Ideas to help brighten your front porch into your home

Most people tend to focus more on the interior design of the house forgetting the exterior - especially the front door/porch and yet this is what gives the first glimpse of what to expect inside the house.

The front door is the first statement you make to everyone who visits your home. Whether the door is made of steel or wood, what matters is the attractiveness it gives the front porch.

According to Gabriel Andika, a consultant at Elle Décor, one of the best decorative ideas is to make a bold statement at the entrance into your home.

“One should make the front door or porch as appealing as possible since it’s the focal area that one sees while entering your compound and it needs to be an eye-catching one,” he says.

Unique doors

Whether it is the design of the door, the material used to make it, the walls adjacent to it or the surrounding of the front porch; they all should be as welcoming as possible.

Doors are the most important security facets of a house and they come in an array of styles and designs so choose one that has a pattern design or one with stained glass but which still offers adequate security.

Antony Mwangi, a sales executive at Wood Products Kenya, a company that manufactures stylish main doors says that more people are focusing on the main entrance doors as it gives an idea of the design and style to expect inside the house. Wood Products Kenya which mainly deals with hardwood solid doors says that they have addressed the security aspect as well as the aesthetic design when manufacturing their doors.

“We offer 15 designs for the front door, but one of our best selling products is the metal reinforced door which has a metal sheet plate in-between the hard wood panels,” says Mwangi.

Fragrant Plants

The use of plants is another way to brighten the porch. It makes it more appealing if you have an array of flowered plants, hanging pots or big clay pots with plants.

These can be either flowers or herbs that give a sweet aroma as you approach the front door; these are ideas that always make it warm and inviting to anyone.

Use colour

If you need a bolder look for your main entrance, paint the door a bright colour. Colours create moods and while more often than not, people prefer to use dark colours on front doors, bright colours work magic and are therefore the way to go.

The choice of colour is solely dependent on the personal statement one wants to make. For instance a glossy black door is associated with elegance and boldness. Orange is associated with vibrant energy; soft grape creates a feeling that one is easily approachable. Navy blue is associated with freshness. Blue is inviting and welcoming.

Colouring the walls adjacent to the door is another way to revamp your front porch.

“Choose a colour that matches your surrounding but do not paint a whole wall,” says Andika, adding that painting the pillars with bright colours gives them an inviting look and can tone down the dominant colours of the exterior walls.

Other than colouring, one can use water-resistant wallpaper on the pillars of the door. Bright colours make a lasting impression. But always ensure the colours complement each other otherwise you might end up with a tacky-looking front door.

Decorative mouldings around the door frames are also a great way to add a finished look to the porch as they have an added advantage of covering the gaps that exist between the door frames and the walls.

Elle Décor recommends an added lift to plain doors by enhancing their looks through adding mouldings of any geometric shape, or form panels such as castings of various widths to suit your requirements.

Furniture

Andika says that depending on the size of your front porch, furniture can be added to the space to make it cosier but be careful not to overpower the space with too many things. Depending on the size, one chair or a simple bench works well as they do not take up much space. To add more glamour, you can accentuate these with colourful scatter cushions.

The use of animal sculptures, mirrors and paintings also have a way of giving the porch a lively look.

Dress up your light bulb. The porch lighting should not be too bright, therefore look for a good lamp shade which you can also personalise by painting it or covering it with a well-decorated wrapper.

A simple mat at the door is an old-fashioned way of doing this but it also works by eliminating the plain look of an entrance. The mat should always be clean, and if need be, it should be custom-made to have a simple message or an image.

Many shops stock front door mats with appropriate messages so do a bit of window shopping first.