Simple Entrance With Style

Make guests feel instantly welcome.

The South is known for its hospitality, so it's no wonder that a welcoming front door is important. There's nothing like a charming area to say "Come on in, y'all."

If you don't have a front porch, there are some great ways to add character to your home's entryway. Sally and Charlie Love's Tudorstyle home in West Virginia is a perfect example. A gable features decorative half-timbering, and its design draws the eye to the front door. The door, with its heavy boards and rustic hardware, stays true to the Tudor look. Examine your own home to identify its architectural style; then consider simple touches to enhance it.

Because this home has an English-cottage flavor, not much is needed to add to its charm. So the owners opted for a simple stone bench under the single window and softened the facade with cascading blooms of trailing annuals in a hayrack-style window box.

The casual look of the cascading flowers is well-suited to the house. The entrance's stone-paved surface establishes the feel of a porch, separating it from the driveway and giving the area more visual importance.

The effect is just as welcoming as a furnished front porch. But instead of inviting you to relax outside, it encourages you to knock on the door with a promise that comfortable cottage living awaits inside.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jun 2004
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