Shut the Front Door: Making Your First Impression

The April colour issue of Style At Home has made its way to many subscribers already so I’m going to kick off my behind the scenes tour of how all the rooms in the feature came together with a detailed look at the foyer, which is fittingly the first image in the spread. Captured quite perfectly by the talented Stacey Brandford, the foyer shot also shows off one of my favourite elements in the space: the front door.

The front door says a lot about the home you’re about to enter with the particular style, finish and even material giving visitors their first glimpse into your taste. With that in mind, I selected particular door and hardware options that embody the traditional luxe look I envisioned for my home.

Despite my contractor pushing fibreglass, I went with a wood door. It requires more maintenance over time and is more costly, but I couldn’t resist the heft of solid wood and wanted something that looked and felt original to the home. I chose to work with Ridley Windows and Doors, a company renowned for their high-end windows, doors and architectural products and quickly found the perfect style in their Toronto showroom.

I wanted a door that would reference the Georgian style of the exterior with glass panels above to let in natural light into the foyer. Another must was enough space below the glass to accommodate a juicy statement knocker. I went with semigloss black finish to complete the other black and white painted accents on the exterior.

For the hardware, I wanted a timeless lockset in polished brass with statement accessories to fit my glamorous vision. I started my search by perusing vintage shops for original knockers with character. I have always been obsessed with lionhead knockers but most of the vintage ones I found had lost their lustre and had too much patina so I ended up choosing a reproduction model in a treated polished brass finish which stays shiny and bright over time.

This ornate lion head knocker from Antique Door and Hardware lends a sense of antiquity to the home right from the front door and establishes that warm brass and gold are the choice metals throughout the house.Very rawr!