Best Replacement Windows and Doors to Match Popular House Styles

Doors and windows are some of the main elements of a house you’ll notice first, making the style you choose very important. They should also coordinate with the overall style of your home, which can vary from traditional to very contemporary in Northern Virginia. With the architectural variation in Virginia, you’ll likely see lots of different styles of windows and doors, even within the same neighborhood. 

What types of windows and doors go with the architectural style of your home? Let’s start with one of the oldest home styles seen in Virginia. 

Colonial

As one of the original 13 colonies, the colonial-style home is very popular in Virginia. This style of home features gambrel roofs, large columns, decorative crowns, dormers, and large chimneys. They are typically symmetric with brickwork, unadorned, and usually two or more stories. The portico is prominent but simple and opens into a center hallway. The windows of a colonial-style home are evenly spaced. 

Windows for a Colonial Home

The style of window that best suits a colonial-style home are single or double-hung windows with divided lines or grids. Typically, colonial homes will feature windows with grids of six over six, nine over nine, or twelve over twelve. The Marvin Coastline Single Hung window is an excellent selection for this architectural style. 

Entry Door for a Colonial Home

The style of door for the colonial home is a batten door with a small glass window above. Wood, or wood-look doors, with raised panels that might include glass toward the very top of the door, the top half of the door, or completely made up of a grid of glass panes are also very popular and appropriate choices. The ProVia brand carries many styles that would look great on a colonial home. 

Georgian

Georgian homes are another common style in Virginia. They also focus on symmetry but are more embellished than colonial styles. They feature a low-pitched roof line, a squared shape, shutters, and wood siding or red brick. Being that Georgian homes are more ornate than Colonial, they might have bay windows on either side, a large arched window on the second story above the entry, or several arched windows throughout.

Windows for a Georgian Home

Georgian homes vary in window style more than colonial homes and can feature double or single-hung windows with grids on only the top sash or both sashes. These windows may also have windows with one sash larger than the other. Arched windows above sash windows is a popular, more ornate choice for Georgian homes. The Signature line from Marvin windows showcases many of these styles. 

Entry Door for Georgian Homes

Georgian door styles are similar to colonial ones but can include an arched window above, sidelites, and more ornate glasswork. 

Victorian and Queen Anne

Victorian and Queen Anne style homes come from very different time periods but have a lot in common, like asymmetrical facades, heavily decorated exteriors, at least two stories, dormer windows, and a tower element with bay windows. 

Windows for a Victorian or Queen Anne Home

A single Victorian or Queen Anne home will feature multiple different styles of windows, like circular, arched, rectangular, cameo, and bay. Single-hung windows with a highly detailed upper sash and a plain lower sash are typical of this style. Cameo windows are traditionally ornate, including beveled glass or stained glass. Floor-to-ceiling windows are also common in this style, with an operable lower sash and large grids. 

Entry Door for a Victorian or Queen Anne Home

Four-panel front doors, ornately designed glass doors with sidelites, or French doors with panels on the lower half and glass on the upper half are all common. The Signet line by ProVia has several designs with these quintessential characteristics. 

Craftsman

Craftsman-style homes are made up of simpler lines but still feature lots of handmade touches. They are mostly unadorned with unique characteristics, like tapered columns with a wide base, a mix of siding and brick or stone, have low-pitched roofs with wide eaves, exposed rafters, dormers, and a large front porch. 

Windows for a Craftsman Home

A craftsman-style home will typically have single or double-hung windows with a grid only on the top sash or no grids. The grids can also be very interesting; like a row of small square panes at the top of the upper sash and larger panes below, or many other configurations. 

Entry Door for a Craftsman Home

The classic front door of a craftsman home is a door with two or three raised side-by-side panels below a row of three or four square glass panes. There is some variation in the configuration of panels and glass, but will always be simple and linear. 

Modern Farmhouse

The modern farmhouse trend really took off in the early 2000s and is still very popular. Many of the style attributes are clean and streamlined versions of traditional homes, like siding, simple porch posts, wide front porches, and a combination of gable and hip rooflines.

Windows for a Modern Farmhouse 

Simple double or single-hung windows with grids of four on four are standard for the modern farmhouse. Modern farmhouses are usually a shade of white with dark or black window frames. The Marvin Signature Collection is also a great go-to for the modern farmhouse. 

Entry Door for a Modern Farmhouse

The simple design of a modern farmhouse encourages as little fluctuation in characteristics across the façade of the home as possible. A front entrance that coordinates with the windows is common. The front door will usually feature a large grid of four or six glass panes that make up the top two-thirds of the door with a single raised panel on the bottom third. This configuration can vary, but not by much. 

Contemporary

Contemporary homes are a reflection of what’s new and popular at the time, and right now it’s straight and flat rooflines, large expansive windows, and a boxy appearance. The exterior façade is typically made of stucco, painted brick, or standing seam metal clad. The goal is a smooth, uniform surface. 

Windows for a Contemporary Home

To pull off the large expanses of glass, sliding or picture windows are ideal. It’s even common for contemporary homes to have entire walls made of glass. Moving glass walls are a great way to open the home up to an outdoor living area in the contemporary style. 

Entry Door for a Contemporary Home

In keeping with the minimal look of a contemporary home, the front door may be a solid flat panel door, a door with one large pane of glass, or one with three to five stacked horizontal panes. The door may be dark wood or, for a more industrial look, black metal. TruStile by Marvin is an excellent line of contemporary door styles. 

What Style of Windows and Doors Should You Choose for Your Virginia Home?

The types of home styles go on and on, and it’s possible that yours isn’t even on this list. With the right advice, your replacement windows and doors can look as if they have always been there, and that should be the goal. To best determine the style of your home and the perfect windows and doors to match, call an experienced specialist that can offer lots of selections that will fit your home just right. 

Window and Door Showplace has decades of experience helping homeowners avoid feeling overwhelmed by all of the choices by narrowing down the best style to suit the architecture of their homes. Contact us to set up a consultation and we’ll guide you through our high-quality selection of windows and doors.