the wildly uneven cobbles. The only way to be a free-thinker in Rye is to eschew the convention of black, black painted beams against white, white plaster.

Above: Wooden beams with shades of gray and hints of mossy green are warmer. Added to this, good lettering which has experienced something of life plus a medievalist lamp, makes a cheery entrance to a cottage.

For more inspiration, see 292 images of Doorways & Entries in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.