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First Impressions
Since
you only get one chance to make a first impression, how can you
make the best first impression? As your guests arrive at
your home, the greeting you give them begins before you even open
the front door. Whether they feel welcomed or threatened can
be decided as soon as they walk up the path to the entry. A
couple of comfortable wooden
rockers, a glass of lemonade and a big front porch will immediately make
anyone feel at home no matter WHOSE home it is. But often we are limited
by the design of the entrance or by its size by no fault of our own.
Look at several of the factors that come into play in making human beings feel
comfortable in any situation and apply them as best you can to your
home. Even if you can add just a couple of these elements into your
entryway, the result will be immediate and the mood can drastically change.
Scale:
Home in the Houston area usually can be lumped
into several categories: the long, low ranch style; the brick box that goes
straight up; the Victorian or other two story with a front porch across the
first level; contemporary style with angles and vertical planes; or a two
story variation with a porch “room.” (The porch room is still on the
outside of the house but is enclosed and must be entered through an arch or
other device which is often the full two stories of the home.)
Of these, the ranch style and that of the wide front porch offer a
practical scale for humans. In other words, the front of the house has
been brought down to our size. The door is usually around eight feet
high and the ceiling of the porch is not much taller. The
other styles, however, play up the immense height of that entryway and can be
subconsciously overwhelming.
To create a more intimate space, items must be brought in to minimize
the scale and give familiarity. A table or plant stand, a bench or
chair, or a grouping of layered plant materials might ease the transition from
the monster to the minute. Do try to find items that would be in a style
appropriate to the architecture of your home though. An Adirondack chair
and bench scooted up to a Tudor house will probably not work. Gauge your
accessories to the same level of formality that your exterior elevation
exhibits. You can add a little bit of whimsy with smaller pieces if you
wish, like a concrete bunny peaking out from behind a formal concrete bench,
but be sure there is plenty of room for your new additions. It will not
be an inviting entry if guests have to hurdle the bench to ring the doorbell.
Shelter:
Although you might be blessed with a winding path to a gorgeous front
door, unless you have a place for folks to stand while they wait for you to
answer it, your entry has probably lost part of its charm.
Your guests need not be sheltered from gale force rains, but a covering
of some sort would probably be a pleasant respite.
If you have no front porch, consider the addition of an awning or
pergola above your doorway. Again,
staying in keeping with the character of your architecture is paramount, but
there is probably a relatively inexpensive answer to the dilemma of the lack
of covering over your front porch. That
is assuming, of course, that you HAVE a good-sized landing to begin with.
The entry landing should be a minimum of five foot square and certainly
larger would be better. If this
is not possible, perhaps a new landing a few feet away or adding an edging of
brick that matches your home to the existing concrete walk and landing would
be feasible to at least give the illusion of more legroom.
Scheme:
Plodding ahead on the
assumption that you actually WANT people to come to your front door, we now
turn to the fun part. What makes
us feel comfortable approaching someone?
Body language. Well,
believe it or not, even a home’s entry has a body language that either
welcomes or warns away. Just as
folded arms held tight against the chest signals a “closed” sign to those
around, so too will prickly hedges and thorny shrub-soldiers standing guard
ready to attack those who dare come too close.
Unless you prefer to be the house on the block regarded as too scary to
visit at Halloween, those six-foot burford hollies protruding halfway on
either side into the walk will have to find a new home. Observe
with the neutrality of a visitor. Stroll
up your walk. Is it difficult to
maneuver? Are there limbs that
are a hazard to those wearing hats? Can
you even see the front door or is it
completely obstructed? The entry
should be well lit for aesthetic as well as security reasons.
A splash of friendly color and or contrast, either in the door, the
trim or in plant material should grab the attention of visitors immediately,
telling them they are headed in the right direction.
Many professional designers take this a step further, starting that
accent close to where visitors begin their journey to the house, leading them
all the way to the door. Often an
interior color can be brought outside so that continuity can begin with the
landscaping and follow through after entering the house.
Holidays
are often the time we concentrate on an inviting entry to our homes.
Many folks invest a lot of time and money, purchasing just the right
items to welcome their guests as they arrive for parties and family
gatherings. But you can bring
that same warm feeling to your entry the rest of the year.
Your guests will appreciate the added effort and you will have made
that first impression one that is memorable for all of the right reasons.
Now if there was only some way to teach those thorny shrubs to
recognize solicitors…
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