Excited about style and colour
Solidor CEO Gareth Mobley says homeowners want great weather performance, security, and U-values, but they get excited about the style and colour of their new door.
Homeowners don’t change their front doors very frequently, and when they do it’s often for practical reasons; they want to feel secure, improve the energy efficiency of their home, or their old door is broken so they have no choice.
And a new door has to meet those needs, particularly security – 85% of homeowners say security is top priority when buying a new door. But after the door ticks all those ‘need’ boxes, it’s all about looks – the colour, style, and hardware.
People have always perceived front doors as something special. It’s what passers-by, callers and guests see first, so homeowners who take a pride in their home want their door to reflect how they want to be seen. If it’s drab and dull, people will think that’s what the inside of the house and the homeowners are like. If it’s flimsy and cheap, or tatty and uncared for, people assume the same about the homeowners that live there.
These assumptions may not be particularly reliable indications of who and what’s inside the home, but it is how most people unconsciously react. And it’s not a new phenomenon.
People have always taken great pride in their front doors, washing the steps, sweeping their path, adding pot plants either side of their doors, or, in the past, polishing the door handles and brass knockers. The front door is centre stage. It’s a homeowner’s face to the world.
Before PVC, aluminium, and composite doors, we painted our timber front doors in strong ‘front door’ colours. Dulux created its own range of front door colours specifically to meet the consistent demand to make a good impression. But since the rise of non-timber doors, colour has taken a back-seat. Manufacturers had to offer some colour choice, but counted on people buying the limited range that was available, happy choosing their doors for performance rather than looks.
But the market has changed as some companies started to sell on looks and homeowners increasingly expect high performing, highly secure doors that look simply stunning, so colour choice is now more important. Installers selling quality composite doors with plenty of style and colour choice give homeowners the opportunity to get excited about their purchase. They’re more likely to fall in love with a beautiful door than with its U-values, so with needs more easily satisfied, it’s beauty and colour that drives their buying decision.
Solidor’s range of 20 colours are available in any combination inside and out, so making a bold choice outside doesn’t have to conflict with the decoration inside. Homeowners are picking colours like chartwell green, duck egg blue, aubergine purple, or peacock blue.
At the moment anthracite grey is very fashionable – our bestseller. The robust thermoplastic skin that protects Solidor’s laminated hardwood timber core has a realistic woodgrain effect that looks lovely. We have 18 door styles to choose from and a wide range of stylish hardware, so there’s something to suit every type of home.