3 Front Door Privacy Ideas

Your front entryway is a focal point of your home. And today there are more styles than ever to choose from to welcome people into your home. Many of today’s styles include glass in the door and/or sidelights to the door.

But what if you don’t want people who come to your door to be able to see into your home so readily? We have some front door privacy ideas that will make you feel less conspicuous and safer at home!

Front Door Privacy Ideas

1. Shades or Blinds

Source: Select Blinds

We love shades or blinds as front door privacy ideas.

Pros of Shades for Front Door Privacy

Design Element

Roman shades like these from Select Blinds are a great way to add some visual interest to your door as well as privacy.

You can coordinate the shade to match the curtains or drapes in your room. Or you can add the same roman shades to your windows. Either way, roman shades are a sleek and elegant solution to adding privacy.

Night Time Privacy

When roman shades or blinds are extended, they offer terrific night time privacy, blocking anyone from seeing into your home.

Cons of Shades for Front Door Privacy

Cost:

Shades can be a costly investment. This basic shade we are showing to cover a 32” wide by 66” full glass door starts at around $77 for the stock fabric option in five colors, which is not bad but goes up based on fabric selection and size.

And if your door is oversized or if you have sidelights you’d also like to cover, you will need to go for custom sizing, which will substantially increase your costs.

Custom Roman shades or blinds can be significantly more expensive than this, especially if you have them installed by a pro.

Blocking Views:

If you are looking for privacy during the daytime, shades, and blinds, work great to keep prying eyes out of your home. But they also will block your views to the outside when fully extended.

Keeping the shades down during the day will also make your room significantly darker by blocking out most of the visible light the door would otherwise let in.

2. Frosted Glass

Source: decorpad.com

Frosted glass or white lami glass is another great front door privacy option that is available from almost all front door manufacturers today. We prefer a soft, opaque finish like this door from decorpad.com.

Pros of frosted glass for front door privacy

Day and Night time privacy

Frosted glass can provide both day and night time privacy.

Good Light Transmission

While frosted glass is opaque, it doesn’t completely block all light from coming in. This option allows to still enjoy natural light and keep a foyer light and bright while still offering privacy.

Cons of frosted glass for front door privacy

Loss of views

Frosted glass permanently blocks your view of the outside world.

Cost

Frosted glass is an upgrade to a glass entry door, so you will pay more for it. Costs vary depending on the manufacturer and the glass type you choose but expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars extra per door for this option.

And if you aren’t planning to purchase a new front door anytime soon, frosted glass is not an option. But there is an alternative…

Alternative to Frosted Glass for Front Door Privacy

So, if you have an existing glass front door and want the look of frosted glass, you can achieve this with an opaque window film.

Frosted window film or Matte White window film is a great retrofit to add day and nighttime privacy to your entryway.

A film like Concord Window Film’s Matte White Privacy film is easy to install and costs a fraction of replacing the glass in your door. A 36” wide by 10’ long roll of Matte White privacy film sells for just $49 on windowfilm.com.

3. Transparent Privacy Window Film

We love transparent privacy film to add front door privacy!

The reflective nature of some transparent window films creates a one-way mirror effect that provides daytime privacy.  Read more about one-way window film and how it works.

Pros of Transparent Window Film for Front Door Privacy

Keep Views to the Outside

While the one-way mirror effect prevents people from seeing in the home during the day, you, as the homeowner, can still see out. So you keep your views and can see who is at your front door before opening it!

Allows Natural Light in the Home

Another benefit of transparent window film for front door privacy is that it provides privacy during the day while still allowing light to enter your home, keeping your foyer light and bright.

Cost

Installing transparent privacy film yourself is an inexpensive way to add daytime privacy to your front entry. A patio door kit of ComforTech™ Ceramic Series will provide enough film for one full glass lite front door and costs just $59.

Cons of Transparent Window Film

Little to No Night Time Privacy

The main con of transparent window film is that it will not provide privacy at night. When conditions are brighter inside the home than outside, you no longer create privacy.

You can do some things to mitigate this:

• Add bright outdoor lighting near the window film — the brighter you make it on the outside of the film, the better chance you have of creating a reflection
• Keep interior lights softer/dimmer — in concert with adding outdoor lighting, lowering the lighting in your foyer will create the contrast needed to achieve some night time privacy
• Choose the darkest shade of window film you feel comfortable with — the darker the shade you choose, the better the privacy will be as light conditions get darker outside

Front Door Privacy Summary

There you have it – three (and a half!) great ways to add front door privacy to your home! Here are our recommendations for the best way to achieve privacy at your front door:

Daytime Privacy

If you are looking primarily for daytime privacy, we recommend transparent privacy window film. At Concord Window Film, we have three ceramic films and one metallic film that provide great daytime privacy: