Will Rogers said “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” and it’s very true! When it comes to your home there are various things you can do to make your porch, front door or entry hallway as welcoming as possible – and also to reflect your personality and your families. When people step into your home for the first time you want them to feel warm, positive thoughts, and the way you decorate can really make that happen, especially if you’re selling. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, and there’s lots of ways I’m going to cover to personalise it to your taste. Here are my suggestions for decorating the entry to your home.
Styling your outside space
Before someone even reaches your front door, they’re going to see your outside space. Experts at Maidstone Estate Agents mentioned that styling the front of your house can really give a good impression. Warm lights will welcome people in on cold nights – and not just visitors either, they’ll help the whole family feel welcomed home (and find your keys in the dark!). You could also consider having a house plate that shows everyone the house name or number in an attractive way to help people find you (and help with deliveries), and having a pot of flowers next to the front door can really brighten things up.
Consider a new or refurbished front door
A new front door can really change up the style of your entryway, but if you can’t afford a new front door or don’t want to splurge on that right now, even a lick of paint can make a big difference. You could also consider getting one with more glass in it to increase the light in your hallway. More natural light in the house is always better in my opinion.
A personalised doormat
As soon as visitors come into your home they’re going to wipe their feet and then possibly look to remove their shoes. This means they’ll be looking directly at the doormat! A doormat not only protects the entry to your home from mud and debris, but it can be something really cute and stylish too. I love the idea of having a Personalised doormat and I think they’d make a really strong first impression. You don’t necessarily have to have one with your name on it, but you could personalise one with something meaningful to your family and that shows off your personality, whether it’s geeky, funny, romantic or cute.
Have a tidy place for coats and outdoor gear
If you don’t have a tidy place for coats and outdoor gear, the entrance to the house can be a bit of a mess. Muddy wellies, wet raincoats, umbrellas, backpacks and jackets all blending in to one pile of clutter. It gets a bit awkward then when your guest takes their coat off and there’s no where to hang it! Assess the space – this might be in your hallway or an entry porch – where you can store outdoor gear and look into whether there’s any way of making it neater. You can add hooks to a wall, a freestanding coat hook if there’s no wall space available, and have shoes all tidied into a shoe cabinet, boxes, or at the very least, neatly organized piles. Always leave a little space for guests to take off their coat and hang it up – this will also help keep the coats clean and dry (especially important if you have pets or it’s raining).
Decorating your inside entry space
Depending on your house layout it’s most likely that your front door will either open into a fairly narrow hallway, or it might open directly into a living space. If you have a hallway you can make it appear bigger by having light flooring, light coloured walls, uncluttered space, and good overhead lighting. A mirror can also make the space seem bigger than it really is, as well as being handy for when you’re heading out and want to check everything looks okay.
Having a small vanity, table or drawers near the front door can also be very helpful. Not just for you to put your keys and wallet on when you get home, but for you to express yourself. If you’ve got radiators in the hallway, consider covering them with a radiator cover like above. You can add candles (which will help everything smell amazing) or a reed diffuser, flowers, stylish baskets or décor, or anything that welcomes people into your home, improves your family life, and says something about your style and personality.
I hope reading about these simple things you can do to create a good first impression and make your home welcoming for family and friends have given you some ideas!
No Comments