Modern composite doors

Three things, in order of importance: the absence of mouldings, the proportion of the glazing, and the handle. A flat or lightly grooved face with a single tall aperture and a long bar handle will read as contemporary in any colour. A panelled face will not, whatever you paint it.

The Palermo Solid and the Modern Solid take that to its conclusion and remove the glass entirely. They are the most private, most secure and cheapest doors in either range, and on the right elevation they look considerably more expensive than they are.

A bar handle is the detail people notice. They come in 1200mm and 1800mm, in brushed stainless, black and chrome, and they are fitted on the outside with a lever on the inside so the multipoint lock still works normally.

Longer generally looks better on a taller door and on anything with full height glazing. On a standard 2050mm opening the 1200mm is the safer proportion. Brushed stainless is the default and it hides fingerprints far better than polished chrome.

Modern designs live or die on restraint. Anthracite grey, black, midnight grey and truffle brown do the vast majority of the work, and all four sit correctly against white render, grey aluminium and timber cladding.

If you want something with more in it, Solidor's Painswick and French Grey are the two that consistently look expensive on a contemporary house without tipping into a statement colour.