One of the very best things about being a residential architect is getting to pay special attention to the little things that can take an ordinary project to a spectacular one. Today, we are going to take a look at the front door to your home.

How often do you think about your front door" I bet it’s not all that often … and that’s a pity because the front door to your house is important. Besides being the gateway to your home, it helps provide the first exclamation mark of the entry procession. When thinking about a front door, there are certain self-evident objectives that should be met – things like security (both real and perceived), protection from the weather, warm and inviting (hopefully – although maybe this isn’t always desired) reception point.I am not going to focus on the obvious objectives that your front door serves – I think that would be like me telling you not to touch a hot pan or you will get burned. You should know most of these items well enough already, so instead I am going to focus on the visual aspects of a front door, and I am going to use a door that we are currently building as the example of what can happen when you have some fun.The plan above shows the floor plan of the front door of a house I currently have under construction. The architectural style would be described as transitional  (something between modern and traditional) and we have a really clean palette of materials. I have shown the pat...