FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Front doors are special - they're the first interaction people have with your home. They make the first and strongest impression. Pottery and plants have long played an important role in cultivating a personalized entryway. Here’s a little list of things to consider as you search for just the right pot that will say Welcome to My Home!
- Pinpoint where you want your pottery to be placed.
- Then determine how wide or narrow of a pot the space can accommodate.
- A pot that’s too big makes the entryway feels cluttered instead of inviting.
- A practical, safe, easy-to-use entry is most important.
- Once you know how wide you can go, imagine what the smallest suitable size is so that you have a range to work within on your search.
- Accent pottery for a front door needs to stand up to the scale of the architecture.
- Medium to larger pieces tend to make more sense.
- Anything under 12” wide will probably get lost due to scale.
- Anything over 20” will usually be more appropriate.
- You can always add smaller accent pieces once a larger focal piece is selected.
- Height is more about personal preference or the style of your home's architecture. Tall and formal? Lower and more casual? It’s all about your taste.
- But design considerations like sight lines and plant choice help you to get the most out of your purchase.
- Very low pots like bowls and minis may be lost, especially if planted and draped in foliage, as people approach your door.
- An exception to this rule is raised entryways - if there are steps up to your front door, lower, smaller containers will be in people’s sight lines as they approach your steps.
- The higher your entry from ground level, the lower and smaller the pots can be and still provide visual impact.
- If you plan to play with a grouping of pots, consider the Rule of 3:
- three pots
- three sizes
- three styles
- You may choose to adapt this rule by choosing different sizes but sticking to the same style. But it's good to consider variety when creating a grouping of pots because it's organic and welcoming.
- Sticking to the same style and size is ideal for a more formal aesthetic . It tends to work best with just two pots framing the entry.
Steph Green with Contained Creations recommends using the Rule of Thirds:
- Divide the height of your door (including the transom if you have one) into thirds.
- A planter that's 1/3rd the height is a good starting point.
- Any plantings will look great growing up to 2/3rds of the door height.
- Leave the top 1/3 open for light fixtures or plain old open space for spatial balance.
Here is a PDF for you to download and print for your shoppers.
Thank you to Exteriors Outdoor Styling, Svendson Studios, Martinson's Garden Works, and Contained Creations for sharing your inspirational work.
