If you’re looking to renovate your home’s main entrance and the front door, how about adding sidelights? Sidelights, the vertical windows fixed on either or both sides of the main entrance door, can enhance the home’s curb appeal. They offer both aesthetic and functional value.

If you’re one of those who enjoys natural lighting inside the house, sidelights are a great way to achieve that.

Anytime you have a visitor or mail, you can quickly peek through the sidelights before opening the door.

If you have a standard-sized exterior door, sidelights can make it look wider.

How to Choose the Right Sidelights for your Front Door

If your existing front door doesn’t have sidelights, you can still add them as part of your renovation project. However, if you want the new door and sidelights to fit into your current door opening, you may need to opt for a narrower door and a sidelight on one side of the door. Widening the opening would be better, allowing you to have two sidelights and a standard door.

Here’s a little help on choosing the perfect door and sidelights.

Based on Your Home’s Style

If you own a house with contemporary or mid-century modern architecture, consider selecting sidelights with wider glass panes and a slim trim. This allows for a lot of natural lighting. White front door sidelights and transom are popular in Victorian-style houses.

Do you have arched windows, an arched front door, and other arched elements in your home’s architecture? Extending the door’s arched look and feel to the sidelights can add elegance to the entrance.

Based on Your Home’s Roofline

Large doors may not suit small ranches or houses with low rooflines. They would look awkward and can make the home look shorter. Sidelights are a wonderful way to easily bring light into such homes. Irrespective of the door color, it’s best to keep the color of the sidelights lighter.

If your home has a higher roofline, a large door with sidelights matching the door’s color can make the house look magnificent.

Based on Your Door’s Color

Are you going in for a bright-colored door — red, pink, green, or yellow? Bright-colored doors may add a dash of vibrancy to your home. However, as too much color can be overpowering, you could opt for subtle colors for your door and sidelight trims.

If your door has a wooden finish or displays a darker shade, you may opt for trims in black, white, or the same color as your door.

Have you got a trim color for all your windows and doors, and an accent color for shutters? You may opt for the same accent color for your front door and trim color for your sidelights.

Based on Your Need for Privacy

If you’re worried about your new sidelights affecting your privacy, you could opt for sidelights with smaller glass panes. Sidelights with glass panes only above eye level and a wooden structure below is another option. You could also complement the look with a matching door lite or transom.

Today, there are plenty of glass options for homeowners concerned about their privacy — stained glass, textured glass, frosted glass, and more.

Refresh Your Entrance with the Perfect Sidelights

Get ready to impress your visitors with a beautiful new exterior door and sidelights. Knockety has an impressive collection of wood and fiberglass doors — contemporary, craftsman, solid wood, divided lite, and more. Place an order now for an exterior door and sidelights that’ll match your home and personality.