Every year, manufacturers of front doors and door handles wish to offer something new, modern, distinctive and user-friendly. Front door trends tend not to change drastically, but in 2021 we will witness a large emergence of products and solutions for smart homes. Trends are also set by the manufacturers of door handles and door knobs who offer specific solutions and see an opportunity for development in the field. The door handle is no longer an unimportant part of the door, but an element that distinguishes a front door in the market.
Front door trends for 2021
Front doors are like the business card of a house. They are the first thing visitors see when they arrive and the last thing they see when they leave. With doors, people give their visitors a first impression of their house and their style. In the past, consumers did not put much thought into choosing doors, but nowadays people express themselves through the design and functionality of their doors. In the era of smart solutions, manufacturers will start to fit doors with systems for automatic unlocking and smart device access. However, the biggest hit of 2021 will be pivot front doors.
Pivot front doors
Pivot front doors are most often listed as the biggest trend of 2021. Their main distinction is that they pivot or swing on a spindle at the top and the bottom of the door as opposed to hinges, which are set in the frame. Some manufacturers can set the spindle at any position. The further the spindle is set from the side frame, the larger the portion of the door that swings or opens to the exterior. In general, however, spindles are placed at about a third from the side frame. Pivot front doors are usually larger and heavier than traditional front doors and their unusual swinging system makes them especially impressive.
Pivot doors will be the biggest trend of 2021 (picture source: Festa System).
Pivot doors give a house a “wow” effect (picture source: Tehni).
A door set within a pivot door is a perfect solution for those who want both (picture source: Olson Kundig Architects).
High-tech smart front doors
Front doors can be as smart as their lock or unlocking system. People swear by modern unlocking systems more and more since they give them a sense of security and eliminate the need to carry around keys and search for them. They also make entering the home much easier. A well-known unlocking system that has not been utilized to its full potential is the fingerprint door lock. In the past, people were more sceptical about such systems, but today we know that fingerprint door locks are very reliable. Fingerprint scanners can be fitted into the door handle itself or into the door. Fingers thus become a key that no one can steal from you.
And that is how door manufacturers will try to distinguish their doors in 2021. By adding fingerprint smart locks or numeric code locks. In 2021, it will be possible to connect such systems with smart-phones and even systems for facial recognition. This way, people will always have access to their homes, they will be able to set times for automatic locking and monitor attempts of unauthorised access to their homes.
Unlocking and opening doors with fingerprints is extremely reliable and the system can also be accessed with a smart phone (picture source: Neuffer).
Extreme supervision over front doors and verification via camera (picture source: Schuco)
Glass front doors
The big window trend in new buildings is being followed by large glass front doors. These were once most common in commercial and office buildings and institutions, but are now becoming more popular in homes. Glass fills them with light, provides a beautiful view and at the same time connects the indoors to the outdoors.
Glass front doors offer a beautiful view of nature (picture source: Oikos Venezia).
Glass front doors fill rooms with light (picture source: Glo European Doors and Windows).
The big window trend is followed by the large glass door trend (picture source: Keith Isaacs).
They are larger and wider and more modern because of it
Front doors are one of the first things people notice about a house, which is why customers want to impress them with increasingly large doors. Front doors were once small and narrow and only served as access to the house. Nowadays, the size of the front door is proof of modern design, respectability and prestige.
Front doors are the first thing people notice about the house (picture source: Pinterest).
Modernism, respectability and prestige (picture source: Alibaba).
Minimalistic design and environmentally friendly materials
Front doors from natural materials are a great opportunity for minimalistic design, which highlights elegance, modernism and provides a simple choice of material. But manufacturers will need more than just design to distinguish a door. This will mostly be accomplished by additions (handles, knobs, unlocking systems etc.).
Since more and more people consider the importance of natural and environmentally friendly materials, manufacturers must be familiar with the advantages of materials they use for doors. Compared to other materials, wooden manufacturing has a low carbon footprint and is a great choice of environmentally friendly material. Aluminium is one of the most environmentally friendly metals and can be completely recycled, whereas PVC doors may be cheaper and simpler to make, but more and more people opt for different materials because of their effect on the environment.
Minimalistic front door design, with the door handle as the focal point (picture source: Schuco).
Wood is an environmentally friendly material (picture source: Pinterest).
Multi-material front doors
In 2021, the contrast that manufacturers create in front doors from multiple materials, for example from aluminium and wood or wood and glass, will be very important. Such front doors are a proof of modernism and they offer numerous stylistic choices.
The combination of wood and glass in front doors is not new, but it is the design and smart mixing that make a door trendy (picture source: Pinterest).
The combination of wood and aluminium in a different manner – with wood in the main role and not aluminium (picture source: Pinterest).
Large and wide pivot doors in a combination of wood and glass with a long stainless steel door handle are the cherry on top of a house and are setting the trend for 2021 (picture source: Joseph Douglas design).
Custom-made front doors
Front doors must fit the style of the rest of the house. It is often difficult to find doors that correspond to the design of a house, so more and more manufacturers offer custom made doors. The manufacturer who will be able to offer custom designs will be the most successful in 2021. This way, customers will not be limited to the standard offer, but will have the opportunity to make their dreams come true.
Custom-made front doors recreate the style of the entire house (picture source: Urban Front).
Because people cannot find what they want in the standard offer, more and more front doors are now custom made (picture source: Pinterest).
Front door handle trends in 2021
People choose to express themselves through door handles, which are used to make their front doors and the house itself stand out. In the past, door handles were the last detail most customers paid attention to, because they were only used for opening and closing the doors, but nowadays they use door handles as proof of their progressiveness, modernity, elegance, power and status. Modern and new houses have long and large pull handles or door handles with printed designs and locks that open with fingerprint scanners or smart phone apps. In addition, recessed door handles, i.e. handles that are sunken into the door, are becoming increasingly popular.
Long front door handles
Every year, front doors are becoming larger, mightier and stronger. Door handle sizes and lengths must adapt to these changes. The current trend is showing that the length of the door handle is approximately the same as the size of the door, which further showcases the mightiness and modernness of a house. For customers, the door andle is no longer only for door opening, but also a way of showing off their status and influence, which can also be achieved by the length of the door handle. And that is precisely the reason why front door manufacturers do not need to invent eye-catching doors for an additional aesthetic and effect, but can get the same impression with the addition of a door handle.
Customers have become more difficult to please. A door handle is no longer an object for opening the door, but a means of showing status, influence and progressiveness (picture source: Grad Export).
In 2021, long handles will become more popular.
Recessed door handles for front doors
Unlike traditional door handles with mounts, recessed or sunken door handles do not from the door and do not add another dimension to it. At first glance, it seems like the door does not have a door handle, but when we come closer, a groove we can grab to open or close the door is spotted. This is a fresh idea for a market in which door handles and door knobs usually protrude from the doors, and it represents a novelty, sophistication and modernness.
Front doors with a recessed or sunken door handle (picture source: Internorm).
Trend in 2021: recessed door handle (picture source: Schuco).
Personalisation and distinction with custom inserts
Home address, house number, family or company name or simply a printed design that matches the house. Personalisation is no longer reserved only for interior design, but also for front doors additions, such as door handles. The inserts can come in different colours and materials to match the style of the door. Some manufacturers wish to use the material from which the doors are made. So a stainless steel frame for the door handle is produced, while the insert is made by the door manufacturer from the same material as the door. This is another method to make a front door stand out even more.
Personalisation of door handles with printed designs and text is setting a trend for 2021.
As are door handle inserts made from the same material as the front door (picture source: Delutech).
Door handles with a fingerprint scanner and smart locking system
Fitting a fingerprint scanner directly into the door handle is the most practical and means the least amount of work, because people touch it either way when opening the door. In addition, it is not necessary to adapt the door, so door handles with fingerprint scanners are becoming more and more popular among front door manufacturers.
Smart locking systems, fitted directly into the door handle, will also be a trend in 2021.
Colours
Coloured door handles for front doors are very popular because of their versatility and because they give a timeless effect to the front door and the house itself. Customers can match the colour of the door handle with accessories across the house. If a bright red door handle was once deemed too extravagant, it is today a mark of courage and one’s personal aesthetic.
Coloured stainless steel door handles enrich the front door as well as the house as a whole.
Environmentally friendly materials and protection against the spread of bacteria
Stainless steel, bronze, brass, aluminium, wood, alloys… These are only some of the materials used to manufacture door handles. Stainless steel is considered as one of the strongest, most elegant and least corrosive materials. Other materials are more vulnerable to the effects of the environment, they corrode faster and consequently need to be changed more often, thus creating more waste. Did you know that stainless steel can be entirely recycled and more than 60 % of new stainless steel is made of recycled steel?
Because of the Coronavirus outbreak and the long-lasting pandemic, manufacturers have started to highlight protection against the transfer of viruses through contact with door handles and door knobs. There are many antibacterial solutions available on the market, but protection can also be achieved with an appropriate surface treatment. If stainless steel door handles are correctly mirror polished, they can provide a high hygienic level and are not covered in millions of bacteria.
Did you know that stainless steel can be entirely recycled and more than 60 % of new stainless steel is made of recycled steel?
Custom-made door handles for front doors
Consumers and front door manufacturers are becoming more demanding and continue to look for ways of overshadowing their competition. The most successful manufacturer in 2021 will be the one who is able to respond to this demand and offer custom designs, either from the first step or by adapting the main components of a door handle. It will thus be unnecessary to incorporate premium door handle designs into front doors in order for them to stand out; eye-catching and extravagant door handles will suffice, which the consumer of the 21st century will be able to reward.
Custom-made door handles are rare on the market, so the manufacturer who is able to include this in their offer will be the most successful.
