Vintage Front Doors in Maine: Unlocking Timeless Charm

New England has no shortage of beautiful historic homes and buildings, which is part of its unending charm. One of the first things you might notice on a delightful old house is its front door. Such was the case when touring residential pockets during our recent trip to southeastern Maine. I was so fascinated by the vintage front doors, that I decided to dedicate an entire post to them. Take a look and see if you agree that a front door truly makes a first impression.

Who can resist a double front door? If I ever had a new home built, I would absolutely request double doors at the front entrance, especially a pair of wooden ones like this. Look closely at the left door and you’ll see a vintage door bell. Lovely!

 

A beachfront home at Gooch’s beach features a starfish cutout on its blue screen door. Behind it is a classic 6-panel door. A colorful or unique screen door is a great way to give your front entry a boost without the expense of changing out the permanent door.

 

More starfish decorate the transom window above this vintage front door. A lobster door knocker emphasizes the Maine location.

 

Colored glass bottles decorate the transom window above this beautiful mustard-colored door. You can imagine the color in the entry when the sun shines through the bottles. It’d be fun to swap out what’s in the transom according to season. Note the postal slot for mail delivery!

 

Here’s a pretty turquoise door with a mail slot, along with a starfish that acts as a hook for a small flower-filled basket.

 

If you want to make your front door pop, paint it a contrasting color to the siding. Both the screen door and interior door are painted the same buttery color, which matches the unique house number sign.

 

Yellow also contrasts well with deep red and calls to mind the original paint colors of new England.

 

Trim color is a great way to brighten up a dark house like this one on Peak’s Island across from Portland.

 

Several colorful doors were spotted on Peak’s Island. We took a ferry across from Portland and spent a few hours exploring on foot. This home enjoys a pretty arbor that frames the front door with brick pavers leading to it.

 

A fun surprise is a pair of purple vintage doors on a fence! Why not? I think the critter above the doors is a whimsical fish. Did you notice the curvy treatment above the fish to simulate waves? Very clever.

 

It’s not hard to figure out that this pretty door is located in a coastal town. The white anchor and captain’s wheel pop against the deep red door.

 

Some of my favorite vintage front doors are those that are stained wood. The metal heart and door knocker add to its charming appeal, and then you have custom trim and sidelight windows to frame it all. The wood porch ceiling is pretty amazing, too.

 

Just across the border from Maine is this historic old home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It even features bullseye glass in the transom window! Wouldn’t you love to open that magnificent old door to see what waits inside?

 

I hope you enjoyed today’s roundup of vintage front doors. Each one is beautiful in its own unique way!

In case you missed it – I’m giving away the newest decorating book, Memories of Home by Heidi Caillier. Head over to Saturday’s post to enter for a chance to win. The winner will be announced this Friday!