Your House Is Frowning- Why Every Door Needs A Wreath

An empty front door is unacceptable. Without a wreath, your house is naked, or worse, it's frowning.

Here's how to add some quick curb appeal for an easy upgrade.

A SMILE IS THE UNIVERSAL WELCOME - Max Eastman

Everyone’s heard the saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but let’s face it, no matter how evolved we all claim to be, most of us do.

It’s human nature, people make judgments about what they can’t see based on what they can, for better or for worse.

Being fully aware of this fact, and slightly psychotic about decorating, I attend to the outside of my house with the same attention I devote to the inside.

The flowers in the beds need to match my outdoor cushions, the landscaping should be symmetrical and the lawn neatly trimmed.

Sometimes I even park my car (black to match the shutters) in my husband’s spot, while he’s at work, as I think that the house looks better that way.

Parking in front of the garage makes the yard look bigger and shows my Daylilies off in full view.

These measures put my house in its best light.

 Now I know that this behavior is a little left of center (like I said, slightly psychotic), but I want my house to look warm and welcoming.

And it bothers me enormously when it doesn’t.

Actually, it bothers me when other people’s houses don’t look that way either.

I'm definitely not a big fan of the unfriendly home and trust me, there's a lot of them out there.

And it’s a real shame, because it doesn’t take much to make a house to look cheerful.

Take the garbage pails in, weed the beds, mow the lawn and above all, put something on the front door!

Too many people completely ignore their entryway.

I don’t know why, but they do.

I mean seriously, drive down any street and look at the front doors, really pay attention.

The vast majority of them are boring, uninspired, or worse, completely undressed.

It’s tragic, because to me the personality your home shows off to the world, is directly correlated to what you put on your front door.


You see, I equate the front door of a house with the smile on a face.

It's the focal point, the feature people notice and judge first.

A bland entrance is a blank expression. It does not beckon to you.

It does not inspire you and it certainly does not entice you to come in to say hello.

All those empty front doors are off-putting and aloof, they just don’t look friendly.


Beside the fact that most of these neglected and undecorated entrances usually lead to lovely, well appointed interiors, but no one would ever guess this from the lackluster façade.

Bottom line- smiling just looks nice.

Kindergarten teachers smile, Wal-Mart greeters smile.

Even supermodels smile sometimes.

Your house should smile.

If it's not smiling now, it's an easy fix.


Wreaths are the classic way to add a grin, the varieties are, of course, endless, but you don’t have to box yourself in.

Seasonal wooden signs, flags and canvas paintings are also very cheerful.

If you need a bit of inspiration or want to see some of my favorites, including the how-to from the happy house below, check out my board on Pinterest entitled Fabulous Front Doors.


Now perhaps all this sunshine is just not your thing.

You're not into a big toothy “say cheese” kind of statement and would prefer more of a smirk.

Well, that's an easy fix too, just pick up some of those vinyl clings on your next trip to the grocery store.

Done!


Of course if you are a total non-smiler by nature, well, that is your prerogative.

You just keep that witch on your door all year long.

At least it will make everyone else smile.

What's on your door right now?


*Quick Front Door Tips:

Large magnet hooks are great for metal doors, those sticky hooks (available at most hardware stores, Home Depot) are excellent for other surfaces.

They both let you move your décor up or down, as you may not always want it in the same spot.

Think about weatherproof items if you will be hanging items on outside of door, especially without an overhang.