Making an Entrance

Home builders know what all rising Hollywood stars soon learn: To capture the attention of an audience, you need to make a show-stopping entrance. And while glamour queens make their presence known with high-style gowns and sweeping staircases, architects, contractors and landscapers have adopted the same strategy to entice prospective buyers into model homes.

And they need to. Experts say it takes just five seconds to form an impression of a home. Increased competition at every price point, combined with market-savvy and finicky consumers, have made Southwest Florida builders and designers pay attention to making those first five seconds count.

Because it's becoming increasingly harder to impress buyers, today's stunning entrances surpass what homeowners and designers once considered curb appeal. The wow factor has been ratcheted up well above old standards-a few nicely placed palm trees, flowerbeds and a curving walkway from the street to the door. Today's buyers are attracted to the creativity and opulence of a full-scale production number.

Experts say it's necessary to establish a focal point that immediately draws the eye to the house and sets it apart from the homes around it. That strategy usually starts at the front door. "The doors we use are generally exotic South American hardwood with glass insets," says Mark Borelli, a Naples builder for 20 years, who says entry doors have reached their full glory in recent years. "They reach up to 14-feet tall and are distressed to look like an old European castle entrance. Sometimes the hardware is iron or oil-rubbed bronze and will have details such as a lion's head or gargoyles carved or applied." New hurricane codes, Borelli notes, have doubled the cost of front doors-$20,000 is not unusual, and glamorous hardware can add another $5,000.

"Arched, double-arched, made of costly woods or carved cast metal, the front door should enhance the architecture of the house and bring your eye from the street to the entrance," says interior designer Leslie Gebert of Vogue Interiors in Bonita Springs. "We're seeing doors that are wider and higher and more customized than they ever were before."

And a front door is often surrounded by handsome stone or tile work. "Another feature I like to use is decorative tile set in the risers leading up to the door," notes Gebert. "And curving your steps instead of just making them straight across is another way to accent an entrance and make it more appealing. A border of tile or different colored pavers can set off a brick-paver circle drive to really beautiful advantage."

Gebert adds that most entrance courtyards have little grass or lawn: "Houses take up most of the space, and homeowners don't want the maintenance of a front yard, anyway." Yet green space is critical to a welcoming front entrance, she says. "Achieving a balance between brick and foliage, landscape and hardscape is so important."

Borelli mentions site lighting as another major feature in making a favorable first impression. "This frames the door and draws attention to the entrance and to other features that are part of a fully realized entrance," he notes. "I suggest including a water feature in the front. Something new we're doing is extending the sound system to the entrance so there's music when guests walk up to the entrance."

Garden sculpture is another element to consider. "Think about making art a surprise element," says Borelli. "I advise setting a piece of sculpture off to the side with effective lighting and foliage so that someone coming onto the property doesn't discover it initially." Sculpture definitely adds another element to an impressive entrance, but it pays to be subtle.

"In general, an impressive front entrance is a marriage of architecture and landscaping," he says. "When it's done right, it creates an entrance that makes you want to see the rest of the house."

Scale is another important, but often overlooked, consideration. "A well-placed water feature such as a fountain, waterfall wall or a pond is a great complement, but it should not block one's vision of the front door and it should not overwhelm the whole entrance," says Borelli. "Often homeowners will choose a fountain that's too large for the space. Yet, when they choose lanterns for either side of the front door, they tend to pick something too small or insignificant. Getting the scale correct often calls for expert help."

Architects always advise homeowners to consider the style of the home when fashioning an entrance. A large Mediterranean dwelling calls for classical statuary, wrought-iron balconies or a front courtyard fountain in an Old World design. A modern home is conducive to an Asian Zen entrance with abstract sculpture or a simple pond with interesting rock formations. When creating an entrance, experts stress it should advance the general architectural feeling of the home while highlighting its most appealing features. When an entrance works, it makes you want to walk right up to the front door and be lavishly welcomed inside.