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Making an Entrance Grand
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Last month I was out of town, and my brother asked if he could borrow my office for a few hours while he waited around for an inspector in my neighborhood. The next thing you know, two friends called to tell me that some suspicious looking guy was lurking around my yard and that it "looked like he was casing the place."
Well, I'm doubly lucky - I have friends watching my house when I'm away and a very handy and caring brother. It turns out he was so horrified at the condition my front posts were in, and at the number of thorny roses that blocked the entrance to the front door, that he'd pulled out his tool belt and taken action. (Side Note: To my postman, my deepest apologies). Because I always use the side door, I really hadn't noticed that my house was quickly becoming the Boo Radley house on my street. I arrived home to find new posts on my front porch, trimmed rose bushes, and a fresh coat of paint on my shutters. For those of you who live in houses, how are you welcoming visitors to your home? You may not have a doorman and a fancy lobby, but think about your front yard as such. This is your big chance to make a good first impression.
The path to your house is the beginning of a visitor's experience (as well as yours when you return home after a long day at work). When planning your entryway experience, think about the following criteria:
Is it easy to see the front door is?
Is there a sidewalk or path? If so, how do the materials relate to the house?
Are the walkway and front door well-lit?
Are you house numbers visible from the street?
What kind of shape are your plants in?
The people who live in the houses pictured below obviously care about that first impression, and they are making very strong ones! Let's take a look at what they are doing so that we can steal their ideas. I have to go update my brother's Twitter account and blog; he's caring, but now he wants me to pay him back in trade!
Well, I'm doubly lucky - I have friends watching my house when I'm away and a very handy and caring brother. It turns out he was so horrified at the condition my front posts were in, and at the number of thorny roses that blocked the entrance to the front door, that he'd pulled out his tool belt and taken action. (Side Note: To my postman, my deepest apologies). Because I always use the side door, I really hadn't noticed that my house was quickly becoming the Boo Radley house on my street. I arrived home to find new posts on my front porch, trimmed rose bushes, and a fresh coat of paint on my shutters. For those of you who live in houses, how are you welcoming visitors to your home? You may not have a doorman and a fancy lobby, but think about your front yard as such. This is your big chance to make a good first impression.
The path to your house is the beginning of a visitor's experience (as well as yours when you return home after a long day at work). When planning your entryway experience, think about the following criteria:
Is it easy to see the front door is?
Is there a sidewalk or path? If so, how do the materials relate to the house?
Are the walkway and front door well-lit?
Are you house numbers visible from the street?
What kind of shape are your plants in?
The people who live in the houses pictured below obviously care about that first impression, and they are making very strong ones! Let's take a look at what they are doing so that we can steal their ideas. I have to go update my brother's Twitter account and blog; he's caring, but now he wants me to pay him back in trade!
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| The serene Zen experience one gets from visiting this house starts at the sidewalk, leading visitors through an Asian-inspired garden. |
| The front path leads you through a minimal geometric courtyard, and the materials have a strong relationship to the house. |
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| A convenient parking pad has a thoughtful spot in this landscape. It makes it much easier for people lug in really good hostess gifts for you. |
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| This formal, symmetrical and well-manicured front courtyard gives visitors a lot of clues to what's inside the house. |
by Alterstudio
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This staggered approach gives visitors big peeks into the house itself. Take note of how they have used plants in containers to accentuate the approach.
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| This gated home walks a good line between feeling secure and being welcoming. The fence is not too high, and the gate is translucent. |
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This entry courtyard is all about lighting and pavement patterns.
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| An approach covered with an arbor gives us a glimpse to the spectacular open view on the other side of the house. |
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This entrance begins with an approach that is closed in by gabion walls, and the space opens up as one gets closer to the buildings.
This Japanese style entrance accomplishes what Zen gardens do - it gives visitors a chance to contemplate their surroundings. It transitions from stone path to wooden bridge to the final staircase; each part of the journey is a unique experience.
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Leading visitors in over a lily pond definitely makes a strong first impression!
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This has always been a favorite of mine on Houzz. The glossy black door, the lights that flank it, the plant and the perfectly pruned trees gives this house oodles of curb appeal.
| This doorway tells so much about the interior of the house - classic columns, urns overflowing with ferns, and the house number with the shell detail express the homeowner's personal style. |
Comments
dancingfish As a back door girl I totally can relate to the fact that the hose lying on the front stoop and the dead flowers in the two planters might be an eyesore!! I did buy some mums last night to ward off my neighbors stares...
3 years ago · Like
jaredbybee Can't you just say that you were getting ready for Halloween?
3 years ago · Like
Becky Harris Jared, I suppose that would mean I'd been getting ready for Halloween for about two years. Oh my gosh, that reminds me, I am already known on the street as the girl who gave a two year old some quarters! I was en route to a friend's house to pass out candy with them a few years ago (by en route, I mean in my closet trying to pick out a shirt and find my orange wool shoes), when the doorbell rang a little early. I threw on a top, raced downstairs, realized the only "candy" I had in the house was South Beach bars, and gave the kid some quarters, which he promptly tried to put in his mouth. The next thing I know, a friend from another neighborhood called me up laughing about it, apparently this mommy told EVERYONE on my street about it, thus making me the Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men of the neighborhood (remember how he'd say "here kid, have some, um, Tide, and a stapler").
3 years ago · Like
Karen Ho Fatt Love the bridges over the water. Makes you walk slowly and contemplatively before you get to the house- like you are going for a ceremony inside. Great idea book.Publisher,familyfirepit.com
3 years ago · Like
Diane Trosper Becky what a funny story, I almost forgot..lol, I love the stairs over the Lilly pond, I just don't think it will work with my 60's ranch. I need some kind of porch, that we can sit on and have sweet tea chat's with the neighbor's without sucking all the light out of my living-room, any ideas?
3 years ago · Like
Becky Harris Dianne, post a picture of your porch on The Buzz Board (hit "BUZZ" at the top of the home page of Houzz) and we'll all pitch in and help you out :)
3 years ago · Like
3paulsen I also am challenged by a 50's rancher dominated by three enormous Modesto Ash trees in front. The other issue is that our house is lower than the street, so one slightly descends on the curved path to our house, arriving at a front door that, yes, has the coiled up hose visibly nearby. Otherwise, rectangular lawns, concrete path & foundation planting. Boring!
2 years ago · Like
Ideabook published on Oct. 4, 2010.
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