If your home’s exterior aesthetic is far from modern, then you need a new garage door with an old world flare. But what are the best vintage-inspired garage doors for your shabby chic, rustic, or farmhouse style home? Before you buy a garage door replacement, take a look at what you need to know about vintage design, home exterior decor, and your options.

What Is Vintage-Inspired or Shabby Chic Garage Door Style?

To better understand this type of garage door, you may need to start with the style itself. Vintage-inspired style is an older style, as the name implies. But this doesn’t mean a vintage-inspired home is actually old. This style is made to look like an older or historical garage door. Instead of using old parts or antiques, the door is made from modern materials that have a classic type of aesthetic.

Shabby chic and farmhouse rustic styles often fall under the vintage umbrella. Unlike sleek, industrial modern looks, these styles have a slightly historical or nostalgic feel. While you may have no problem pointing out a weathered-looking, rustic table as a shabby chic design, vintage-inspired or farmhouse types of garage doors aren’t always as easy to spot. A weathered garage door may seem old, worn, and like it’s ready for a replacement.

Unlike the shabby chic table or chair that has a nostalgic vintage appeal, weathered and stripped paint or partially white washed doors don’t always have a stylish exterior appeal when hung on a garage. This can make it more of a challenge to add a door to your home’s shabby chic exterior.

Instead of looking old, a vintage-inspired garage door looks like it was part of a new home that was built decades or centuries ago. These doors don’t have chipped paint, cracked wood, or visible damage. But they do have an overall style that you might see in a period piece drama on the big (or small) screen.

What Do Many Vintage-Inspired Garage Doors Look Like?

Carriage style is one of the top vintage-inspired garage doors types to choose from. Like the name says, this type of door looks like a carriage house entry. The garage door may have a faux seam in the center that creates the illusion of two separate panels.

A traditional carriage door was made from two smaller doors that opened in the middle and swung outwards. The modern take on this classic door doesn’t need to serve the same function. Instead, the door rolls up and down as any other garage door model would. But to retain the look of an older time, many manufacturers make a mock division that gives the appearance of two doors.

Along with the two-door style, carriage house garage doors are typically made from wood or a wood veneer/wood textured product. Centuries ago, builders didn’t have the ability to make doors for carriage houses from aluminium or fiberglass. This left wood as the top choice.

To keep the historic look, many carriage house style garage doors are wooden doors. If this type of door is too pricey for your garage upgrade budget, a wood composite, wood overlay, or faux wood textured door has a similar aesthetic at a more affordable cost.

Are All Carriage House Style Garage Doors the Same?

The answer to this question is no. All carriage house style garage doors may have some similar characteristics but they vary greatly. They can have a two-door design, a curve at the top, a wooden face or raised planks, and often include cast iron (or a similar dark metal) handles, latches, and accents. Some carriage styles models have a row of windows in two sets (one for each mock door) that follow the upper edge of the garage door’s curve.

While these are all traits of a vintage-inspired carriage house garage door, the similarities may end there. These doors are available in a variety of materials, have different types or thicknesses of insulation, are painted different colors, and come in different sizes.

Are Carriage House Garage Doors the Only Vintage-Inspired Option?

No, carriage house doors are not the only vintage-inspired option for your garage. Even though these doors are popular additions to a shabby chic or farmhouse style home, raised panel wooden doors with a natural finish can also have a similar type of vintage appeal. Again, like carriage style doors, wood veneer or faux wood texture finishes allow you to save money and stay within your garage upgrade budget.

Do you need a new garage door now? If you’re not sure which vintage-inspired door is the best option for your home, you don’t know which material to choose, or you want to learn more about the styles available in your area, talk to a professional. Contact our experienced team at Shank Door for more information or to set up a consultation.