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FRonT DooRs

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There is a vast selection of styles, materials and hardware to help homeowners decide on the right front door to make that all-important first impression.

oPeninG StAtementby JOAnnE blAin

You might think your home makes a statement as soon as you open the front door. But the truth is that before visitors even ring the bell, it has spoken volumes.

“The entry to your home is the first impression that the world has of you,” says Patricia Gray, a Vancouver-based interior designer. “And like the saying goes, you never have a second chance to make a good first impression.”

That’s why you might want to take a hard look at your front door and see if it’s conveying the message you want to send about what’s inside, says Gray.

“Your front entryway sets the stage for what’s to come,” she says. So it shouldn’t be an afterthought when you build or renovate your home.

The good news is that the choice of styles, materials and hardware for a new front door is enormous – but that might also be the bad news. Are you looking for a classic or a contemporary style? Should you choose a solid door in wood or metal or one that’s mostly glass? The choice can be overwhelming.

Taran Billan of Walker Doors and More says it’s a good idea for homeowners to bring in a photo of their house, as well as images from websites or magazines of door styles they like, to help narrow down their options.

Continued on page 26Above: Stained black douglas fir door with clear bevelled glass, from b.C. door. Opposite page: glass sidelights and fanlight in a door designed for a custom home, by patricia gray.

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The south Vancouver retailer carries metal, fibreglass and wood doors, all of which have pros and cons. Wood doors, for example, are easiest to customize, but require periodic painting or staining, while fibreglass doors need less upkeep, but offer fewer style options. “I just try to walk them through the process and eliminate what they don’t want, because there is a lot of choice,” Billan says.

The style of your front door should ref lect the over-all style of your home, says Gray, so think twice about putting a contemporary door and hardware on a classic Craftsman house.

That said, Craftsman doors are one of the most popular choices for both old and new homes, says Shayne Palmer of B.C. Door, which has been making and customizing solid wood doors since 1934. A door that evokes a bit of traditional Vancouver character can help a new house fit into a neighbourhood of established homes.

Historic door styles have become par-ticularly popular in the last four or five years, says Billan. And he agrees that the Craftsman style – which typically features three, six or eight panes of glass in the top third of the door and two or three panels below — is among the most frequently requested styles.

Perhaps surprisingly, security is not one of the top factors most homeowners consider when choosing an entry door, Palmer says.

“The front door is chosen by looks alone, not by security or by privacy any more,” he says. If a home has a well-lit, visible entry and the door has a good deadbolt, it’s unlikely to be targeted for a break-in — a less visible rear door or window is a more probable entry point for a thief, he says.

Clear g lass panels have ga ined in popularity over obscure (also called privacy) glass in the past few years, Palmer says, because homeowners prefer the look. Also in demand is wrought iron sandwiched between two layers of tempered glass — again, for style rather than security.

For fixtures, satin nickel and oil-rubbed bronze are two of the most sought-after choices, both Billan and Palmer say. A rustic finish in medium to dark bronze, complete with pit marks to mimic signs of age, is also gaining in popular-ity, Palmer adds. And although it was

favoured several years ago, “very few people choose brass any more,” he adds.

Another key consideration for some homeowners is feng shui, which is designed to optimize the qi, or energy, of a building.

In feng shui, “the front door is pivotal to the rest of the home,” says Gray, who has employed the principles of the ancient Chinese practice for clients of all racial backgrounds. “Everything f lows from the front door.”

For that reason, she says, the entry should be uncluttered, well-lit and visible

from the street to signal that the home’s energy is high.

If your budget can accommodate only a quick fix for your front entry, Gray sug-gests making sure it’s free of clutter and that all the fixtures are clean and in good working order. And investing in a can of red paint might just pay off.

“I love a red door,” she says. “In feng shui terms, a red door is prosperity. So every time you enter your front door, you should see dollar signs and hear ‘ka-ching, ka-ching.’ ”  n

red is a strong protective colour that helps keep the energies clear around the feng shui compass, shown above. in feng shui terms a red door means prosperity.

In feng shui, “the front door is pivotal to the rest of the home... Everything flows from the front door.”

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