The Entryway in Four Parts

Picture this:

You made time in your day to visit a friend. You are walking from the garden toward her stunning blue front door. You follow a pebbled path curving through vibrant, fuchsia bougainvillea, listening to the breeze moving the leaves in the nearby trees. The sun hits you in the eyes while you try to follow the flight of a bright red cardinal. You take the two steps up to the shaded front porch. You have a joy-filled expectation for the day.

There is a rocking chair with a soft cushion to your right and a metal sculpture of a violinist to your left. The simple beauty of the scene makes you happy. The dark blue door has a brass handle that you can see has been well-used. You ring the bell and hear a cheerful voice answer, “I’m coming.” The door is opened to a welcoming hug and an invitation to hang your jacket on the coat rack in the entryway. 

You can hear the wizz of water boiling for tea in the kitchen, when you turn to look at yourself in the round mirror above the console. After a moment, you realize the peace you feel is almost tangible. The foyer has cozy lighting and you immediately have a sense of place—the calming emotions of having arrived. You feel heartily embraced by your surroundings and the upcoming conversation.

My favorite entryways, no matter the architectural style of the building, will always include the following four physical elements, which help create the intangible feelings we all want in our homes (love, harmony, peace, joy).

An approach, A semi-outdoor transitional space, A beautiful front door, and A well thought out foyer or vestibule. 

Approach types in architecture refer to the manner in which a visitor is guided towards the entrance of a building. The Approach is often a path—completely outdoors—which you walk to get to the front door. In an apartment building it would be the corridor. 

The Approach is the beginning of curb appeal and is the first note in the harmony of the overall property. Each type of approach creates a different experience and will influence the perception of the building.

• Frontal Approach: The entrance is directly visible and accessible from the main path.

• Oblique Approach: The entrance is visible but approached from an angle, creating a dynamic perspective.

• Spiral/Processional Approach: The path to the entrance involves a winding or ceremonial route, often enhancing the anticipation.

• Indirect/Hidden Approach: The entrance is not immediately visible and requires navigating through a series of spaces or paths.

Semi-outdoor transitional spaces include a porch, veranda, covered patio or large canopy above the front door. 

Porches and verandas are outdoor structures attached to a house and built near an entryway, like the front door. They are often part of the home design and serve as an extension of its architectural style, matching interior design elements—like wood floors. They have a roof but no solid walls and allow year-round use. A portico has a roof and support columns but serves more as a structure around an entry than a living space.

A porch is also used as additional square footage for a home. It is a space meant to showcase your style and personality to the neighborhood, where you can sit with family members to enjoy the day. It can be used as an extension of the indoor space as well as a space to usher guests toward the hospitality found within.

Beautiful front doors can be solid—made of wood, or transparent—made of glass. Personally, I would rather see transparency if the door is not gorgeous. The handle is very important, and the color needs to stand out. I also love to see scroll work on the front side. The door can be considered the very first piece of art you showcase to your guests. Beveled glass, stained glass, carved wood, contrasting color—all these things can be part of outward-facing artwork. Surrounding the door, like framing a portrait, can be pillars, more glass, plants or flowers—decoration, but not too much.

The foyer is the place that opens up the home, and gives a first impression of what is to come further in. I believe in focusing on two elements in an entry, for practicality, beauty and mood. One would be a piece of furniture like a console table or an armoire. For practicality these offer a temporary area to place items (mail, keys, hats, gloves, umbrellas). For beauty it is the first piece of furniture guests will encounter, and whether antique or modern, it will inform them of what is to come. 

The other entryway element would be a piece of art, like a beautifully framed mirror (practical), a painting (beauty), or a sculpture (mood). Cozy lighting brings everything together to give the entry space a feeling of comfort. The entry welcomes you into the home without a harsh division from the outside to the inside.

Curb appeal for a home begins with the approach, and finishes with the foyer. The goal is to create a free-flowing experience of traveling from the street to the living spaces with a sense of grace and beauty. Consider what you might want to do to create a beautiful welcome experience for your own home.