Looking for front sidelight ideas to elevate your home’s curb appeal? From frosted glass for privacy to wrought iron accents for elegance, this guide highlights stylish and functional sidelight designs that can transform your entryway.
To start, what is a sidelight? Sidelights are vertical pieces of glass on the sides of an entry door that add more natural light to a home and its foyer. These accent windows can be tailored to fit any style, height, or width, and are popular among homeowners who want to easily enhance their curb appeal. Follow along as we outline the benefits of these windows for a front door and discuss key considerations when customizing them.
The Benefits of Front Door Sidelights
There are several benefits of adding sidelights to your front entryway, including:
- More natural light. Add one or two to your front door, depending on your style preference and the amount of light you want to let inside.
- Added character. Create a welcoming entryway with this unique design touch that can be personalized to match your modern, ornate, or traditional style.
- Increased privacy. Just because you’re adding more windows to your front door doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice privacy. Opt for a textured glass for an obscure view and bespoke design element.
- Improved curb appeal. Sidelights add visual interest to the front of a home, which increases its curb appeal. Not to mention that the different styles add character to the home’s entrance.
- Enhanced resale value. Any improvement to curb appeal, including adding sidelights to your entryway, enhances resale value. As of 2024, improving a home’s curb appeal can increase its resale value by up to 10%.
3 Factors to Keep in Mind When Designing
When you partner with our team to sketch your vision, the options are nearly endless. Before meeting with us to design your custom door, narrow your focus and consider these three key factors.
1. Style & Silhouette
First, consider the style of your home and determine which type of sidelight would best complement it. For example, a contemporary new build with a modern iron door would be best paired with one or two clear glass, slim-profile sidelights.
On the other hand, traditional or ornate doors—such as those with intricate lines or decorative patterns—may look best with sidelights that feature matching scrollwork, textured glass, or handcrafted detailing.
If your home blends classic and modern elements, sidelights can help bridge that gap. A craftsman-style home, for instance, can still feel true to its roots while gaining a brighter, more modern look through the use of simple, light-enhancing sidelights.
Lastly, consider the shape of your entryway. Examine your roofline and door framing to determine which silhouette works best. If space is limited, a single sidelight or two narrow panels can still make a substantial visual impact without overwhelming the facade.
2. Size Configurations
Next, now that you have determined your front door sidelight style and silhouette, it’s time to evaluate your configuration preferences. If your entryway has enough space and you want to increase the amount of natural light that’s flowing into your home, we recommend adding two.
But, if you want to create an eye-catching statement with a contemporary twist, one sidelight can also create the illusion of a large double door while adding some natural light. Here are several popular options to consider—keep in mind that our team can customize the width and height of your sidelights as needed, and no idea is off the table:
- Single door with left sidelight
- Single door with right sidelight
- Single door with two sidelights
- Double door with left sidelight
- Double door with right sidelight
- Double door with two sidelights
3. Privacy & Security
Lastly, it’s important to consider your value for privacy. If you love the look and feel of clear glass and modern iron doors, then large clear glass sidelights are a great choice.
However, if you want added privacy while still increasing the width of your entryway and the amount of light that’s entering your home, choose from our selection of frosted and textured glass design options.
These types of glass include:
- Aquatex: a type of rippled or wavy textured glass
- Citrus: a textured glass named for its dimpled appearance that resembles an orange or lemon
- Cotswold: a textured glass that resembles tree bark
- Horizontal Reeded: a ribbed type of glass with horizontal ridges running across it
- Reeded Vertical: a textured glass similar to horizontal reeded but with vertical ridges
- Seedy Baroque: a type of glass that contains tiny air bubbles or seeds that create an obscuring texture
Front Door Sidelight Best Practices
- Matching colors. To make the door an even larger focal point of your home, consider matching it to the sidelights. By matching in color or stain, the sidelights expand the doorway area, making it even grander.
- Consider your privacy. Maximize your home’s privacy by choosing sidelights that include glass higher up in their design. This still allows ample sunlight to enter the house without impeding on your privacy.
- Opt for tempered glass. For added security, some glass panels have the option to be tempered. This makes them stronger and more challenging to break, providing you with more entryway security.
Custom Front Door Inspiration
Gather design inspiration from some of our favorite projects in a variety of door and home styles.
Modern Entryway: Double Door with Two Sidelights
- Modern entryways embody minimalist style. These sidelights, together with their matching doors, give homes a chic entryway look. A design like this, with extensive use of glass, allows for a significant amount of natural light to enter the house, fostering a strong indoor-outdoor connection.
- Since this style is simple, it aligns with similarly minimalist home types. The best-suited homes for this design would be modern, contemporary, and Mid-Century Modern.
Traditional Front Door: Single Door with Two Sidelights
- Traditional and sleek, this front door style is a classic for a wide range of homes. In this example, the front door design matches the sidelights with their shared horizontal lines. This traditional design can be enhanced with a pop of added aesthetic through the use of textured glass.
- This style is best suited for traditional, Craftsman, and Neoclassical homes. However, its simple design is also appropriate for many other styles. Transom windows are also more common in these home styles.
Ornate Front Entryway: Double door with Two Sidelights
- Artfully designed with patterns or other ironwork, ornate doors with matching sidelights add charm and grandeur to a home’s front entrance. This style’s most prominent feature is the curb appeal it adds to a house.
- Homes with grandiose aesthetics are best suited for ornate entryways. Some of these styles include Victorian, classical, and French Provincial.
Elevate Your Home With a Custom Entryway
From your front entrance to your back porch, you can design your dream entryway with Clark Hall. Custom steel doors, ornate sidelights, textured glass panes and more – you can craft everything from sketch to finish with our expert designers.
To learn more about pricing and customization options, visit one of our locations or contact us online to receive a custom quote:
Frequently Asked Questions
Are front door sidelights in style?
Yes! Front door sidelights are in style as they improve a home’s curb appeal and bring light inside the house. And, because they can aesthetically match the front door, they offer a seamless look for the home’s entryway.
Can you add sidelights to an existing door?
Yes, as long as there is enough room on each side of the door, but it is an involved project. Since the existing door was likely not installed with sidelights in mind, the door frame has to be removed and expanded, which means cutting into the wall.
Can sidelight windows open?
Sidelights are typically fixed, meaning that they do not open. However, a recent popular option for customers who want the appearance of a single door and one sidelight, but the functionality of a double door, is to choose an operable window.
How wide are front door sidelights?
Clark Hall can customize the width and height of your sidelights to meet your specific needs. However, they are generally built in 2-inch increments, with 12-14 inches as the standard. A too-narrow window will likely block needed light, and a too-wide one will detract from the door’s width.
