Make Your Home’s Entrance Entrancing for the Holidays!
Winter is the time of the year that your home needs to be looking its best! Whether you’re hosting a gathering or just at home with the family away from the cold, you want your space to feel cozy and inviting.
The front door and porch are the first welcome you give your guests into your home. They’re an expression of your personality, so it’s important to take the time to curate an entry that feels like an extension of your interior design aesthetic. Decorating for the winter season can be overwhelming, since there are so many different holidays! The best way to make everyone who enters your home feel welcome is to design for the winter weather.
The most prominent piece that will be on display is what hangs on the front door. A classic wreath is the safe route and perfectly acceptable. You can change up your old wreath by removing old ribbon and wrapping a plaid scarf or festive ribbon around it and tying it in a bow. However, if you’re looking for something a little more creative and fun, get online and search for printable winter quotes. A few favorites are “The world changes when it snows,” “Winter is the time for home,” or “Peace on Earth,” or choose one of your favorite holiday sayings. Once you have found a printable design you like, print it on a 16” x 20” piece of cardstock or larger, according to your preferences and door size. The next step is to find the right frame. You can keep it modern and easy by getting a sleek frame at your local craft store, or you can add some character by looking for a vintage frame. Vintage shops house some beautiful frames that encapsulate the inherent ornate qualities of the winter season.
Once you’ve fit the printable in the frame, add some faux greenery by hot gluing it in a pretty arrangement in the bottom corner. Another small touch could be to take bright ribbon, tie it in a bow and hang that on the hook on the door, creating the appearance of a present. Since the front door is the focal point, the next step would be to add a properly themed doormat. It can be a darker color, such as a deep plum, or you can find one that echoes the winter theme of the printable.
In addition to the front door and depending whether the entrance is just a front stoop or a full porch, additional décor can be placed around the door. If you appreciate symmetry and have a clean design aesthetic, placing two large glass lanterns on either side of the front door is a simple way to add to the design. The lanterns can be filled with faux or battery-operated candles or some pine cones; you can add matching ribbons to finish it off.
If you don’t mind a little asymmetry, add a wooden crate to one side facing the guest. Fill the crate with some chopped wood to suggest a warm interior. Another functional addition to the front porch is a small silver container filled with ice melt and a silver scoop. This provides a convenience factor for you to put ice melt where guests arrive to your home, and at the same time it’s aesthetically pleasing. Arrange the objects to display three varying heights. If your climate or the winter season is unusually warm, not needing ice melt, consider a decorative container filled with nuts, seasonal ornaments, greenery or snowballs. The asymmetrical design will showcase everything while remaining pleasing to the eye.
If you have a full porch, you can then extend the winter design outward. When you go shopping for a vintage frame for the front door, also look for a vintage wooden sled, ice skates, lanterns and other wooden crates. These items will add texture to the design. Move outward from the front door and lean the sled against the house to add some height. Utilize the seating you have in place already and add pillows that mimic the deep plum color of the doormat, or go with a classic winter plaid pattern. Set the wooden crate near the seating and put rolled blankets inside. To complete the design, add a small table to the seating area and place a large bowl of pinecones and red berries for an easy arrangement. An extra crate could double as a table as well.
Through all of these winter themed décor pieces, from the front door to the seating area, every guest will be greeted with a cozy and inviting design aesthetic, perfect for the season! ■
Sources: pinterest.com and the experience of the author.
