Bigger might be better. "It really creates a stunning first impression, not only for the beauty of the materials, but for the simplicity of the design and its relationship to the whole — a pretty large house with a very large view," says Noel Cross of Noel Cross+Architects."Originally the front door was to be a fairly normal size, with sidelights on both sides and transoms overhead," he says. "But once we began to finalize the order, I took a chance and asked the owners if they would consider one large pivot door since the original idea began to seem too cut up and fussy."They settled on a "huge" door — 80 inches wide by 120 inches tall by 3½ inches thick. It was built from solid sapele mahogany with bronze accents and installed on a pivot hinge that can be opened with one finger. "In this case," says Cross, "proportions demanded the larger door, and it was the right thing to do."