Great Garage Doors

February 19, 2016
Ban boring garage doors by choosing a style with windows, molding details, or great hardware. Take a look at some of our favorites, and find inspiration to enhance your home's exterior!
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Color Cues

No matter how many garage doors you have, painting them the same color as your home's exterior cladding will help to lessen their visual impact from the street. Choose a high-quality latex paint; you can brush or spray it on.

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Graceful Curves

For traditional homes, look for doors with distinctive contours, such as those with clipped or curved frames, and doors with grilles, transoms, and fanlights. A slight arch frames this two-car garage and adds elegance to an otherwise purely functional feature. A sophisticated coat of black paint and a metal sconce overhead add pleasing detail.

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Double Arch

Arches are a repeating theme for this home’s two-car garage. The arched garage doors create a beautiful contrast against this home's wood shingles and square windows. Crisp white paint, curved window panes, and a subtle X motif give the garage doors gorgeous character.

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Modern Flair

Contemporary homes call for streamline doors with long horizontal panels. A unique garage design complements a bold, contemporary exterior, cleverly created by incorporating frosted-glass paneled doors and a lime green surround that matches the home's exterior trim color. A rooftop deck makes the garage addition look as if it has always been part of the home.

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Carriage House

Carriage-style doors enhance Tudors and cottages. Iron handles and sturdy hinge details infuse this triple garage with the feel of a vintage carriage house. A small window above each door allows light to stream into the garage interior.

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Paneled to Perfection

Inset vertical paneling and slightly arched windows add character to this row house garage door. Its paneling and windows mimic the ornate detailing found in the home's distinctive architectural elements.

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Fancy Foliage

Above garage doors, a wrought-iron pergola wrapped with vines gives old-world appeal to smooth stucco walls. A shade of deep green coordinates the garage doors and window shutters for a look that's one with nature.

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Cottage Charm

A custom garage door design can have a stunning effect on a home's exterior. Accented with decorative wrought-iron hardware, these carriage-style garage doors have a swing-out appearance. A pretty pergola spanning the garage gives it the look of a charming cottage. A small sitting area transforms the space between garages into a gathering spot during the warmer months.

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Natural Wood

This Mediterranean Mission-style home welcomes guests with its elegant entrance. A beautiful custom garage door featuring wood in a dark patina is a charming exterior feature. Wrought-iron lanterns flanking each side of the garage add a dramatic style statement that blends with the home’s rich, earthy aesthetic.

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Brand-New Molding

White molding is a simple way to draw eyes to a beautiful garage door. The crisp white also matches the ranch home's exterior trim and entryway to create a finishing look.

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Integrated Trellis

Dappled sunlight peeks through a wooden trellis above these beautifully crafted garage doors. The trellis is supported by decorative brackets and painted to match the home's shingled siding.

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A Clever Faux

Installing faux wrought-iron handles on this home's detached double garage adds sophistication on par with the peaked roof and outdoor light sconces. The doors' striking wood finish adds warmth and charm to the garage exterior.

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X Marks the Spot

Barn door types are the perfect fit for country farmhouses. This single-car garage is reminiscent of a cozy farmhouse, thanks to paneled doors dressed in an X motif. A small window and dormer above further emphasize the barnlike quality of the small detached garage.

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Stand-Alone Beauty

Like the exterior of a house, a stand-alone garage represents a major investment that you want to protect by picking materials that are durable and aesthetically pleasing. Engineered wood is easy to paint, making it ideal for this garage's deep blue makeover. A double garage door with high windows admits plenty of light while offering privacy.

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Regal Setting

A decorative stone border above this home's taupe-color garage doors adds an authentic look. A row of petite windows at the top of each garage door elegantly integrates amongst the short-panel design.

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Seamless Addition

An unornamented door painted the same color as the roofing allows this garage to add bold contrast to the ranch home's simple exterior. The attached garage prevents front yard space from being gobbled up by a large driveway and comes in handy during rainy spring days and chilly winter months.

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Two-Tone

Painted the same color as the shutters, this colorful garage door adds a splash of character to a simple white facade. A large pergola stretching above the garage boasts pretty flowering vines that also help soften the home’s straight-line exterior.

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Traditional Elegance

Colonial-style homes are synonymous with traditional elegance. Subtly paneled doors on a street-facing garage complement this home's sophisticated Colonial style. The garage doors were painted white to match the home's clapboard siding.

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Sleek Lines

Narrow, horizontal glass windows define this small garage door and blend in with the ranch home’s clean lines and simple facade.

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Brick Arch

Wooden garage doors become radiant beauties when set inside attractive brick arches. This type of architectural feature can turn a ho-hum garage into something special.

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Finishing Touch

A winding vine adds interest to a wood-paneled garage door and draws the eye upward toward this home’s steep roofline. The foliage also looks inviting from the street and adds a fresh pop of color to neutral siding and exterior trim.

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Glass Panels

Void of elaborate ornamentation and unnecessary detail, contemporary architecture accentuates simple forms and geometric lines. A striking blend of aluminum and glass gives this garage door a sleek, modern look.

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Welcome Home

This simple garage door has a welcoming feel to it, thanks to twin door panels that take on the look of a double-entry door.

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Complementary Style

Designed to resemble an old Cape Cod cottage, a simple gray garage is right at home with a steep dormered roof, gray shingled siding, and lots of crisp white trim.

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Details That Dazzle

Two small windows on either side of this double garage were incorporated to echo the home’s beachy exterior. The garage doors’ paneled surfaces mimic the paned windows on the garage and the rest of the home’s exterior.

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Style Addition

Glass panels at the top of this single garage door look inviting and add distinctive ornamentation to the home's Craftsman-style exterior.

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Perfect Palette

Bold greens and soft neutrals look smart when paired as home exterior colors. Double garage doors on the front of this home allow easy access for two vehicles and exterior storage.

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Triple Treat

A three-car garage adds functionality in the form of more storage space to your home, while also creating a can’t-miss-it style statement. A trio of paneled garage doors fit well into the sprawling style of this ranch home. Six large windows on each door create a feeling of openness even when the garage is closed.

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Rich Wood Tones

A trio of paned-glass windows is a simple addition to this home's natural wood garage door. Overhead, a trellis will eventually offer support for vines that will help soften the exterior and draw attention toward the garage door.

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