Photo by Adam Kring

Originally Posted On: Top Tips For An Inviting Entryway – Being Mrs C

When people walk up to your home, they’re going to notice everything. We all do it; we walk past houses and we look at the windows and the front yard, and we spend time thinking about the types of people that must live within. It’s likely you do it, too.

If you are concerned about first impressions – and let’s face it, even if you’re not – you need to be concerned about whether your home is inviting. You could have the best house on the inside but if the outside leaves it looking shabby, no one is going to pay attention to anything beyond that. For this, you need a plan! Below, we’ve put some tips together to ensure that your home is as welcoming as possible.

1. Start with the exterior of the home. The fences should be sturdy and intact, not broken and peeling. The bushes should be trimmed and neat and the lawn should be kept on top of. If you’re investing in houseplants by Fig & Bloom for the inside, then you should be investing in the blooms on your porch, too. It’s all about appearances and while they may not matter to you, they still matter.
2. Next, make your entrance as inviting as possible. The whole space should look, feel and smell like a place people want to be. The decor should be on point and you should have scented candles or huge blooms of flowers everywhere. You should consider polishing the bannister and dressing the stairwells. Your entrance has to say “do come in”, not “go away!”
3. Use lighting to enhance the space by the front door. Both outside and inside the home should be well-lit, and the winter months are the most important consideration here. The front of the house should be bathed in light, not just for how it looks, but for security. This will help you to do a good job with directing people to where your house actually is, and on the inside it’ll make the space glow. Lighting means no dark, dank looking space.
4. Houseplants and flowers really do make an entrance. If you want to impress people then make the front of your house soft on the inside. Greenery always makes people feel welcome as it’s inviting without even trying. People with greenery in their homes care about the way it’s perceived by others.
5. Add a coat bench to your front hall if it’s big enough. A bench offers everyone a place to sit to remove their shoes and coats and it encourages people to stay a little while longer. You want to make guests feel like they can come in and feel comfortable at all times. If you have the luxury, a cloakroom is an excellent addition to the house.
6. Use the shape of your home to guide people where they can go. Most people migrate to a kitchen or lounge so make sure it’s clear where that is with open doors for welcome rooms and closed ones for the rooms you’d prefer they avoid.