Your front door is the first thing people notice about your home. It sets the tone for everything behind it. If you’ve been putting off replacing yours because you don’t know where to start – or you’re worried about ending up with something that doesn’t suit your house – the Palladio Door Designer takes that uncertainty away completely.
At Thermoglaze, we give Dublin homeowners a way to design their composite front door online – choosing every detail themselves – before a single measurement is taken or a single order is placed. This guide walks you through exactly how to use it, step by step.
What Is the Palladio Door Designer?
The Palladio Door Designer is an online tool that lets you build your front door from scratch on screen. You pick the door style, colour, glazing, and hardware, and it shows you a live preview of what the finished door will look like. There’s no guesswork, no relying on a catalogue photo taken on someone else’s house.
It’s built for people who want to see exactly what they’re getting before they commit. Whether you have a modern new-build in Swords or a period semi-d in Rathgar, the tool covers a wide enough range of styles and finishes to work for most Dublin homes.
Ready to start designing? Use the Palladio Door Builder here and see your door take shape.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the Palladio Door Designer
Step 1: Select Your Door Style
The first thing you do is pick a door style. Palladio offers a solid range of panel designs – from clean, minimal slabs that suit contemporary homes, to more traditional raised-panel styles that work well on older properties. Think about the overall look of your house before you choose. A door that clashes with the architecture tends to stand out for the wrong reasons.
Step 2: Choose Your Colour
Once you’ve picked a style, you move onto colour. The Palladio range includes a wide selection of solid colours and woodgrain finishes. Popular choices for Irish homes include:
- Solid colours – anthracite grey, cream, black, and chartwell green are consistently popular
- Woodgrain finishes – mahogany, golden oak, and rosewood for homes where a timber look suits the existing joinery
- Two-tone options – different colours for the inside and outside face of the door, so your interior and exterior can each have their own finish
If you’re replacing an older door and want to keep a similar look, the woodgrain finishes are worth exploring. If you’re going for something more modern, the solid colours tend to work better.
Step 3: Customise Your Glazing
Not every front door needs glass, but if you want to let light into your hallway without compromising on privacy, glazing is worth considering. The designer lets you choose from different glass panel shapes, positions, and decorative options.
Key things to think about here:
- How much natural light does your hall need? A narrow terraced house often benefits from glazing more than a detached home with side windows
- Privacy – if your door opens directly onto a busy street, you may prefer obscure or decorative glass rather than clear
- Security – all glazing in Palladio composite doors is toughened, so it doesn’t compromise the door’s overall strength
Step 4: Pick Your Hardware
Hardware is where a lot of people underestimate the difference small details make.
The designer lets you choose your:
- Letterplate – position and finish
- Door knocker or viewer
- Handle style and finish – chrome, gold, satin, or black
- Locking system
Matching your hardware finish to other metalwork on your house (like railings, light fittings, or window handles) ties the whole front elevation together. It’s one of those details that looks intentional rather than random.
Step 5: Preview and Save Your Design
Once you’ve worked through each option, you get a full preview of your finished door. You can change anything you are not happy with before you save or submit your design for a quote.
Like what you see? Request a free quote and we’ll be in touch to discuss installation.
Why Choose a Palladio Composite Door?
Composite doors are a popular choice for Irish homeowners replacing older timber or uPVC hall doors. Here’s a quick breakdown of why they’re worth thinking about:
| Feature | What It Means for You |
| Solid timber core | Won’t warp, bow, or swell with Irish weather |
| GRP outer skin | Looks like timber, needs far less maintenance |
| Multi-point locking | Better security than older single-point locks |
| Insulated construction | Keeps heat in, reduces draughts |
| Wide colour range | Easy to match your home’s existing style |
| Long lifespan | Holds its shape and finish far longer than solid timber |
If your current door is draughty, warped, or just looks tired, a Palladio composite is a solid replacement option. And because you’re designing it yourself through the tool, you’re not settling for whatever happens to be in stock.
Palladio Doors Available Through Thermoglaze Dublin
Thermoglaze is a Palladio stockist and installer based in Dublin. We have two showrooms where you can see the Palladio range in person – which is worth doing before you finalise your design, particularly if you want to check colours and hardware finishes in natural light rather than on a screen.
Swords Showroom (Northside)
Unit F2, Swords Enterprise Park, Feltrim Road, Drinan, Swords, Co. Dublin, K67 WF72
Rathgar Showroom (Southside)
68 Rathgar Avenue, Dublin 6, D06 KN53
Both showrooms are open to walk-ins, and our team can talk you through the Palladio range, answer questions about installation timelines, and help you get a quote. Call us on 01 912 0600 – we’re happy to help over the phone before you commit to a showroom visit.
We fit hall doors across all of Dublin, including Swords, Rathgar, Clontarf, Donnybrook, Drumcondra, Raheny, and Blanchardstown. If you’re not sure whether we cover your area, just give us a call.
Palladio Door Designer vs. Starting from a Catalogue
A lot of door companies still work from printed catalogues or a limited showroom display.
Here’s why using the Palladio designer online first gives you an advantage:
- You can try combinations you wouldn’t have thought to ask for
- You see exactly what your colour and hardware choices look like together
- You’re not relying on a salesperson’s description of what something looks like
- You can share your saved design with a partner or family member before you decide
- It’s free to use and there’s no obligation to buy
The tool doesn’t replace a proper site survey and professional installation, but it gives you a clear starting point and removes a lot of the back-and-forth that typically comes with a door purchase.
Conclusion
Replacing a front door is one of those home improvements that makes an immediate difference – both to how your house looks from the street and how it feels from the inside. The Palladio Door Designer makes the whole process easier by letting you work through the options yourself, on your own time, without any pressure.
Once you’ve got a design you’re happy with, the next step is getting a proper quote and booking a survey. Thermoglaze handles the full process from that point – supply, survey, and professional installation across Dublin.
Call us on 01 912 0600, visit thermoglaze.ie, or drop into either of our Dublin showrooms to get things moving.
FAQs
1. What is the Palladio Door Designer?
It’s a free online tool that lets you design a Palladio composite door by choosing the style, colour, glazing, and hardware before you order. You get a visual preview of the finished door as you make your selections.
2. Is the Palladio Door Designer free to use?
Yes, completely free. There’s no account required and no obligation to purchase after using it.
3. Can I save my design?
Yes. You can save your design and come back to it, or share it with someone else before making a final decision.
4. How do I get a quote after I’ve designed my door?
Once you’ve finished your design, you can submit it directly for a quote or contact Thermoglaze using the details at the bottom of this page.
5. Are Palladio composite doors energy efficient?
Yes. Palladio composite doors are insulated by construction, which helps reduce heat loss through your front entrance. This can contribute positively to your home’s BER rating.
6. Are Palladio doors secure?
Palladio composite doors come with multi-point locking systems as standard, which offer significantly better security than older single-point locks. The doors are also solid throughout, so they can’t be easily flexed or forced.
7. Can I see Palladio doors in person before I order?
Yes. Thermoglaze has two Dublin showrooms – one in Swords and one in Rathgar – where you can view the Palladio range. Seeing colours and hardware finishes in person before you order is worth doing.
8. Do Palladio composite doors require a lot of maintenance?
No. The GRP outer skin doesn’t need painting or varnishing. An occasional wipe down with a damp cloth is generally all that’s needed to keep the door looking well.
9. How long does installation take?
Installation of a composite door typically takes half a day to a full day depending on the specifics of your property. Thermoglaze will confirm the timeline when your survey is booked.
10. Does Thermoglaze install Palladio doors across all of Dublin?
Yes. We install across all Dublin areas including Swords, Rathgar, Clontarf, Drumcondra, Donnybrook, Raheny, Blanchardstown, and surrounding areas. Visit our showroom to see the range in person or book a survey.