Apr 18, 2021

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Front doors are special - they're the fist 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 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 be more appropriate depending on the situation.
You can always add smaller accent pieces once a larger focal piece is selected.

Height here is more about personal preference. Tall and formal? Lower and more casual? It’s all about your vibe.
But design considerations like sight lines and plant choice help yout 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 sightlines 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 remember the Rule of 3: three pots, three sizes, three styles.
You may decide to choose different sizes but stick to the same style, but it’s good to consider all of these elements when grouping because variety tends to be inviting.
With groupings of 2-3 pots, choosing different sizes provides an organic sense of variety that is attractive.

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