How To Design An Entry Way

We were walking down a side street in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

 a couple of years ago when we passed by this long set of stairs (above)
 leading into a home.

 It really made me want to enter
and climb down the stairs to see what was there.

It got me to thinking about what it was that made an entry way so inviting.

For this particular spot I think it was the archway, the steps down,
 plants and flowers; all pulled ones attention, 

and then the mystery of what was down there, what was hidden.

This blue wall is what pulls in peoples attention, and again the unknown.

This restaurant and bar is also in Guanajuato.

This is the Hotel Casa De Maria Felix in Alamos, Sonora

 with the owner out front.

The beautiful bougainvillea flowers call out to all.

Once inside the hotel the owner used the garden and the ruins

 of an older section of the house as enticement to continue in.

A tile artist must live here.

The shady courtyard adds to the allure.

The plates plastered into the wall makes me wonder who lives here,

and did the current residents do this?

Let's go in and see.

The trim exterior with the pleasant yellow color 

and the plants hanging from the balcony all create 

a welcoming entrance to the Hotel Casa Carcamanes in Guanajuato.

The tile and cactus and the color on the house make this entrance.

The ability to see through the gate certainly adds.

The use of courtyards, plants, and color give Mexico plenty of palette

 to create the welcoming entrance but that is by no means the whole story.

 This copper tinted gate and sculpture in Bisbee, Arizona show

 how sculptural elements can add flavor.

 The fragrant rosemary hanging over the wall and steps

 sure gives the olfactory senses an invitation to enter.

This aspen woodland garden and pool in Silverton, Colorado
 and the blue sided house in the background makes one want to stop and look.