In the age of cookie-cutter homes, it’s hard to find a house that actually says something to you when you walk inside. Homes with character add a special layer to the memories made within it, and as we well know, most of the time personality is more important than looks.
Your home must also speak to your guests. When they enter the front door and lay eyes on the place you and your families spend most of your time – what do they see? Do they see plenty of framed prints of you and your family in photos, artistic paintings adorning the walls, or is it merely blank space? When your friends and family come to your house, do they know where to go? Is there a clear flow to your space that tells guests which direction to walk, or where to set their coats?
Whether you have a humble studio apartment or a beautiful modern home from a display village in Sydney from Lend Lease, you can use your home entryway to instantly make guests feel more at home as soon as they come inside. You want your guests to feel at home when they visit you, the more intuitive your space, the fewer questions they have to ask you before settling in.
Source: The Curtis Casa
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Have a place for coats
Now that it’s getting to be much colder, wetter, and darker outside, people will likely want to shed their outer layers when they arrive. Make it clear where they should put their coats and jackets by offering a coat tree, hook, or row of hooks so your guests know they are welcome to remove their cold, wet clothes and warm up.
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Leave a basket for shoes
If you hate vacuuming as much as I do, you might not want to risk needing more than a weekly sweep. A good way to keep your carpets bright and your wood floors smooth under your bare feet is by asking your guests to ditch their footwear at the door. Instead of the traditional “one thousand shoes of various sizes, shapes and colors, heaped in a pile next to the front door,” you could have a cool, rugged basket or classic Ikea bookshelf where shoes can quickly be removed and stored without making a mess.
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Install a cool door knocker
Many newer apartments don’t have the nostalgic and kitschy buzzers and door knockers that they used to before the age of bluetooth and buzzer-to-phone technology. Knocking isn’t hard, and is the first go-to when a doorbell button isn’t visible, so make it a little bit extra fun whether you live in an apartment or a house!
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Create a flow
When it’s time to move past the part where new guests remove their coats, hats, and potentially shoes, moving to the entertaining area is the common next action. Whether you have many elaborate rooms, or live in an apartment that is the size of one room, making it apparent where your friends are supposed to go next helps move things along smoothly. If the entertaining area is not visible from the entry area, consider putting a bar cart, table with snacks, or play some music to let people know what area they should meander towards. This is extra helpful if you are hosting an event that allows guests to let themselves into your house. Signs are for sissies!
Employing any or all of these four steps will definitely help you add some functionality to the little area near your front door. You don’t even need to welcome guests into your home in order to benefit!