Spark

KnitWit Yarn & Coffee Bar in Portland, Maine welcomes customers in a knitty way …

Being one of the fresh and zesty new Spark designers, this is my first post for Spark Interior Style. As Spark’s Exterior Stylist, here’s where I’d like to begin, with the idea of welcome.

I’ve been thinking about it so much lately. Some homes are pretty bland at first glance, while some just look so happy! Often, when we try for ‘good taste’ in creating our home’s look, the result can just be stiff and uninspiring, right? Here’s a couple gambits to get you ramping up the Happy Quotient at your home’s entrance…

Photo from The Blue Door B&B, Wexford, Ireland

Color. If we think of the front door as the house’s ‘face’, is yours saying “Hello, come on in!” or “Run away”? The color needn’t ‘match’ anything in the surrounding architecture. Consider a bold front door color, then ground that color with plants, pots or porch furniture in hues that relate to the front door color.  Which could mean a complementary color, or a color that is just a tick or two off in tone or saturation. The blue door pictured is a great example – plant a pot beside the door with some ‘Blue Crystal Palace’ lobelia and Hosta ‘Elegans’ and you’ve got serious happiness!

Granite Steps, wide enough for two plus a cat. Photo from the amazing artisans at Freshwater Stone, Orland, ME.

Scale. While not many of us have a big front porch with room for plants and furniture, we can all give the sense of a gracious entry. Think about the size of the landscape features leading to your door. If you have stairs out front from design staircase Gold Coast catalog, how wide are they? What would it do for you if that width were doubled or tripled? Do you have a defined path to the door? Make it wider or larger can give you a breath of fresh air!

More welcome thoughts on Friday…

- Sue Lambe, your Spark Exterior Stylist