Garage Door Design Styles You Should Know About

Whether you are a homeowner looking for a new garage door, an architect looking to build a new home for a client, or a designer with a great idea for a new custom garage door, it helps to know the basic design styles that act as the overarching inspiration for most garage doors found on homes today. While this list isn’t exhaustive, and you can customize your garage door in any way you see fit, these garage door design styles are here to act as a jumping off point for your new project. 

Here are four garage door design styles to help you get started. 

#1: Traditional Garage Doors

Traditional garage doors get their designs from the earliest of garage doors. They are known for their timeless appearance that fits in well with older, more historical styles homes. They can be placed on many different types of homes, including Cape Cod, Colonial, Victorian, Ranch, Craftsman, European, Greek of Gothic Revival, French Country, Spanish, Mediterranean, or Tudor homes. 

The defining features of traditional style garage doors are ornate windows and panel designs, metal decorative features, large hinges and handles, and traditional wood stain colors. These types of doors can be overhead or open on hinges, and there are a variety of inlays and cutouts that designers can use to add unique styles to their designs. 

See Examples of Traditional Garage Doors 

#2: Carriage Style Garage Doors

Carriage garage doors are a subset of the traditional style garage door. These types of garage doors are most known for their opening style. They operate on hinges, as opposed to overhead openings, and can slide, swing, or fold open. They are meant to resemble the doors used on carriage houses many years ago, and can often be used as a unique garage opening for older homes. Designers can get creative with their designs by taking advantage of their unique styles of opening. 

#3: Dungeon/Speakeasy Doors

Another subset of traditional garage doors, dungeon/speakeasy doors harken back to the 1920s, a time where speakeasys were common in the United States. These types of garage doors are defined by their speakeasy windows, which open on a hinge and are covered by wrought iron bars for added character. They are an ideal fit for many historic homes and recreations. 

#4: Modern Garage Doors

Modern garage doors are like a blank slate for designers. They are more defined by what they are not than by what they are. Any garage door that does not have the defining characteristics of traditional garage doors and their subset can technically be defined as a modern garage door. As a designer, you have free reign to come up with any incredible design that you see fit. One common design style is contemporary slab doors made from smooth panels and tempered glass. This gives the garage door a sleek, modern appearance that can be color-matched to any home. 

It’s up to the style of the home and the ideas of the homeowners, architects, and designers to determine how the door will break new ground in the future of garage door design. 

See Examples of Modern Garage Doors 

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