6 ways to give your country home kerb appeal

Choose any of these beautifully traditional porches and doors, or give an instant update with new door furniture, and you can guarantee guests a warm welcome and stop passers-by in their tracks.

By Anne Esden
published

door with oak porch and plants

(Image credit: Border Oak)

I'd like a beautiful oak porch for our country home. Any ideas?

This handmade green oak porch from Border Oak is available as a self-build kit and can be added to an existing building. The oak will weather over time to a silvery grey, and there is enough room to store logs and wellies. You can maximise kerb appeal by growing climbers over the frame.

brick wall with door and solid steel canopy

(Image credit: Garden Requisites)

Can you help me find a traditional steel door canopy?
Inspired by original architectural features, this solid steel canopy from Garden Requisites is a stylish alternative to wood. The steel is zinc galvanised for a rust-resistant finish and then painted, aged or left plain. To make it watertight, run a bead of roofing sealant along the top edge or fit traditional lead flashing.

white colour door with shoot bolt locking system

(Image credit: Clifton Joinery)

Which style of front door is suitable for my village home?
Choose one that creates a welcoming focal point and complements the style and age of your house. Security is a priority and this door from Clifton Joinery has a shoot-bolt locking system that combines a modern mechanism with a traditional handle. The door is made from an insulated panel, faced with solid hardwood and grooved, to keep heat in and noise out.

door with brick wall and trees

(Image credit: Mylands)

Is a flat matt paint finish suitable for exterior woodwork?
A flat finish absorbs light, helping to hide small imperfections, and is extremely hardwearing. When decorating outside, you can opt for a shade or two darker (this is Beaufort Gardens No 212 by Mylands) as exterior colours are viewed in daylight. Remember to apply a coat of wood primer and undercoat first.

front door with verdigris colour

(Image credit: Voysey & Jones)

Where can I find a traditional door and door furniture?
A specialist company can produce a new door to look like an original. Voysey & Jones' Vintage Laboratory service, available to customers purchasing a new front door, ages shiny new door furniture, giving it a warm, vintage patina with verdigris highlights to match the authentic look of the front door.

pink door with hand forged ring knocker

(Image credit: Clayton Munroe)

What sort of classic door knocker would suit our cottage?
A simple hand-forged ring knocker, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, will suit both panelled and plank doors. Made from steel, this Clayton Munroe knocker has a textured appearance and comes in several finishes including Black, Patine and Graphite. When fitting, try to create symmetry between the knocker and other hardware features, such as the letterplate and escutcheon.

Find more inspiration for your country home at Country Homes & Interiors.

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Anne Esden
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