The Challenge
The homeowner had a perfectly functional front door — a white two-panel entry with sidelights — but it did nothing for the house. The stucco and stone quoin facade had real architectural character: formal proportions, a copper-roofed bay window, bluestone steps. The entry didn't match any of it. It looked like a builder-grade afterthought on a house that deserved better.
The goal wasn't just a new door. It was a complete entry transformation — door, sidelights, trim, hardware, and finish — designed to complement the home's existing materials and elevate the entire facade.
Before & After
A Complete Entry Transformation
Original builder-grade white entry — no trim detailing, mismatched with the home's character
Custom sage green entry with pilasters, transom bar, and brass lion knocker
The Approach
Designing the Door to the House
Fred started with the facade, not a door catalog. The stucco walls, cut stone quoins, and copper bay window all pointed in the same direction: this house wanted something classical, with weight and presence.
The new door is a six-panel design — the most traditional American panel configuration — set between glass sidelights that maintain the original opening's proportions. Fred built custom pilasters on either side to frame the entry, added a projecting crosshead above, and installed a transom bar with divided lights that echoes the mullion pattern of the bay window next to it.
The color was a deliberate choice. Sage green sits naturally against the warm stucco and grey stone. It's period-appropriate, distinguishes the entry from the rest of the facade, and pairs with the copper patina that the bay window roof will develop over time. The brass lion-head knocker and lever handle complete the composition — warm metal against deep green, the kind of detail that makes a front door feel like it was always part of the house.
The Details
What Changed — and Why It Matters
Compare the two photos and the differences go well beyond color. The original entry had thin, flat casing and no architectural relationship to the facade. The replacement has depth: the pilasters project from the wall, the crosshead casts a shadow line, the sidelights are properly proportioned with a muntin pattern that ties into the home's other windows.
This is what Fred means when he says he designs a project before he builds it. A door is just a door. An entry — one that reads as part of the architecture — requires someone who understands proportion, material relationships, and the way light and shadow give a facade its character. Thirty years of working with light in Hollywood and building custom homes in Los Angeles is what makes that possible.
Your Home Deserves an Entry That Matches
Whether it's a front door, custom trim, or a full exterior upgrade — Fred designs and builds every detail himself.
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