Pave the way!
Prime your entrance

Let’s talk a bit about entrances since that’s where it sort of all begins.

Because you already there have the chance to set the tone for your home – even before you, or anyone else for that matter, enter.

And yes, even if you live in an apartment, and don’t have your own fancy entrance or driveway, you can still make sure to create a first pleasant feeling of your place – already by your door.

So, let’s get to it!

Please, come in – if you can!

The first and main thing about your entrance is that it should be easy to access your door.

You shouldn’t have to plough your way through to be able to reach the entrance.

Or play hopscotch (even though that can be fun!) among a ton of stuff – if you don’t make hopscotch on purpose for your entrance (THAT would be super fun!?).

A quick search shows that the word “entrance” origin from French and means something like “opportunity to enter”.

Well, if there is stuff all over the place that you need to zig-zag through, jump over or crouch down for to be able to get through to the door – not much of an opportunity feeling there!

And I know, it might be easy to just drop things off there, to take care of another time.

The bicycle with a flat tire that’s on its way to being repaired (really…?). Or the garden tools you left there for next time. Not to mention when you don’t have the time or feel too tired to take the trash out all the way and leave it outside the door for next time.

Hmmm.

Maybe that’s not the introduction you want to your place?

As always, there’s nothing right or wrong here – only to be aware and make conscious decisions on how you want it to look and feel.

And keep in mind that the entrance not only welcomes any guests but also greets YOU every time you get home – think about that and how you feel when you approach your home.

So below you’ll find a little checklist to help you have a fresh look at the first sight of your place.

And I’m cheering you on with this homemade slogan:

Yay! Way to clear the way!

 

So, step back and have a clear look at your entryway, and ask yourself:

“Is this what I want, for myself and for others, to encounter every time we get here?”.

Here’re some things to look out for to create a neat and easy-to-access-feeling of your entrance:

• Go have a matter-of-fact look at your entrance – what do you actually see and is this what you want to see, first thing when coming to your place?
• Does it feel easy to enter and approach your door?
• Any seasonal stuff during the off-season? Your surfboard leaning towards the wall in the middle of the winter? Your skis still hang around even though it’s summer?
• Any other leftovers from a previous season? Or latest party? Or maybe remains of a creative project that unfortunately terminated a long time ago?
• Garbage bags and trash bins? Take the garbage out and see if the trash bin can find another place.
• Flowers that have ceased to be, so to say?
• Any unidentified objects – “What IS this?! And who put it here?!?”?
• Garden tools? Kids toys? Pets playthings?
• Things that could be easy to trip over? Get stuck in? Need you to crouch to pass?
• If you realize there’s a lot of “stuff” that have ended up here, it might be a question of:
  – decluttering: get rid of things that actually don’t belong here, at least not for the moment.
  – organizing: finding a place to store things that easily end up here.
  – routines: for example always take out the garbage all the way.

Try to keep this fresh look at your entrance, and be aware of what you leave and put there.
Keep in mind the easy access concept of your entrance.

This is the first step in creating an entrance you feel good about
– the add-ons and the goodies we’ll get to another time.?

Over to you!

I’m curious to know, tell me in the comments:

• What did you find around and about your entrance you realized you didn’t want to keep there? How did you solve or deal with it?
• Or are you already experience an easy to access entrance? What specifically have you done to create that and keep it that way?
• Do you have any other tips, thoughts or questions about this?

 

Thanks for reading!
And thanks for leaving your comment and thoughts in English
– doing that will allow more of us to be able to read it.
?

 

Photo by Grant Ritchie on Unsplash