By ,
Published February 01, 2017
Your garage door: It's just there. When you want in or out, it goes up. When you want to hide yourself and your army of life-size "Chris Christie for President" cardboard cutouts from the neighbors, it goes down. Not much to it, right?
Wrong! Your garage door could be so much more than a moving wall protecting your car (and privacy). Done right, your garage could be the focal point that tells the neighbors, "That's right, I'm the cool homeowner on the block."
To help you win those bragging rights, we hunted down some of the more glamorous garage designs we've seen in years.
The accordion player
Usually accordions are reserved for inside the home, blocking off the laundry room or pantry with a certain flair that says, "I haven't updated my home since 1962." But these aren't Grandma's garage doors. Wooden garage doors that fold outward and not upward feel awesomely intricate. Topped off with a dark wood stain and transom windows, they feel classy to boot.
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What's old is new again
Reclaimed wood gives new things an old-world flair, which explains why designers have raided the past to build everything from baseboards to coffee tables. Why not garage doors, too? Weathered wood paneling, a pop of a modern hue, and the slightest hint of a chevron pattern give this old-school door a modern edge.
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The Andy Warhol
Mid-Century Modern is in, and your garage door wants to join the fun. But seriously, you don't have to replace your garage door to get that mod look. Pick a few bright paint colors and paint different sections in different hues. The end result: Your garage door will be doing the "mashed potato" in no time.
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The disappearing act
It might feel like a flashback to those trippy, deep-focus optical illusion posters of the '90s, but look closely (maybe try crossing your eyes like we did with those posters back in the day) and you'll see it. This isn't a posh courtyard. It is actually a driveway, and those are actually garage doors. The look is pulled off by extending the same wood paneling over the garage doors to the edge of the house.
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The museum gallery
Murals and easy vinyl stick-ons aren't just for your interior walls anymore. A simple (or surprisingly complex) mural can dress up your old, tired metal roll-up in no time.
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Mirror, mirror…
An all-glass garage door has a sleek, modern look, but an all-glass garage door with tint takes things to a whole new level of cool. Bonus: If you have a great view, it will reflect beautifully across your garage door at sunset.
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For 'Game of Thrones' fans
Dreamed of owning a castle as a kid? Your adult self can at least make your garage look like one. This home has custom garage doors with a large Celtic design that looks just like those entrances with massive door knockers we assume were on every castle gate in the Medieval ages.
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Watch: Do You Need to Remodel Before You Sell?
https://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/who-said-garage-doors-have-to-be-dull