2021 was greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic that interfered with all aspects of our lives. The development and presentation of innovations in the field of production of front doors and building hardware was no exception. Many major trade fairs where novelties are normally presented were cancelled or moved to virtual platforms with far fewer visitors than usual. Delivery times for materials have extended and prices have soared. The development of innovations has slowed, so the trends of 2021 are expected to be transferred to 2022.
| As front door trends have not changed dramatically, you may wish to take a look at the trends for 2021 that are still relevant. |
Front door trends for 2022
Front door trends for 2022 are bringing even more advanced unlocking systems and an even wider selection of smart doors. Fingerprint scanners, keyboards and face recognition systems will be the go-to solutions for unlocking and opening. Front doors are also becoming bigger, taller and wider, combining materials or recreating the look of authenticity with fashionable imitations. Great emphasis is being placed on thermal conductivity, to prevent heat leakage and save on heating.
Smart front doors
A front door separates the external environment from the internal one and is a barrier protecting safety from danger. Security is ensured by increasingly modern locking systems. Unlocking with a fingerprint scanner relieves the person of carrying and searching for keys, gives them the opportunity to control the entrance of the house with advanced Bluetooth technologies and view unauthorised attempts to enter their home. Fingerprint scanners can be fitted into the handle itself or into the door. Fingers thus become keys that cannot be lost, stolen or copied.
Unlocking and opening front doors with a face recognition system sounds like a step into the future, but there are many manufacturers who are already integrating these systems. Biometric technology allows the door to be unlocked and opened only by people whose data have been entered into the system. Moreover, facial recognition is quick and easy, and completely hands-free.
Since a person always touches the door handle when opening the front door, it is convenient to have a fingerprint scanner mounted on the handle (Photo source: Navkom)
Unlocking a front door with facial recognition (Photo source: Parmax)
The front door that won the German Innovation Award allows remote locking via smartphone or app/speaker (using virtual assistant Alexa) that gives the motorised lock a remote command to unlock (Photo source: AJM)
Bigger is better
The saying “less is more” is not true when it comes to the size of front doors. In the past, doors were smaller in order to retain more heat as houses were not thermally insulated. Today, front doors have a lower thermal conductivity and are becoming stronger, heavier, taller, and wider as they lay the foundation for the modern look of the entire house.
Larger, taller and wider front doors are becoming more fashionable every year (Photo source: Festa System)
The front door lays the foundation for the modernity of the whole house (Photo source: Pinterest)
Thermal insulation of front doors
How can we reduce heating costs, save money in the long run and at the same time protect the environment? These are commonly asked questions when choosing a front door. At a time of strong appeals for environmental protection and energy conservation, thermal insulation is becoming an increasingly important trend.
Front door manufacturers use seals that prevent air and moisture from passing through, several thermal bridges that ensure heat retention, extremely strong construction of the door panel with insulating filler, and several layers of special thermopane glass.
Even if the door is taller, wider and has a large glass surface, this does not mean that it is less insulating than some older and smaller front doors.
Thermally insulated front doors save money in the long run while also protecting the environment (Photo source: Energy.gov)
Neutral colours in new buildings, more vivid colours on foreign markets
Light colours, grey, anthracite, and wood tones are currently among the more popular colours for front doors on new constructions and will remain such also in 2022. Especially grey and anthracite are among the most popular, as they stylishly match darker roofs and windows. The neutrality of these colours presents a great opportunity to decorate the door with accessories such as inscriptions, handles, door levers or other materials to create contrast.
Certain foreign markets are leading the fashion with vibrant colours such as blue, green, red, and white while the front door also has to carefully match the stylistic colours of the exterior.
The popular anthracite colour is an excellent background for decorations such as inscriptions (Photo source: Festa System)
Bright front doors are also very trendy (Photo source: Grad-Export)
Back to nature with wood
Wood is a renewable and light insulating material that is becoming increasingly present in the construction industry. Wooden front doors are naturally heat and sound insulating, and with proper treatment this property can be even further enhanced. Also, such doors are structurally solid and breathable. Being environmentally friendly and creating a barrier between the indoors and outdoors, they will still be a trendy choice in 2022.
Wooden doors breathe and are environmentally friendly (Photo source: Stuart Silk Architects)
Front door handle trends in 2022
The front door handles will gradually become longer, becoming comparable to the length of the front door. Recessed or sunken door handles are becoming a thing and will increasingly be seen adorning front doors. In addition to digital printing, personalisation will also be achieved by laser engraving on stainless steel, be it a house number, address or a graphic design of your own choice. “Smart” door handles with integrated fingerprint scanners, buttons, bells, face recognition systems, and LED lights are also on the rise. An interesting feature that we will witness next year is a stylish combination of the door handle on the front door with ambient lights on the façade of the house.
| As front door handle trends do not change dramatically, you may wish to take a look at the trends for 2021 that are still relevant. |
Handles along the entire length or width of the front door
In our experience some of the better-selling front door handles in 2021 were handles attached at the top and the bottom. These handles adapt to the entire length of the front door and represent mightiness. Their length gives the optical impression that they do not end where the door ends, but rather continue indefinitely.
The modern way of installing a handle on a front door is not only in length, but also in width. Such door handle visually looks like a kind of an extended lever, and a fingerprint scanner can be added to the far end, where the thumb naturally lands when gripping the handle.
Due to the simplicity of these handles, but at the same time their sense of strength and modernity, these will also continue to be a trendy choice in 2022.
A handle along the entire length of the front door with attachment at the top and bottom is one of the most popular choices (Photo source: Grad-Export).
A handle running along the width of the front door looks like an extended lever that optically expands the front door (Photo source: PVC Nagode)
Sunken front door handles with a difference
Unlike traditional door handles with mounts, sunken handles do not arch away from the door and do not add another dimension to it. Normally such handles come with a groove which one grabs when opening and closing the door. The upgrade and a novelty on the market is a combination of a door handle in a groove.
A stunning door handle extending right from the top of the door panel to the floor, looks like it emerges from nothing and continues indefinitely. The groove under the handle creates a mysterious depth, and its slender curve looks as if it is trying to hug the handle, but only gets close to it due to its elusive lightness. The composition of the front door with a handle emphasises the effect of freedom and infinity.
The mysterious depth can also be achieved with different lines and shapes of groove, as desired by front door manufacturers.
A stunning sunken door handle looks like it emerges from nothing and continues indefinitely. The groove under the door handle creates a mysterious depth (Phoro Source: Protherm)
Engraved front door handles
Discreet or not, personalised laser engravings will mark 2022. Front door manufacturers mostly resort to engraving a logo on the mount or bottom of the handle, thus boosting the reputation and visibility of the brand. In 2022, the trend among end customers will be an engraved house number, address, quote or a graphic design of their choice. Smaller laser engravings in the silver excellence of stainless steel or any other material can be a discreet way of expressing a personal note by a company or individual.
Front door manufacturers may want their logo printed on the handle, mount or handle plate. This way they boost their reputation and expand their visibility.
Laser engraving of a graphic design on a front door handle will be a fashionable choice in 2022
Ambient lights on the front door handles and stylish harmony with ambient lights on the façade
In recent years, we have noticed an increased interest in arranging outdoor areas, such as terraces, gardens, summer kitchens, and the like. People wish to convey the style of interior spaces to the outdoors, showing modernity on the outside as well. A glossy finish is added to the façades and ambient lighting is installed to create ambiance.
It is no wonder that the lighting trend is also being transferred to front door handles, which are fitted with a LED strip on the back. Because of the lights the front door stands out in the dark, is an object of admiration for passers-by, as well as allowing easier access. Since stylistic matching is extremely important and dictates the trends for 2022, the look of the handle on the front door can be matched with the look of ambient lights on the façade.
This is not a door handle, but rather an ambient light for the facade, which can be stylishly matched with the handle on the front door.
In the middle are the popular pivot front doors with door handles, and on the left and right are ambient lights that stylistically match the overall look.
Digital printing on front door handles as a way of personalisation
For many years door handles and door levers were merely objects for opening doors but did not play any special stylistic role, therefore the choice on the market is not particularly varied. For the most part, similar products appear, and customers are often not enthusiastic about the choice. That is where personalisation steps in, giving space to the desires and wishes of the customers.
Digital printing is especially attractive for architects who already have a vision of the final appearance for a building. They are increasingly turning to front door handle manufacturers with requests for something different, something not yet seen. Front door manufacturers, on the other hand, can step away from the design of the front door itself and lean towards digital printing to achieve a special look with the opening element.
Digital printing on front door handles opens up many possibilities for personalisation.
The rise of wood as an environmentally friendly material
In an age of many appeals for smarter waste management and the use of environmentally friendly materials, wooden trends are spreading across many industrial sectors. Architectural trends are once again putting wood at the forefront. Like stainless steel, wood can be 100% recycled. The combination of wood and stainless steel on the front door handle as two environmentally friendly, waste-free materials is becoming an increasingly popular choice.
A combination of two environmentally friendly materials: wood and stainless steel.
