First impressions count, and they are also the most memorable. Each home has a personality, and the entrance sets the tone for it. Get it right, and your guests will be in awe; get it wrong, and your home’s most important personality trait will stay hidden forever. Enhancing a home’s front entrance makes a property’s individuality and uniqueness stand out. As your guests ring the doorbell or tap the door knocker, they should be able to anticipate the beautiful interiors of your home and feel welcoming. So, what can you do to create the perfect prelude to a warm, cosy home?
Landscaping
History’s most impressive homes are known for their landscaped gardens. There’s instant curb appeal in well-pruned bushes, trimmed hedges, and manicured lawns. A stone walkway to the door, matching potted plants on either side of the front entrance, ivy running up the front porch framing the doorway, topiaries, and flowers make your front garden a sight to behold. Use the microclimate in your garden to decide which plants will thrive and sustain for a longer period of time.
Choose an accent flower or flowers to contrast the greenery. Use an ombre floral theme to add visual interest using different hues of the same colour. A monochromatic design is easier on the eye. Plant the flowers and shrubs in patches for more volume. Instead of plain pruning border hedges, use modern sculpting like a curvaceous wave that rises and ebbs along. Even your neighbours will love the art form.
Replacing the front door and windows
Swap your brown woodgrain door for a blue one with a shiny ornamental knocker and watch your doorway dramatically transform. Think beyond conventional door colours, and make the front entry door a statement piece. A colour that contrasts the exterior of the home is eye-catching. A full size stained or etched glass-paned door also makes a bold and elegant statement.
Don’t forget door hardware. Your basic nickel handle might not cut it when you upgrade your door. Traditional brass, bronze, and hand-forged iron handles usually have intricate detailing with lots of character. Choose a stylish font or numeric calligraphy in chrome, brass, or bronze (complementing the chosen theme/metal type) for house numbers. When it comes to letterbox plates, clean and sleek is the best look.
Add more definition to your windows by swapping your casement and sash windows with Georgian or Tudor-style windows.
A brand new paint job
Do not underestimate what a lick of paint can do for curb appeal. It is the easiest and the cheapest way to give your home exterior a new lease of life. Warm whites, creams, earthy neutrals, and shades of yellow are the most popular and the best colours to brighten the exterior. Painting the window frames a contrasting colour will make them pop and add interest.
Repairs
It maybe a tiny crack on a wall or rusted gutters that nevertheless work, but repairing, painting over, and replacing exterior elements can have a big impact on your home’s image. Replace your old garage door, spruce up the driveway by staining the concrete or replacing broken flagstones and make sure the roof is not missing any tiles and the paintwork on your eaves is not peeling off. The hallmark of a good homeowner is maintenance, and a well-maintained home exterior can increase your home value. Repairs should be the first home improvement you undertake.
Add seating to your porch
It doesn’t have to be fully-furnished seating (if your porch is big enough, then why not?). It could be a stool, a rustic stump, a porch swing, a short ceramic pedestal, or a bench. Adding seating to your front porch means adding usable space. It makes it a living space rather than a feature.
Lighting
Porch lighting, especially having two principal wall lights framing the front door, accentuate the facade. Invest in ornate light fixtures to highlight the doorway. Remember, your dinner guests are greeted by these lights as they enter your home. Add a lush mount for overhead lighting at the front entrance. If you have a large porch, you might want to take advantage of a chandelier or hanging lantern lights. Garden lights along the driveway or the garden path, garden lamp posts, pagoda lanterns, and even high-tech motion sensor lighting can make your outdoors come alive at night.
Add a fence
A white picket fence is a classic. It can even support a small wooden gate. Black railings are strong for a decent-sized iron gate. Whichever fence you choose, make sure it doesn’t obscure your manicured front garden or the striking front door.
Outdoor art
Although your friendly garden gnome is whimsical and will make people smile, do not be afraid to introduce high style to your outdoors. A Greco-Roman statue, a fountain, a pond with ornaments, garden lamps, a pergola, trellises, and cobbled paths are all outdoor art that turns your basic garden space into an attraction.
Your home’s facade can be one that others feast their eyes on. It doesn’t need a major design overhaul to accomplish that. With a few key adjustments and green fingers, you are looking at completely different aesthetics. GS Brown Construction homes are built using premium material and modern designs that offer stylish living in Scotland’s most wellbeing-forward locations.
