Today's guest blogger is Ian Lockwood who writes for UK Oak Doors. Hope y'all enjoy his article about creating a welcoming home as much I do.
Five Tips for Creating a Welcoming Home
When you come home after a long day at work, are you glad to be back, or does your home feel like
a dark, boring place to be? If you dread returning home after work or after a holiday at a nice hotel,
try these five tips for creating a welcoming home.
1 - First Impressions Count
If the paint is peeling off your front walls, the window frames are cracked, or the garden looks
shabby, then that will make your home look messy before you even walk through the front door.
The first thing you should do is repaint your front oak doors, mow the lawn, clean up any litter, and
arrange to have the window cleaner come round more often. You'll be amazed at the difference it
will make.
2 - Have a clear entryway
Make sure that the entrance to your home is clean and tidy. If you enter into a hallway, keep it as
close to empty as possible - have a welcome mat, and a place to hang your coat and bag. Choose
neutral colours to make the area look spacious. If you have internal oak doors separating the
entryway and the stairs / living room, paint them a light colour so that they don't make the room
look oppressive.
3 - Open Your Blinds or Turn on The Lights
Dark, dull rooms are not welcoming. Opening your blinds, or at the very least making sure you have
plenty of lighting in your living room will make the place feel a lot more welcoming. Try to choose
lighting options that are easy on the eye. Harsh lighting can cause headaches.
4 - Let in Some Fresh Air
During the winter, you'll want to leave your doors and windows closed most of the time, and even
during the summer you'll want to keep them closed while you're out, for security reasons. However,
if you can open your vents, and leave some windows open while you're in the house, the air will
smell fresher. Even if you don't think there's a bad smell in the house now, a fresh breeze might do a
surprising amount of good.
5 - Clear the Clutter
Put the emphasis in your house on the nicer aesthetics; your clean and simple blinds, your stylish
internal oak doors, and your polished wooden floors. Give yourself space to sit down and relax, and
a clear area to engage in your hobbies - whether that's playing video games, reading, watching TV,
or exercising in a home gym. Clutter just gets in the way and makes your living environment feel
stressful.
You don't have to completely overhaul your home to make it feel more welcoming. You can
achieve a lot just by de-cluttering and making a point of structuring your rooms to allow in as much
natural light as possible. Small, simple changes to the way you arrange your room can make a huge
difference to the atmosphere of your home.
Ian Lockwood writes for UK Oak Doors, an internal and external
www.ukoakdoors.co.uk and related ironmongery retailer.
