A composite front door flanked by glazed sidelights, or set beneath a fanlight. Daylight where a hallway has none, and a wider opening filled in proportion.
An entrance hall usually has no window of its own. Adding glazed side panels alongside the door, or a fanlight above it, changes that at a stroke — and it fills a wide opening far better than stretching a single door leaf ever could.
Side panels are specified for two reasons, and it is worth being clear which one applies. The first is light: a hall or a staircase that has always needed the lamp on during the day becomes usable without it. The second is proportion: where the structural opening is wider than a comfortable door leaf, sidelights fill it properly instead of leaving a door that looks stretched or a frame packed out with solid infill.
The arrangement follows the opening. A single sidelight to one side suits an off-centre opening; a pair either side gives a symmetrical entrance on a formal elevation; a fanlight above suits a tall opening where extra width is not available. On Georgian and Victorian houses across the Thames Valley a fanlight is often what the entrance originally had, and reinstating one puts the proportions back.
Security is the question homeowners raise first, and reasonably so. Glass beside a lock is only a weakness if it is the wrong glass. Laminated glazing holds together when struck rather than giving way, which is why we specify it in sidelights and any panel within reach of the lock or beside a quiet side path. The sidelight frames are structural parts of the doorset, reinforced and tested to PAS 24 in the same way as the door frame itself, and the door retains its multi-point locking and high-security cylinder.
Glass design is chosen to match across the whole opening, so the door and its panels read as one composition rather than three separate pieces. Obscured and etched patterns give daylight without giving the path a view into the hall. Everything is set at your free home survey, fitted by our own directly employed installers, registered under our Assure registration and covered by an insurance-backed guarantee alongside our 20 Year Guarantee.
The gain is felt indoors, in a part of the house that rarely gets any attention.
Daylight reaches a hall and staircase that usually have no window of their own, which is the change homeowners notice immediately.
Sidelights fill a structural opening in proportion, instead of stretching a door leaf or packing the frame out with solid infill.
Laminated glass, reinforced sidelight frames and PAS 24 testing mean glazing beside the door is not a weak point.
The same glass design runs through the door, sidelights and fanlight, so the whole entrance reads as one composition.
A glazed surround gives the front of the house presence and makes the entrance feel considerably more generous from the path.
Modern sealed units and a thermally broken frame across the full opening mean more glass does not mean a colder hall.
Where the glass goes is set by the opening, the elevation and where the light is actually needed.
One glazed panel to one side of the door. The usual answer for an off-centre opening or a hall with a wall close to one side.
A glazed panel either side, giving a symmetrical entrance and the most daylight. Well suited to formal and period elevations.
A glazed light over the door, for tall openings and for houses where a fanlight is what the entrance was built with.
Glazing above and to both sides, effectively a glazed surround. The brightest arrangement for a hall with no other daylight.
Sidelights running the full height of the frame, giving a clean vertical line that suits contemporary elevations particularly well.
Glazing in the upper section over a solid lower panel, for exposed positions or where privacy at pavement level matters.
Etched and patterned glazing that admits daylight while keeping the view into the hall from the path obscured.
Standard and low thresholds across the full width of the opening, detailed at survey with weather exposure taken into account.
Arrange your free home survey, expert advice, accurate measuring and a fixed written quotation with no pressure.
The door and its side panel frames are finished to match, inside and out.
The most requested modern finish, and one that works as well on a rendered new build as it does against Cotswold stone. Restrained rather than stark.
A traditional choice for townhouses and Georgian porches, particularly alongside polished or antique hardware and a divided glazed panel.
From deep navy to softer heritage blues. Confident on a painted or rendered elevation without dominating the front of the house.
Chartwell and the deeper heritage greens are a natural fit for cottages and country homes across the Cotswolds and the Thames Valley.
Warmer than a bright white and easier on older stone and lime render, especially where the door sits within a recessed porch.
Oak and darker wood-grain finishes carry the texture of stained timber with none of the sanding, sealing or repainting.
A classic front door colour that reads well on brick and rendered elevations, and holds its depth because the colour runs through the skin.
Every finish is a colour-through skin, so the colour is part of the door rather than a coat of paint over it. That is why a composite door does not need repainting, and why scuffs from bikes, prams and deliveries stay far less visible than they would on timber. Interiors can be specified in a different shade to the outside, which is often the right decision where a hallway is narrow or north-facing. We bring samples to your free home survey so you can hold the colour against your own brick, stone or render rather than judging it from a screen.
With side panels the glass choice matters more than on any other door, because there is a great deal more of it.
Diamond and square lead patterns for period elevations, where the original door and fanlight would have carried divided glazing.
Softly etched and floral designs that admit daylight into a hallway while keeping the view in from the path obscured.
Geometric designs suited to 1920s and 1930s houses, particularly where the original stained glass has been lost.
Clean vertical and horizontal glazing for modern elevations, giving light and a sense of height without any decorative pattern.
Lever and lever-pad handles in polished chrome, satin, black or antique finishes, chosen to match the ironmongery elsewhere on the house.
Long pull handles for flush and contemporary doors, giving a clean vertical line and a comfortable, positive grip.
Traditional knockers, with or without a spyhole, for houses where a doorbell would look out of place on the face of the door.
Letterplates with brush and flap seals so the draught proofing of the door is not undone by the post, in finishes matched to the handle.
Laminated glass options are available throughout, which is worth specifying wherever glazing sits within reach of the lock or beside a quiet side path. All hardware is chosen at survey stage and set out in your fixed written quotation, so the finish on the handle, knocker, letterplate and hinges is decided together rather than left to chance.
More glass, specified correctly, does not mean a less secure entrance.
Multi-point locking secures the door at several points along the frame rather than at the handle alone, which is what makes forcing the leaf so much harder.
High-security cylinders resist the snapping, drilling and bumping methods most commonly used on older front doors, with upgrade options available.
Reinforced, thermally broken frames tested to PAS 24, the recognised British standard for enhanced security doorsets.
Laminated glazing holds together when struck, which matters most on glazed panels, sidelights and any glass within reach of the lock.
A solid insulated core and modern weather-sealing keep the hallway warmer and draught-free, a marked change from an older timber or uPVC door.
The same density and sealing that hold heat in also reduce road and weather noise reaching the hall and the rooms leading off it.
A selection of door photography showing sidelights, glazing and finishes.
A selection of recent Thames Frames door installations completed across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Berkshire.
A classic panelled composite front door in a deep, understated colour, replacing a tired timber original on a well-proportioned Georgian family home. Specified with laminated glazing and high-security multi-point locking.
A traditional stable door in heritage cream, sensitively specified for a stone cottage on the edge of Cirencester. Independently opening leaves with modern insulation, weather-sealing and security.
A composite front door flanked by full-height glazed sidelights, brightening a previously dark hallway on a period townhouse in the centre of Tetbury without compromising security.
A pair of composite double doors specified for a generous entrance on a country family home, balanced proportions, contemporary hardware and a considerably warmer, more welcoming entrance hall.
A colour-through composite front door in a soft, characterful shade, replacing a draughty uPVC unit on an established family home. Warmer, quieter and considerably more secure.
An anthracite grey composite door specified for a contemporary refurbishment near Hungerford, smart brushed hardware, laminated glass and a crisp, considered finish to the front elevation.
A golden oak woodgrain composite door with three stacked square apertures and a colour-matched frame, fitted within the recessed porch of a red-brick family home in Innsworth. Obscured glazing keeps the hallway private while still drawing daylight in, and the chrome furniture and low aluminium threshold finish it neatly.
A Chartwell Green composite door with a full-height decorative Art Deco glazed panel, set in a crisp white frame on a rendered Cheltenham home. The leaded design brings character and daylight into the hallway, while two solid lower panels and polished chrome furniture keep the door robust and beautifully balanced.
An anthracite grey composite door with vertical grooved detailing and three square apertures, with a colour-matched frame and threshold, fitted beneath a timber canopy on a new-build home in Trowbridge. A brushed stainless letterplate and slimline handle complete a clean, contemporary frontage.
"A calm, considered process from survey through to installation. The new door has completely lifted the front of the house."
"Sympathetic advice at survey and immaculately installed. Exactly the door our cottage needed, and beautifully finished."
"The hallway feels transformed. Honest guidance on the glass and hardware, and the finish is exceptional."
"Meticulous survey and a very high standard of installation. We couldn't be more pleased with the finished result."
"You can feel the difference the moment you step inside. Cleanly installed and beautifully finished."
"Balanced, honest advice at survey and a lovely, tidy install. The finished result is stunning."
Arrange a complimentary home survey with one of our door specialists. We'll measure the full opening, discuss glazing and privacy, and leave you with a fixed written quotation and no pressure at any stage.
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