Decorating and Design - Ideas for Front Doors w/glass designs

The front doors in our new home have large glass designs. They are beautiful and I don't want to cover them up, but my husband hates it that we don't have more privacy in our livingroom at night (it's a little difficult to make out images if your looking in from the outside). I've thought about using a decorative screen and making a little foyer type area in front of the doors (we have an open floor plan), but the ceilings are very high and I'm not sure if this would look ok. I love the idea of having a greeting area separate from our livingroom, but the screens are so expensive and I'm not sure if this would work. Also, we have thought about using a film that attaches to the glass which would give it a frosted look. (I think this might take away from the look as well). Any Ideas??

Thanks

This is part of my reply to the same question you posted in Furniture and Home Furnishings. In case you missed the reply in that forum, here's the main part.

"You might consider using a very thin (3/8") pleated shade. If the interior of the doors is white you might choose as close a color match as possible and hang the shades over each glass on the inside. You can install it where the stack ends above the glass so that the shade does not show from the outside when it is raised. You can get pleated shades that raise by touching them on the bottom and guiding them up or by using a remote. You can solve the dangling cord problem, though, by using a small cleat to wrap the cord around. This way, your doors will give you unobstructed light and a view during the day with the shade up and privacy at night when the shade is down." These very thin pleated shades are practially invisible when they are raised.

that pleated shade option is an idea, especially if you go with the cordless kind that raise & lower with one hand. but i can't say i've ever seen that done in a nice new house on a really nice front door. i know i wouldn't want any kind of shade mounted to my front door. maybe on sidelights, but not the door itself. but that's my personal preference. (NOI, Lynne!)

is the glass design a mix of clear & mottled leaded glass? or is it just all clear areas? if they're all clear, you might be able to "frost" just some of the clear ones to achieve more privacy, without completely losing the design.

i think using a screen of some sort to simply block the view into your living room is the best idea. they aren't that expensive (keep looking!) and can even be made, if you're handy. depending on the style of your home (which is ???), there are lots of different materials the screens could be made from. you might even be able to come up with something that could be hung from the ceiling that would act as a screen. or maybe a strategically placed ficus tree, or piece of furniture (maybe a large coat rack/storage bench, etc). like you said, it would also provide more of a formal entry area.

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll be using the 3/8 blinds on the french doors in our master bedroom. Although, I'm a little anxious about putting hardware on the doors.

Frosting parts of the glass (all clear prism-like) would be difficult since the parts of the design are small.

Thanks for the reassurance on the screen idea. I've never used one for anything, but I've always liked them. I'm not the crafty type, so would have to purchase. We'd want a nice one, but we're afraid we might not like it once it's here.

i think the blinds will work great & look good on your bedroom doors. but i've just never seen them on a front door. i much prefer the screen idea.

as for the screen, just make sure the store has a return policy, in case you don't like it. i buy & return things a hundred times before finding just the right one! you really never know until you get it home!!

and don't just plunk a screen down & call it good. you'll need to anchor it & make it a focal point for the entry. so you'll want to accessorize it: think about possibly putting a skinny entry table in front of it, with maybe a basket of "stuff" placed under that, some sort of foliage to the side, interesting items on top of the table, etc. create a little vignette there. or maybe a coat rack or hall tree. or bench. or umbrella stand. or topiary. or....... you get the idea. you know how much room you've got to work with there. you certainly don't want it to look or feel crowded. just create a nice area there - it's the first thing people will see & you can use it to set the mood right away.

Thanks again Annette! I'm excited about my new project! I love this forum thing!

you're welcome! and happy shopping!!


P.S. please post back & tell us what you ended up finding & doing! the BEST part of this "forum thing" is getting to hear how things turned out, but we seldom get to hear about that! so let us know! we need closure!!!! :D