When you’re planning your home’s entryway, a door is not just a door. It’s a whole lot more.
By Joanne Sasvari
When we moved into our house, we knew we’d have to do something about the front entrance — and fast.
The “porch” was a weirdly shaped vinyl box that was slick as ice when it got wet or cold. The front step was a slab of concrete balanced precariously on two bricks. There were no handrails, but lots of spiny plants to fall into (ask me how I know). A curving gravel path meandered through overgrown shrubbery, bisected by a giant root perfectly positioned to trip anyone walking along it (ask me how I know that, too). Giant spiders dangled from thorny climbing roses around the front door, which had locks so flimsy, it would blow open in a stiff breeze. Need I add that there were no functioning outdoor lights, doorbell or legible house numbers?
From the sidewalk, our house looked romantic, with its red door and wild garden; close up, it was a nightmare of tripping hazards, dysfunctional design and overgrown weeds. But as we started looking into fixing up the porch, we discovered that there’s a lot more to making an entrance than you might think.
Outside the Door
“I would start at the curb, at your sidewalk. Everything is a transition, right?” says Wendy Taylor, the interior designer at Green Island Builders, who — full disclosure — helped us with our house. “What story are you trying to tell? Every client demands something specific, and every home demands something specific. And you have to scale it to the house itself.”
Your home’s entrance needs to be attractive, but more than that, it needs to be functional, which means you need to think about “safety, accessibility, curb appeal, all of that.”
For instance, Taylor says, “If it’s going to be accessible to someone in a wheelchair, that means a ramp at a certain angle, with handrails and a five-foot turning radius at the top. At the entryway, you can’t have a lip. You have to assume it’s your grandma who has to get in by herself.”
If you are installing steps rather than a ramp, they should be the right width and height for safety and comfort. It’s a good idea if they are slip-proof, too. And, Taylor says, “Handrails are key. It’s part of code. People who aren’t necessarily athletic or able-bodied will want handrails, but you will want them yourself for comfort.”
“Code” refers to the BC Building Code, which governs new builds. Older homes don’t need to meet some code requirements, like installing levers instead of door knobs. But if you are considering a renovation, you may want to build to code anyway for both safety and resale.
Functionality aside, the front bit of your home should look attractive to guests, passersby and, perhaps, potential buyers. But what else is it telling them?
If your style is contemporary, your entrance should convey that with clean lines, modern materials and sleek decorative elements; if your style is more vintage, rustic, traditional or romantic, it could lean to more ornate, rugged, natural and/or free-form features.
In any case, if you are trying to make it welcoming, a straight, wide walkway will say, “Come on in,” Taylor notes, while a curved path might suggest a space that is a little more private, as will a hedge or tall fence with a gate. Fragrant plants and a seating area with a bench or a pair of Adirondack chairs will also set a welcoming scene, perhaps with a low fence or hedge to indicate that it is not a public area.
“Now you’re welcoming people passing by,” Taylor says. “It really is an extension of your home.”
At the Door
Once you climb those stairs you reach the threshold of your home, the liminal space between indoors and out, private and public, security and uncertainty.
“You want a welcoming, tidy front porch with a nod to what you are expecting to see inside,” says interior designer Julia Wakely, principal of Julia Wakely Interiors, adding that the choice of door, mailbox, hardware and so on should “all depend on the style of your home and the age of your home.”
On the landing, make guests feel welcome with seating, a small table and somewhere to leave muddy boots and/or umbrellas, as well as a nice mat, potted plants and other decorative elements. “And consider how you’re lighting it as well. You want to be able to see the house numbers,” Taylor says. Wakely agrees, noting: “You should have house numbers that match the style of your house, at least four inches high so you can see them clearly from the street.”
Another thing to consider: your mailbox. Wakely is a fan of quirky vessels for your mail. “You can use anything,” she says. “My parents used an antique crock. You don’t have to use a traditional mailbox.” However, Taylor notes that code stipulates lockable mailboxes for new builds, and also suggests adding a secure place where delivery people can leave parcels.
As for the door itself, there are wood doors, metal doors and vinyl doors, custom-designed or mass-produced doors, sleek contemporary doors or more traditional designs, half-doors that allow people to see into your house or doors with peepholes for privacy, extra-large doors operated by “smart” controls or the petite vintage styles that are the only kind that will fit Victoria’s many smaller, older homes.
“You also want to consider shade and some comfort when visitors come to your front door. You want a reprieve from the rain and shelter from the sun,” Taylor says.
“And then,” she adds, “you want to consider colour. Front doors are a free-for-all. You can do whatever colour you like. It does not have to translate to any colour inside. There are no rules for it. You can do complementary colours and most people do. But I’ve done a grey house with
a lime green door and there’s no lime green anywhere in the house.”
Whatever you choose, it should be “a well-maintained, good-quality, clean front door,” Wakely says. And don’t neglect the display opportunity a door offers, whether it’s a vintage door knocker, ornamental house numbers, a piece of art, basket of flowers or a pretty seasonal wreath. That’s especially true if you live in a rental or strata property that doesn’t allow you to make any other changes.
Inside the Door
Once you step indoors, although you are now in a private space, it is one that sees a lot of traffic, where the biggest challenge is finding room for everything you (and your guests) need on the way in and out.
“Inside, you need a ‘spot to drop,’ ” Wakely says. “Keep clutter under control and tucked away, in a sideboard or a dresser. You need somewhere for the dog leashes, somewhere to tuck away the coats.”
She suggests having a coat tree or wall hooks in the foyer, especially for guests’ coats (family outerwear can be put away in the hall closet when guests arrive) as well as a stool or bench for putting on shoes, and someplace to put all those hats, gloves, keys and bags. Built-ins are great for a contemporary look, but she loves the vintage vibe of an old dresser or antique sideboard.
“I always suggest a mirror in the foyer to check your hair and makeup before you leave,” she adds. “And the biggest thing is a statement light fixture, small or big, depending on the size of the space.” That lighting could include pendants, flushmounts or portable cordless lamps that create a cozy glow, with smart features that let you control brightness and timing.
“You can also go crazy with colour in a front entry because it’s a pass-through space,” Wakely says. She loves the idea of putting wallpaper up in a foyer, then using one of the colours from the pattern on the ceiling or the trim. But whatever you do, she notes, “Don’t paint your entry hall white thinking you are going to lighten it up. Embrace the darkness and make it cozy.”
Finally, don’t forget to add a rug, such as a runner, which will not only keep people from tracking debris through your home, but will create a natural area for service, trade and delivery people to conduct their business. “It’s about creating little boundaries and private spaces,” Taylor says.
Back to our Door
Back at our place, the entrance is still a work in progress. We now have a wide, straight welcoming path of easy-to-navigate pavers, a safe-to-climb set of stairs (yes, with handrails) and a lovely, wide porch where the spider-infested climbing roses have been replaced by pots of fragrant rosemary. Our new blue door is on order, along with sturdy hardware and a lockable mailbox. We also sourced a vintage knocker in a Paris flea market and ordered French-style house numbers from Etsy. This spring we’ll be working on the landscaping.
What we naively thought would be a quick fix has taken months to do, with still more work ahead. But one thing we learned: If you’re going to make an entrance, might as well make it a grand one.
Trend Watch: Go Natural
“Natural plantings in the front yard is the biggest trend,” says Wendy Taylor, designer with Green Island Builders. “Everyone is forgoing the lawn. Lawns are definitely on the out, out, out.”
Trend Watch: Banish the Grey
For the last decade, design has been all about subtle greys and pale wood. Now rich, dark wood is in, as is colour, whether bold and bright or soft and earthy, on walls, trim, décor, details, even ceilings. “No more grey at all,” interior designer Julia Wakely says firmly.