As the holidays approach and the manufacturer shutdown looms, we’re scrambling to wrap up as many door installs as possible. Meanwhile, my brain is trying its best to hold on—but I swear I posted this project months ago… and yet, it’s nowhere to be found. So here it is—officially—and I’d say it’s worthy of a “highlight of 2021” title.
This one stands out not only because of the color but also because of how far this design has evolved across multiple projects.
Red and Black: A Bold, Underused Combo
While the majority of clients lean toward neutral door finishes—blacks, browns, whites—there’s something undeniably striking about a red front door with black hardware and matching black surround. It’s not for everyone, but when done right, it can be stunning.
And in this case? It was done very right.
Both the exterior and interior of the door system carry the same color pairing, creating a seamless and bold design. The door finish is deep, vibrant red. The black trim, hardware, and accessories ground the look and keep it feeling intentional and strong—not flashy.
The Cherry Blossom Design: Version 3.0
This project also gave me a chance to revisit one of my favorite custom metal designs—the cherry blossom theme.
The first version was built for a single door with sidelights
The second was adapted for a standard-height single door
This version? It’s a full redesign for an 8-foot tall fiberglass door
And yes, that required completely redrawing the artwork. You can’t just stretch a design and expect it to look good—it has to be scaled and composed specifically for the door it’s going on. That’s exactly what we did here, and the final piece looks perfectly proportioned.
Looking Ahead to 2024
As 2023 wraps up, I’m really hoping 2024 brings more opportunities to dive deeper into custom metal door designs, engraved surfaces, or even projects that mix both. These are the kinds of builds that keep things exciting and push the creative side of the business.
Designing from scratch is what got me into this industry in the first place. I never wanted to be the person replicating the same ten doors over and over again—and I still stand by that.