Give Your Garage Doors A Cottage-Style Flair
You recently bought a house that has a distinctive rustic or cottage-style appearance, or you're working to make your house look that way. The garage presents a problem because the door is relatively basic and boring, and it doesn't fit with your image of a cottage-style home. Implement some strategies to make that garage blend in with the rest of your home's country-style exterior.
Paint the Door
If you have some artistic talent, you might paint designs on the door that convey a cottage or country style. Using stencils is an option if you don't feel you have the skills for hand-painting the designs from scratch. A third possibility is having a local artist do the project for you.
Consider rosemaling designs, images of fish and wildlife for a lodge look, or lines of painted ivy and flowers. You also might paint the trim an entirely different color from the rest of the door. Go with nature tones of brown, tan, green, gray and slate blue or robin's egg blue.
Add an Arbor
Build a wooden arbor at the beginning of the driveway, preferably among trees or tall shrubs. You can have an arched or flat-top style; either looks rustic and old-fashioned with vines growing along it. If you worry about the maintenance involved with wood, consider a wrought-iron arbor instead.
Add Lights
You have many options for adding lights that create a rustic look for your garage door. Lamps that look like antique gas lamps, for instance, lend an old-fashioned appearance, as do carriage lights. Barn lights mounted on front of the building above the doors look rustic. Another possibility is finding true antiques that use bulbs to have mounted alongside your garage door.
Add Large Rocks or Stonework
Place large rocks by the driveway near the garage, or construct a stone or brick wall alongside the building. Replacing all or part of the driveway with paving stone or brick also provides traditional elements.
Replace the Door
If you can't envision the existing door ever conveying the image you want, set forth some plans to replace the door in the future. A carriage-style system is ideal, with its swing-out doors and small windows at the top. You don't have to open them manually; modern systems come with automatic openers and remotes. Overhead doors also are available that look like carriage doors.
Go with wood rather than vinyl for authenticity. Again, if you're concerned about the maintenance required with wood, choose a metal door instead.
For more information, contact Quality Door Service or a similar company.
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