ELEVATE
YOUR ENTRANCE By traCy smith
As visitors arrive at your home, the front entrance is the first thing they encounter and the first impression they will have of you, your home and what awaits them behind your closed doors. Amazing entrances have a way of welcoming guests in and making them feel at home before they’ve even stepped foot inside. Whether you are imagining a grandiose entryway or decorating a simple stoop, here are a few helpful hints to make your entrance memorable. A way to get there It might sound super simple, but providing visitors with a way to get to your front door is important. Guests want to know how to get to your entrance: Are they walking across the front lawn? Do they go to the side door? The front entrance should have a very clear route to get to it and the area should be clean and accessible; tromping through muddy grass or tripping on an uneven piece of pavement is not a great way to begin a visit. Stone paths, steps that widen out from the front door, hedges and lighting can all assist in guiding visitors to your entrance. Make it pop Front doors are a great place to add a pop of colour and bit of glamour to your home. “We are big advocates of having a nicely painted front door to set the tone for the rest of the house,” says Shima Yazdan, operations manager at Niche Decor in Aurora. “Any shade from a vibrant red to a rich, glossy black. It shows you care about your home and it’s an
opportunity to make a great first impression and have some fun.” But what colour to choose? Picking a palette for the exterior of your home is as important as picking one for the interior, says Katherine Porath of Katherine Joy Interiors in Newmarket. “Take the time to get it right and recruit professional help if you are not sure,” Porath advises. “Consider all of the exterior elements, including windows, garage doors, fascia and eaves, and the colour of your stone or siding. Having more than three colours working together often becomes too chaotic and distracting.” Paint brands offer a myriad of colours to choose from. Benjamin Moore recently introduced its Aura Grand Entrance collection with 32 custom colours dripping with character, class and beauty. Formulated specifically for front doors, the paint has a luxurious and smooth finish, is easy to apply and clean up, plus it is reinforced with urethane for outstanding durability, says Sharon Grech, colour and design expert at Benjamin Moore. Finish off the look with the right lighting (see sidebar), an urn or container with some seasonal greenery and accessories such as street numbers, a doorknocker, mat and mailbox. Choose items that complement one another in style, colour or material and add to the architectural features of your home. For example, if your house is very traditional in style, a sleek and modern silver mailbox may clash with your look, but a classic black metal one may hit the mark perfectly. »
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