Ways to Enhance your Home's Front Entrance

Considering the fact that we are all currently quarantined inside the perimeters of our property lines for the most part, now might be a good time to take stock of what your front entrance looks like and think about the possibilities of what it could be. After all it's the first impression passers by see and also effects your curb appeal. With all this time spent at home we should be thinking about sprucing up every inch of it so we can hit the ground running when this craziness is over. And JAC truly believes that your entrance should be a teaser for all the loveliness just inside your front door, so they really should relate to each other.

In this post we would like to share some ideas of how to reimagine your front entrance. First off think about your front door itself, does it need updating at all, or at least a new stain or even a pop of color? Lately we have been doing a lot of ebony stained doors to freshen up what would otherwise just be a brown stained door. We love the drama that black produces anywhere in the home and it can be especially striking right in front. But it may be that you just need a little color, a new paint job on your front door. Eggplant color is a JAC favorite or even race car green. Just take into consideration the style and architecture of your home and work back accordingly.

Having worked with many landscape architects through the years on all our remodels and design builds, we truly appreciate the importance of a good landscape plan, and that includes what is happening at the front door. One of our favorite tricks is to layer both sides of a front (or back) door with multiples of pots with green plants in them. And again, depending on the style of home, we suggest different types. In southern California where there are droughts every other year, we love seeing plants that require very little water but that still make a splash! Cacti and succulents of all kinds are generally good ideas for almost any type of house, they create texture and are so easy to maintain. On the other hand if your home is traditional in style, go for more classic types of greens like conifers to create an interesting passage to your door, and an added bonus is that they are ripe and ready for twinkling lights come holiday time! And don't forget potted flowers and/or greens that fall over the planter, they add loads of color for traditional style homes, and even more impactful if you change out the flowers seasonally.

This may seem obvious but by replacing old or standard house numbering with a new, elegant, unique style of house number you can make an instant update that will really modernize your entry. This is one of the quickest, simplest ways to improve your home’s entryway and will increase your curb appeal exponentially. Choose a finish that goes with your current hardware but feels fresh and modern and suddenly you've upped the ante!

If you are looking to make a statement, add new lighting, it's like the jewelry for the exterior of the house. For a modern entry, we like to do simple understated sconces but playing with the scale can be fun where the light cast is the focal point. For more traditional homes, of course we love the look of a gas light sconce or lantern - who doesn't love the look of a flickering light?

If you have the space try your hand at accessorizing your entry area. Lanterns, welcome mats, and benches are always a good idea as long as you stay true to the style of the home. And also a perfect chance to show your personality and a teaser of the beauty inside. Although it’s important to use care to scale furnishings in proportion to the size of your entry door.

A well-defined path makes your home look more inviting and put together. You can go big and build out of stone or brick, or you can just use visual cues like lighting and plants to line a clear path to your front door through the grass or around an existing concrete walkway. Either way, an updated entry is always a good idea.

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