EDWARDIAN 1901-1914
Different to its Victorian predecessor, the Edwardian front door has reflected the strong influence of the Queen Anne Revival or Art Nouveau styles.
In a grand house carved panelled doors it will have been constructed to the specifications of the architect and will generally be made of teak or untreated oak, with a dressed stone or terracotta surround.
Front doors to more modest houses are made of mass-produced softwood which would have been painted. The range of paint colours extended beyond the green favoured by the Victorians, and the carved door panels and frames were often decorated in contrasting shades.
The front door or carved door to a suburban house frequently has a glazed top panel to allow light into the hallway. In a Queen Anne style door or carved door , this panel will have plain or bevelled rectangular panes of glass, while the Art Nouveau door has coloured leaded lights, often arranged to form an abstract design. Electric doorbells are a regular feature, but knockers continue to be fitted.
Terraced/row houses are characterized by their wooden porches with turned spindles, brackets and fretwork, available from joinery manufacturers: dressed stone porches are a feature of some larger houses.
Internal panelled doors and carved doors remain more traditional in style. They may be in a polished hardwood such as teak or mahogany with ornate metal fittings, or in less expensive softwood which would have been painted.
AMERICAN BEAUX ARTS
The main entrance doorway of a Beaux Arts house in the use of panelled or carved doors announces, with a flourish, the selected period style: oak plank carved doors with leaded glass panes and hoodmoulds (stucco or stone) for Tudor; raised panels, fanlights/transom lights, side lights and carved classical details for Colonial; carved limestone swags, garlands, cartouches and rusticated masonry for French Classical. Bronze door frames holding huge panels of plate glass were common, with a variety of surrounds. Such grand entrance doors superseded the deep porches of the Victorian era.
Service or servant secondary doors are numerous – to the back terrace/row, the garden path, the kitchen, the coal chute and cellar, the servants’ quarters. In later, smaller, suburban houses there were also doors to the garage. Handsome catalogues of the era illustrate “François Premier” door knobs and latches, Italian Renaissance knob plates or bolts, or plain round, brass knobs, suitable for Colonial or Georgian treatments.
Inside a grand Beaux Arts house, wide, open archways link halls and main living spaces. Wooden doors or carved doors in historical styles (often mahogany) separate bedrooms and more private living areas.
Many doors lead to specialized storage rooms, such as linen, hall and telephone closets. In lavish French- inspired interiors the door panels could be painted with floral decorations, trophies or romantic landscapes.
TWENTIES & THIRTIES
There is no standard Art Deco panelled or carved door, but some decorative elements recur, particularly in the late 20s and the 1930s. The combination of metal and glass is important – often within a stepped surround, which may include a window or sculpted panel. The door itself might be heavy glass, reinforced with iron or bronze worked into stylized natural forms or abstract patterns.
In British suburban houses, instead of metal, wood might be used, radiating in a sunburst pattern. The influence of Modernism encouraged flush doors carved doors with no moulding, and with minimal door fittings. Metallic finishes are sometimes used inside the house, or metal sheet cladding on exterior doors. In Britain, a backward looking type was the panelled wooden door with stained glass. Some wooden doors had small windows in “arty” shapes, such as diamonds or hearts. Heavy panelling in dark wood with carved doors and decorative metalwork typify the American West Coast Spanish Revival style.
In the 1930s porches with panelled or carved doors become a feature of many houses. In Modernist-influenced houses they may be formed by a cantilevered upper story.
Elsewhere they vary from simple gabled constructions to elaborate affairs with columns, sometimes incorporating seats. The more traditional carved doors were still dressed with fingerplates/push plates, lock escutcheons and handles, which by the 30s were available in Bakelite as well as various metal finishes.