Do you need a little bit of garage door renovation inspiration? If you’re ready to redo your home’s garage, take a look at the top tips to get creative with your door, upgrade the area, and create the ideal aesthetic while you maximize your investment.

What Is Your Color Inspiration?

Garage doors are available in a wide array of solar choices. This makes it possible to coordinate the color palette with the rest of your home, create a standout statement piece, or just add another pop color to an already dramatic home exterior. If you’re not sure where to get color inspiration from, start with some of these tips:

• Get inspiration from nature. A natural wood (or natural wood veneer) can add to several different styles. From rustic chic to clean and contemporary, a lighter wood is a subtle way to upgrade your home’s facade. Darker woods add drama or a classic feel.
• Get inspiration from the rest of your home. Are the shutters a deep blue? Is the front door hunter green? Carry the existing accent colors from the rest of your home’s exterior into the garage door hue.
• Get inspiration from your neighbors. Do you envy the door down the street? As you walk or drive through your neighborhood, look at the other garage doors. Ask yourself which ones appeal to you and which colors you don’t like.
• Get inspiration from a movie or TV show. You don’t need an IRL option to choose a new garage door color. Take a screenshot from a movie or TV show and use the color as your top garage door pick.
• Get inspiration from the Internet. Online magazines, blogs, and design websites provide plenty of color inspiration that you can use for your garage door. You can also use apps or design sites to explore what your door will look like in different hues.

You can also get inspiration from your home’s interior. Even though the interior-exterior connection isn’t obvious to anyone who walks or drives past your home, you’ll know and appreciate the seamless transition from the inside to the outside spaces. Continue a color palette from your living space or use a favorite room’s decor as inspiration for your garage door.

What Is Your Style Inspiration?

Which overall style should you choose for your new garage door? Popular styles include carriage, raised panel, slab, and glass doors. Each style may also have a substyle. A raised panel door could have a Mediterranean, European Tudor, traditional, classic, or contemporary style. Likewise, other doors could range from rustic to modern substyles.

If you’re looking for garage door style inspiration, consider:

• The exterior aesthetic of your home. The garage door doesn’t have to match the exterior exactly. But it should continue or carry on the style. If your home is Mediterranean, an industrial contemporary won’t likely match well—and vice versa.
• Your personal style preferences. What is your own personal style? Whether you lean towards a classic, eclectic, or contemporary style in the rest of your life, you can use your personal style as inspiration for your garage door.
• Your exterior design goals. Do you plan to completely renovate your home’s exterior? If you will make major changes, use the redesign as inspiration for your garage door style choice.

Some types of doors have a plain or neutral style. If you’re not ready to make a serious style commitment, explore these options. A single slab or paneled design with a smooth texture creates a bare backdrop that won’t clash with the rest of your home’s facade.

What Is Your Material Inspiration?

Popular garage door materials include steel, aluminum, and wood. Along with these materials, some garage doors include a veneer or outer covering that mimics the look and feel of a natural wooden door or other exterior option.

If you need inspiration for your garage door material choice, think about:

• The overall exterior. Is your home made from fresh, sleek, lighter materials or heavier woods and stone? A glass door may look odd paired with a heavy stone and beam home. Likewise, a thick wood door won’t pair as well with a modern glass masterpiece.
• The period. What time period is your home from (or styled to look like)? An older colonial home and a modern glass garage door won’t mesh well. But a wood or wood veneer carriage door will look right when hung on your historic home.
• The function. Sometimes, inspiration comes from a more practical place. Is your inspiration to save money on the cost of heating and cooling? If energy efficiency is a priority, an insulated steel or wooden door can help to seal the air in.

A garage door contractor can help you to select the best material for your needs. The professional can review the options available for each style and explain the pros and cons.

Are you ready to choose a new garage door? Do you want to learn more about the options? Contact Shank Door for more information.