The entrance to your home is everything. It is the first thing to greet you after a long day, and the first thing to welcome any guest that comes into your house. It is similar to the opening paragraph of a novel: the reader, or your guest, will begin to make judgments of what lies beyond as soon as they see the home entrance. Therefore, a beautiful bespoke home entrance can transform the look of a house from mediocre to grand. I had the pleasure of designing a bespoke home entrance for a client in The Great Falls and today I’m going to take you through the before and after transformation!

The builder installed the original front door, it was too plain for the look of the house; a single door surrounded by side window panels, a transom window, and trim. As soon as I saw it, I knew that this entrance was simply begging to have double doors. I wasn’t a fan of the dark brown wood because I felt there could be greater contrast against the brick the house was built with. The client wanted something that felt classy and chic, whilst also being practical and without losing the light from the windows. With that, I got to work on the design, and my contractors got to work preparing the site with protective plastic and cloths – even though a lot of the work was being done on the “outside” of the house, we didn’t want the brick porch to get covered in powdery fallout! 

My builders then proceeded to demolish and remove the original door, windows, and transom. It is a difficult task to remove such a large part of the house without damaging anything surrounding it. My contractors have decades of experience and were able to work swiftly and efficiently. Be sure to follow my Instagram or Facebook for videos of them working!

Inspired by French doors, I decided to install two custom doors, each with 6 individual lights or windows. The double doors will have anyone entering or exiting that home feeling like an A-list celebrity. The new doors actually let more light in than the previous, allowing the sun to stream in like a dreamy afternoon in Paris. 

My contractors worked extremely hard to ensure that the door we had designed fit perfectly with the house. It required a lot of woodworking and measuring on-site to create these custom doors. However, as soon as they were installed, space was opened up and the entrance began to take its form. 

To complete the transformation, all that was left was the finishing touches and details. We had to install some drywall where the transom window was removed, as well as build up a new trim around the door. All existing woodwork and new woodwork were speckled and sanded. We then proceeded to paint both the interior and exterior trim a lovely white color for that beautiful contrast against the black doors.

Just like that, the entrance was transformed! We paired it with a black welcome mat for continuity. The black doors also match the beautiful black planters on either side of the porch, as well as the black mounted lamps on either side. Going with double doors allowed for that symmetry to really shine through. Most importantly, the client was delighted with their new bespoke entrance! 

To give your home entrance a bespoke look, head to our services page to book your free consultation!