A Mid Century Exterior Door

My main goal for my house is to keep and restore as much of the original that is left as possible. But there are a few things that just aren't in good enough shape to keep. The front door is one of those things. It had a storm door that no longer existed when we moved in, but the aluminum frame was still there. The wooden door had morphed and you could see sunlight and feel cold air through the cracks at the top. For all I know this wasn't an original door, there wasn't anything special about it or the knob. Time to go sad door.

But where can you find a good mid century exterior door? I got a few quotes when I was getting quotes on new windows in the spring. Their eyes glazed over when I asked whether they had any modern styles, and my eyes glazed over when they showed me their catalog of 100 different styles of six panel doors. I decided a slab door with a cool handle set was my fate.

At one point I had my heart set on Crestview Doors. The styles are exactly what I need. But then two things happened: they raised their prices by 500%. And every door expert I talked to said I needed a fiberglass door, not a solid wood door. Fiberglass doors are better for the extreme weather we get, the direct sunlight, and don't need to be refinished or repainted. But it is a good site for inspiration.

I was shocked when I browsed through Home Depot's door selection online and found two cool modern doors by Builder's Choice. One had 3 windows and one had 5 windows. We went with the 5 window modern door because I liked the clear glass better. We were able to get $100 off the door by leaving it unpainted instead of the brick red that wasn't up my alley. I'll definitely be painting it once it warms up in the spring.

I love the change. I love that it brings light into this little entry space and the look fits with our house. It ups the curb appeal. And I'm happy to have the extra security with the deadbolt. Handle and deadbolt by Kwikset from Amazon.

But I do have some regrets.

1. I asked the installer to save the original moulding on the interior side but he said it was damaged too badly so he used the moulding that came with the door. The new moulding is not solid wood and I hate it. So I'm going to have to replace that to match the moulding in the rest of the house at some point.
2. When the installer took the door and frame out, I noticed that underneath the tile there was the original hardwood. For some reason I thought the tile was original to the house but now I doubt it and it looks really 90's to me. But the door is installed to the height so we're stuck with the tile.
3. That the installer left his blood behind.

What color should I paint the door? The current vote is purple.