Trade Secrets: How to Make a Gorgeous Front Entry

The unique layout of this floor plan made for an oddly large entryway, but to Calgary designer Aly Velji, this wasn’t an obstacle, it was an opportunity. “We treated it like its own room and created zones to ensure the space still looked cohesive, inviting and fun,” he says.

Areas were defined for storage (like a mid-century inspired coat rack), taking off shoes and tossing keys and mail; floor to ceiling ripple-fold linen curtains were hung to create some intimacy and softness. But any great room needs a centrepiece—a moment of drama that anchors everythin—and here, that’s the cheery yellow door. “Front doors should be more expressive: It’s the first thing people see when they come to your home,” says Velji. “Yellow is unexpected and whimsical, something to make people stop and smile.”