The wall by the front door is the first thing a guest reads. Three kinds of words belong there: a welcome, such as «أهلاً وسهلاً» or «حياكم الله»; a word against envy, «ما شاء الله»; and a blessing on the house, the Basmala or the family's own name. A framed calligraphy paint for that wall starts at AED 140 at A4, and a welcome tray for the console below it at AED 115.
What to write by the door
- «ما شاء الله», “what God has willed”. Said when admiring something, so that admiration carries no envy. Many Gulf homes hang it by the entrance or above the door. In Diwani the two words lock into one shape that reads from across the hall.
- «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم», the Basmala. The words every beginning starts with. Our Thuluth Basmala is a print of a calligrapher's own line, the stroke of «بسم» drawn out long. Hang Qur'anic words where they are honoured: at or above eye level, and never on a wall shared with a bathroom. Our guide to Qur'anic verses for the home has more.
- A welcome. «أهلاً وسهلاً», «حياكم الله» (the Gulf welcome, said at the door) and «تفضلوا» (“please, come in”) are as much at home on the console as on the wall.
- The family name. «بيت» or «آل» before the name, “the house of”, turns a name into a household. A square-Kufic name reads as a sign by the door.
Which script?
An entrance is read quickly, often from a few steps away. Diwani and Thuluth read as a shape before they read as words, which suits short lines like «ما شاء الله» and the Basmala. Naskh is the one to choose when a longer line must be read up close. Kufi suits a family name set as a square. Our guide to Diwani and Thuluth shows the difference side by side.
«ما شاء الله» — Calligraphy Paint · Diwani
From Dhs. 60
«حياكم الله» — Acrylic Tissue Box
From Dhs. 130
«بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» — Calligraphy Paint · Thuluth
From Dhs. 60
What size for an entrance?
Entrance halls are often narrow and seen close. Above a console, a piece about two-thirds of the console's width is the usual proportion: A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) or 50 × 40 cm suits most halls, A2 a wider one. Its centre sits about 150 cm from the floor. Above a door frame, choose a long horizontal line rather than a tall one. The size guide has the full rule.
| Size | Rolled | Framed | Framed, acrylic glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4, 21 × 29.7 cm | AED 60 | AED 140 | AED 150 |
| A3, 29.7 × 42 cm | AED 60 | AED 150 | AED 170 |
| 50 × 40 cm | AED 75 | AED 200 | AED 235 |
| A2, 42 × 59.4 cm | AED 85 | AED 245 | AED 285 |
Glass, light and the door
A front door lets in heat, dust and the occasional hand on the wall. Acrylic glass over a framed canvas keeps dust and fingerprints off the print, and is worth it in a busy hall. Keep any print out of direct sun.
The console below it
The words on the wall and the welcome on the table work together. A «أهلاً وسهلاً» tray is AED 115 in clear acrylic, AED 165 gold-tinted, and a «حياكم الله» tissue box AED 130. The rest are in welcome trays.
A print or an original?
A calligraphy paint is a print of a composed design, from AED 60; an original is one sheet written in ink by a calligrapher, from AED 550. Original or print? sets the two side by side.
Every paint is made to order in our UAE workshop in 5–7 working days, and UAE delivery is a flat AED 50 per order with wall art in it (AED 25 for décor alone).
Keep reading: Qur'anic Verses for the Home: Which to Hang, Where, and How · 43 Arabic Phrases for Wall Art, With Their Meanings. To see your family's name by the door first, set it yourself in Mashq Studio, free.