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dutty_gw

Thoughts on Vestibule Door

dutty
11 years ago

Greetings all:

I'm back and still working on streamlining this beast of a plan and figuring out the windows. I have a question about the front entry that I'm hoping I can get some feedback on.

Currently, we have a vestibule and you can see the arch that leads to the foyer. I didn't want to be able to see any of the door when looking back through the arch. All I want to see is the centered stained glass window. If I center the door, you can see the trim in the arch so we moved the door all the way right. Now I'm just not sure that the off center door doesn't look crazy.

Anyone have any thoughts? Should I just fudge the door right by 6 inches to account for the trim? Or, does the right aligned door work? I mocked up the right side door. If I fudge it and center the door, I will place another stained glass window on the other side of the door.

I'm just not sure.




Comments (8)

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    I think it looks funnier in your exterior elevation because the door knob/handle is on the right side; but in your 2d floorplan, it would be on the left. Will your door open out like this too?

    Can you fix your door knob in your elevation and see if that fixes your illusion? Also, will the door be such a stark contrast of color compared to your exterior? That can make a difference too.

  • dutty
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks so much, Kirk!!

    Doh... I've been moving pieces around so much that I forgot to flip the door handle from the original version. I flipped it. I also mocked up the slightly off center version. I checked the plan and it seems the architect doesn't have the vestibule lined up perfectly with the porch (which I'm sure he has a reason for) so after fiddling with the centered orientation, I'm not sure you can really tell. I'll add that, too.

    Is it weird to have an off centered door? I've seen it done before but never really paid attention but now that I'm building, I'm getting hung up on things.

    As for the color of the door, it will be a stark contrast. My DH loves that look and we'll probably have a couple difference color doors inside (dark red, and dark blue) if you can imagine! :)

    OK, here are the two versions (and the door handle is wrong in the second one but I don't think it matters when centered)

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    Honestly, I could go either way on these 2. Flipping the door handle made a difference, I think.

    In your design, having it "off center" doesn't feel too strange because you have the balance of the large window.

    I think it looks beautiful!

  • mydreamhome
    11 years ago

    Dutty--great to see you back!!! You know I'm not really an off-center kind of girl, but I think it looks great on your house. I like option 1 the best. Out of curiosity, how large is the stained glass window?

  • threeapples
    11 years ago

    first, what a beautiful house you're planning! i'm really the type of person who prefers symmetry, so i'd likely gravitate toward the option with two stained glass windows, but the first really does work well with the style of your home. i think you could go either way. which do you prefer?

  • chispa
    11 years ago

    What bothers me visually is the way one of the columns blocks one of the triple windows. I think the asymmetrical doors looks good.

  • _sophiewheeler
    11 years ago

    What bothers me is the confusion over where the front door is actually located. It's short and doesn't have the prominence that you would expect when the scale of the rest of the house is seen as a whole. It's small and lost. And there is the door? between the gable bumpout and the shed roofed porch that looks more like a front entry door than the door under the porch roof looks like. So, if I were coming to the home, I wouldn't be sure where to go. Could that secondary nested gable over the door be brought forward to give a more defined entry location? And then, use a taller door that is more in scale with the mass of the home as a whole?

  • dutty
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    THanks so much for the input everyone!!! I'm so glad that the off-center isn't bugging people. One more thing I don't have to worry about. ;)

    @dream - That window is roughly (I did it by eye on that elevation) 18" x 4.5 feet. After playing last night, I changed it to be 24"x5 feet. I'll post an updated pic when I'm done tweaking and you can tell me what you think.

    @threeapples - Thank you! It's funny, I wanted a prarie home or a modern home but DH wasn't having it so we ended up with a farmhouse. :) So, it makes me extra happy when I hear other people like it cause it makes me feel better about my compromise! Ya know, I've been staring at it and I could go either way. I'm sorta thinking the off center door gives a little more visual interest and I'm leaning that way.

    @chispa - I TOTALLY know what you're talking about... it bothers me, too. The issue is that no matter where we put the columns, it works out that it's blocking something and structurally they need to be in certain spots. To some extent, the house will be viewed at all different angles but I'm gonna talk to the architect and see what we can do.

    @holly - The front door is 8 feet tall, is that too short? I can see what you mean about the second set of doors but it actually won't be so prominent in real life. That's actually a set of iron gates that are set back into a breezeway. I don't think they'll look like a door the way they do on the 2D plan... and they are set pretty far back as well. Plus, the front door will have a walkway to it. I HATE 2D... I really need a 3D mockup of this beast! It's funny, the architect had the porch extended to create more of an entry but we killed it because with the way the porch roof needed to be constructed, it became too flourishy. I wanted really simple... I actually hate the double peak but I've been outvoted by DH and the architect. Do you think double doors would be better?