Bute House is unusual for an Edinburgh New Town house, in that it has a central front door.
The main entrance door for most New Town houses would more normally be placed on the same side as the staircase.
However, the central door of Bute House was a necessary function of Adam's palace front.
The wide, four-panelled entrance door is made of polished black oak.
Between the top sets of panels are the brass Roman numerals "VI".
Below the numerals, between the bottom sets of panels, there is a brass letter box on the left-hand side of the door, and a brass door knocker on the right-hand side.
The door is framed by small side windows and adorned with a semicircular fanlight window.
A black ironwork fence runs along the front of the house and up each side of the flight of six steps leading up to the entrance door.
The fence rises on either side of the front step to support iron gas lamps.
Fixed beneath both lamps is a brass plaque with the inscription "Bute House  Nº 6 Charlotte Square  Official Residence of The First Minister".

The original plan of the Bute House entrance lobby or vestibule is not known.
The present vestibule and its decoration were designed for the 4th Marquess of Bute in 1923 by his architect, Arthur Forman Balfour Paul.
The thoroughness with which this space was redecorated suggests that the vestibule as inherited by Lord Bute may have been heavily adapted to suit Victorian taste.

As the vestibule does not open directly into the stairwell, Balfour Paul sought to ensure that it would not appear dark and forbidding by deciding to greet the visitor with a welcoming central chimneypiece in white marble facing the front door.
The plan of the vestibule is T-shaped, with archways leading through from the right-hand and left-hand sides of the fireplace.
The vestibule features a rosetted ceiling, highly decorative plasterwork in the Adam Revival style, and a floor of polished Caithness flagstones in octagons and squares, in the Georgian manner.
To offset the move from the bright daylight outside, to the dark vestibule, a Regency convex mirror sits over the fireplace.
The painting on the east wall is by the Scottish artist James McIntosh Patrick.
Bute House is unusual for an Edinburgh New Town house, in that it has a central front door. The main entrance door for most New Town houses would more normally be placed on the same side as the staircase. However, the central door of Bute House was a necessary function of Adam's palace front. The wide, four-panelled entrance door is made of polished black oak. Between the top sets of panels are the brass Roman numerals "VI". Below the numerals, between the bottom sets of panels, there is a brass letter box on the left-hand side of the door, and a brass door knocker on the right-hand side. The door is framed by small side windows and adorned with a semicircular fanlight window. A black ironwork fence runs along the front of the house and up each side of the flight of six steps leading up to the entrance door. The fence rises on either side of the front step to support iron gas lamps. Fixed beneath both lamps is a brass plaque with the inscription "Bute House  Nº 6 Charlotte Square  Official Residence of The First Minister".
The original plan of the Bute House entrance lobby or vestibule is not known. The present vestibule and its decoration were designed for the 4th Marquess of Bute in 1923 by his architect, Arthur Forman Balfour Paul. The thoroughness with which this space was redecorated suggests that the vestibule as inherited by Lord Bute may have been heavily adapted to suit Victorian taste.
As the vestibule does not open directly into the stairwell, Balfour Paul sought to ensure that it would not appear dark and forbidding by deciding to greet the visitor with a welcoming central chimneypiece in white marble facing the front door. The plan of the vestibule is T-shaped, with archways leading through from the right-hand and left-hand sides of the fireplace. The vestibule features a rosetted ceiling, highly decorative plasterwork in the Adam Revival style, and a floor of polished Caithness flagstones in octagons and squares, in the Georgian manner. To offset the move from the bright daylight outside, to the dark vestibule, a Regency convex mirror sits over the fireplace. The painting on the east wall is by the Scottish artist James McIntosh Patrick.
Bute House