Creating a welcoming entrance
The front of a home can convey warmth, comfort in a variety of ways
Interior designer Joan Craig sees many clients who give a lot of thought to decorating their living rooms and kitchens.
Yet, she says “the outside becomes something that often can be much more generic.”
“The front of your home is the first thing your guests will see,” says Edyta Czajkowska, founder of the Chicago-based design firm Edyta & Co., “so creating a beautifully crafted, welcoming atmosphere is important.”
In this season of outdoor entertaining, we’ve asked Craig, Czajkowska and Dallas-based interior designer Abbe Fenimore for advice on creating the most welcoming front entry areas.
Step back
It’s hard to assess your frontdoor area when standing right in front of it. A home’s entrance area begins where the visitor can first see it, Craig says, so stand at the road and consider your home from that distance.
“Pump up the scale of lanterns on either side of the door,” she says, or go for dramatic containers for planting.
Or stay with simple planters, but put dramatic plants in them.
“Even if you have a small container,” Craig says, “it can have an incredible climbing rose coming out of it.”
Consider the style of your home and the vibe of your neighbourhood, Fenimore adds. One of her clients, an artist, added artificial flamingos to the lawn around her front door. It wouldn’t work in every neighbourhood, she says, but at this house the effect was “jazzy and classy in a fun way, without being too kitschy.”
Include seating
Even a small front porch may have room for a little bench, and these designers say it’s worth adding seating.
Tiny as your space may be, Craig says, “think of it as an outdoor room.”
Fenimore likes porch swings, which don’t have to take up much space and are welcoming. A simple canvas seat cushion matched with indoor/outdoor pillows can create a perfect space for reading or having a cup of coffee in the morning, she says.
It may even be worth investing in an expanded porch area to make space for seating, Fenimore adds. She remodelled her own front porch to create a sitting area. Be bold with colour A beautiful, bright colour can make an otherwise simple front door area look special. When you pass homes with brightly coloured front doors, “you drive by and think, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s really pretty,’” Fenimore says, and it “gives you the warm fuzzies.”
Front doors painted black or charcoal have also become popular and work well on some houses.
“Personally, I don’t care for dark-coloured doors unless it speaks to the rest of your home’s architecture and design esthetic,” Czajkowska says. “However, I do think your door should be impactful, whether that means painting it a bold colour or letting the beautiful craftsmanship and hardware shine.” Accessories “Beautifully crafted house numbers,” Czajkowska says, “add a ton of character, while highlighting and playing off of the other architectural details on your home.”
Ditto for outdoor lighting: “Selecting good outdoor lighting can make or break the ambience of your home,” she says adding it’s important to “make sure to choose warm lighting that creates a soft glow.”