Every culture has multiple ways of saying hello. Greetings are an essential, and important, human interaction. Smiles, handshakes, high fives, and hugs all convey welcome; but, as I tell our three boys, your choice of greeting, sends a greater message than just, “hi”. A firm handshake and eye contact says a lot about you and how you regard the other person. Homes greet us, too. A home’s entrance sends a message, whether formal like a handshake or warm like a hug, it greets guests and owners with the same message. A mudroom entrance might invite a guest into the heart of the home like an old friend, or a formal entry may give a guest pause to look around and gauge the home’s owner by the impression left on the guest. One of our Red House “clients for life” is a couple that bought a builder grade development home in RI. After taking care of some high priority functional & aesthetic remodeling (a new master bathroom and walk-in closet), the owners contacted Red House again to finally upgrade the front door & entry to the home. The original, a low-end entry door from a big box store, had finally reached the end of its’ usable life. It was leaking air and starting to rust. It didn’t live up to the aesthetic improvements the owners had made in other areas of the home, and, it no longer served its purpose to shelter and protect or to welcome and greet. After gauging the space, we realized that with a few minor adjustments to the entry area, we could add some paneling above the door and center a window feature in the foyer. These details created a elegant, yet warm, formality. A three-quarter glass door with a unique window patter provides warm light and an openness that creates the friendly invitation of a true home. The newly remodeled space speaks to the quality standards of the owners of the home, and, in turn, it will continue to inform the identity of the family while they live there. But more than that, the new entry foreshadows the quality and aesthetics of the other rooms in the house, just like a firm handshake and eye contact is a preview of what to expect. - Justin Zeller owns a design-build remodeling firm, Red House Custom Building, serving RI and MA. Besides being a Certified Remodeler, Justin has led the team at Red House to win multiple peer-reviewed awards for design and service achievements. Justin also sits on the Board of Directors and serves as Vice President of EM NARI. Photos by Aaron Usher Instagram: @redhousedesignbuild