Outdoors

Welcome Home: Front Door Ideas and Designs

First impressions. The first impression of your home is not just important for visitors and potential buyers, but to you the person living there. Would you rather come home to a well lit cozy feeling and well designed front door, or a dark ratty tatty front door. Welcome yourself home everyday by sprucing up your front door.

A Grand Entrance

The larger you can make your entry way the better. It will look grander, and create the look of a luxurious house. This can be done with double doors. Or just with one door but have side panels on both sides of the door and even have a panel above. And create a thick frame around the door way, that includes a door frieze and cornice (this is a decorate frame that goes above the door just like in picture (7)).

These side panels can be purely decorative. Or if you get panels with windows in them, they can help bring natural light into the house during the day. A glass panel on the side of the door also allows you to see who is at the door.

Lighting Your Home

Front door lighting plays an important role for 2 reasons. First, having a light on at night deters intruders. And second, it makes it easier for you to see your keys and getting inisde when you come home at night. Plus it makes your house look good.

The most common way to light the front door is to use a wall. See if you can create symmetry for a more uniform design – so have one wall light on each side of the door. Wall lights tend not to be too bright, so having an added ceiling light can be a bonus.

Door and Side Panel Design

When it comes to the door design, and the side panels, you have two design options: 1) trim, and 2) glass panels. You can get doors covered in decorative trim that creates patterns, just like the green door in picture (5). The door in picture (3) shows a different style of trim work.

The second design feature is the glass and windows. As mentioned above, glasswork helps bring in light and helps you see who is at the door. Different door designs provide different levels of privacy. The door in picture (5) has a small beveled and frosted glass window. While the doors in picture (1) and (2) have huge glass panels with less privacy, but bring in more light.

You can get quite decorative with glass and window panels, either for your door or side panels. Some design options include:

beveled glass (decorative glass panels)
decorative metal grill inserts (2)
frosted or stained glass (6)
curved wooden screens
you can even get decorative and decorate glass doors with decals or use a white board marker for different holidays (4)

Make It Feel Good

You want to have a solid and heavy door. And also look for a solid door handle (and door knocker), made out of a premium material like brass. You will definitely feel the difference when you open the door, and it adds a nice luxurious touch to your home.

See if you can add plants to your front door area, and try and create symmetry. So have matching large potted plants on both sides of the door. Or for a more bohemian, green flavor, why not add hanging plants.

Decorative Elements

Try and create symmetry for your front door area. That means having a panel on both sides if you can. The same goes for light fixtures and decor pieces such as plants. Here are a few design and decor ideas that you could add to your front door:

The style of the house number you put up will say a lot about the style of the house. You’ve got more modern house numbers, like the ones seen in picture (4), and then there are more traditional styles such as the numbers on the door in picture (2). And if you want to keep symmetry, then stick the numbers in the center of your door.
How about fitting a brass handle plate, or footplate, just like the door in picture (1)

Playing With Color Ideas

More modern homes will have tall front doors, probably without glass panels and trim, and will be in a neutral color such as black, grey or white.

When it comes to choosing the color for your front door, you will need to take into consideration the color of your house. If your house is made up of a lot of different colors, then it might be best to go with a neutral toned down color (white, black, grey, cream) for your front door so it won’t clash with the colors of the house.

But if you have a neutral and uniformed colored house, just like the one in picture (1), you could go with a bold color for the front door. Since the house is neutral in color, the front door will really stand out and be a design feature.

You can also play with the colors within the door, see how the side panels in picture (3) are painted black but have touches of cream paint on the frames.

Here are some other posts to get more ideas from:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

May 28, 2016 in Decor, Outdoors

Small Garden Ideas and Designs: How To Make The Most of Your Space

If you have a small garden you can either design it so that it feels larger and more spacious than it is. Or you can take advantage of the small space and create a truly cozy and relaxing garden sanctuary. This post goes over small garden ideas that will help you create either one of those options.

Create a Clutter Free Look

If you have a small garden space, then you might want to create a very clean and modern look for the space. To do this, try and create clean lines and have specific designated bordered areas (for flowers, vegetables, seating, etc.) – take a look at the garden in picture (2) as an example. The box hedges provide neat and tidy greenery, and they are contained within the pathway. And there is a designated small patio area for the seating.

For more modern garden ideas, have a look at my post here: Style Guide: Modern Garden Design Ideas.

Here are some design tips you can take from interior design out into your garden to make the space feel more spacious:

Go for larger pieces vs. a lot of smaller pieces. This can apply to the plants and furniture. One large potted plant, vs. three. One large couch vs. 2-3 chairs. This helps create a less cluttered looking space.
When choosing materials, such as paving for the floor or materials for the walls, go with larger materials (wide wall panels, large slabs of paving, etc.). Have a look at the flooring in the gardens in pictures (3) and (6). Larger flooring slabs create a cleaner and more modern look (as there are less connecting areas).
Choose light colored materials. If you are painting your walls, go with white just like the garden in picture (7). The same applies for the flooring, pots, and furniture. Light colors make a space feel larger, while darker colors makes a space feel cozy, and secluded.

Make The Most of Your Space

You might not have a lot of floor area to work with in your garden. But don’t forget you also have vertical space to work with.

The walls of your house and the garden fences can be used to hang up pots and lights. You can also add some trellises, or how about a pergola which you can use to hang plants from and add shade to your garden.

If you have a really small space garden, then look to get folding furniture. That way you can store it if you want to the use the space for something else.

Going The Other Way

Instead of trying to make a small garden design feel more spacious and larger, why not take advantage of the small space and make it feel cozy, intimate, and relaxing. Just like the gardens in pictures (1) and (5).

Put up a pergola, and shut yourself off from the outside world. Hang plants down so they act like curtains. Hang up some relaxing lights, and add some comfy seats – and you’ve created your own secret garden sanctuary.

Lighting Up Your Garden At Night

Remember that lighting plays a big role in how your garden feels and looks at night. Even if you don’t plan on using the garden much at night, it is always nice to have a good looking garden that is well lit that you can look out over when you are indoors.

Some simple lighting ideas include:

Tabletop lighting such as lanterns, table fire pits, and candles
Modern tiki torches
String lights
Solar powered pathway lighting
Hang up wall lights on the house pointed out into the garden
If you have a pergola, then lights can be fitted into the roof of it (5)
Light up any trees, water features, ponds, or bushes you have – just like the garden in picture (4)

Here are some other garden posts to get more ideas from:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

May 27, 2016 in Outdoors, Small

How To Create A Magical Evening: Outdoor Movie Night Ideas

When creating an outdoor movie night, there are 4 main things to think about. 1) Where are you going to set it up. 2) What is the best way to create the movie screen. 3) What sort of seating/furniture are you going to use (this can be as easy as using floor cushions). And 4) Why not add some soft relaxing lighting for your movie night.

Choosing a Spot:

By the pool if you have one. Or blow up an inflatable pool to relax in.
Inside a pergoda or a hut, just like in picture (7)
If you have a deck, this could be a place where people can sit to watch the movie – then project the movie onto a nearby wall or hang up a bed sheet.
Or how about building a simple raised platform just for your movie space – like in picture (8)
Choose a spot near a white wall. If you have a fence or a flat white wall on the outside of your house, this could be a place to screen your movie and set up your projector. Or there are the ideas listed below showing easy ways on how to set up an outdoor screen.

How To Create an Outdoor Movie Screen

Here are some ideas on how to create an outdoor movie screen:

There is the idea mentioned above, which was to use a flat white wall
Hang up a white bed sheet in-between trees or poles
If you are hosting a large group of people, then hiring a large inflatable movie screen would be an option
Or create a DIY movie screen stand using PVC or plumbing pipes – which you can use to hang up a bed sheet
There are also portable screen stands, get one in the Amazon window below

Furniture Ideas

Outdoor garden floor pillows are great for an informal and cozy atmosphere. Get yours in the Amazon window above
Check out my pallet post that shows how pallets were turned into outdoor cinema loungers: The Pallet Cinema: A Garden Movie Night
Or this post here has more ideas: Is That a Pallet Swimming Pool? 24 DIY Pallet Outdoor Furniture Creations and Big Builds

Setting the Mood With Lighting

Hang up some string lights. Stake some tiki torches around (use citronella oil as it is a natural insect repellent), or use candles and lanterns. In my outdoor DIY lighting post you can see how normal candles shoved onto stakes make for easy outdoor movie party lights: Getting Crafty: DIY Outdoor Lighting Ideas.

For more ideas for your outdoor movie night, have a look at these posts:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

April 25, 2016 in Decor, Outdoors

Outdoor Living: Modern Patio Design Ideas

This posts goes over the few design areas to focus on when it comes to creating a modern patio design.

Lighting: A modern home will be a well lit space. So you’ll want to have as much lighting around your patio as possible.

This could mean hanging up wall lights on the side of your home. Or putting uplights at the base of trees and walls to create some dramatic ambient lighting. And if you have a pergola covering your patio, this could have lights fitted to it. For more ideas and some pictures have a look at my post here: A Bright Safe Space: Modern Outdoor Lighting Ideas.

Seating and Modern Patio Furniture: The type and design of furniture you use for your patio will really set the style for the space. Go with a neutral color for your furniture – either white, black, or wooden.

Flooring: In the patio pictures in the mood board above, you can see that a modern option for a patio floor is a neutral colored (white, light grey) stone or concrete one. With the exception of the dark wooden floors in picture (4) – which contrast well with the light colored furniture.

Adding Shade and Cover: A modern pergola is the way to go. Use straight planks of wood, the darker the better, mixed in with a steel frame – just like in picture (6). Have a look at my post here for more pergola pictures and ideas: Modern Pergola Designs Gallery and Notes

The Doors: Modern patio doors will be sliding thin framed glass ones, that go from the floor all the way to the ceiling.

For more ideas have a look at my other outdoor posts:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6