Think back to when you were a kid and your grandmother invited you over. You felt at home the moment you pulled into the driveway or walked up to the front porch.
There was something about grandma’s house that made you feel warm, cozy, and accepted. Your residence today probably doesn’t feature the same interior design as your grandmother’s place, but you’ve undoubtedly tried to your home just as inviting.
Whether you know it or not, it’s quite simple to do this, if you’re not yet satisfied with the result.
Turning Your House Into a Home
Although it’s your home, you want others to feel comfortable, welcome, and accepted when they visit. If that’s a goal, you can take some simple steps to make your digs more inviting.
Take a look at the following four ideas and see if any of them might help you out.
- Spruce Up Your Porch and Entryway
First impressions are massive. If you want your home to feel inviting, you have to make a positive statement immediately.
This means paying attention to the front porch and entryway. With the front porch, you want everything to be clean and fresh.
Pressure-wash hard surfaces, plant some colorful flowers, and add elements of home … such as a doormat, a seating arrangement, and some tasteful décor. You may also want to paint your front door to make it pop from the rest of the house.
In the entryway, you want people to feel comfortable. Have a place to slip off shoes, hang coats, and leave purses. Use warm, bright colors that make it easy to relax.
- Make it Smell Good
The smell of your home is one of the first things that’s going to hit people once they cross the threshold. If your home doesn’t have a pleasant smell, visitors are apt to feel uncomfortable and wary.
The best way to make a house smell good is to clean it on a regular basis. In addition to wiping down large surfaces and vacuuming floors, make sure you attack the less obvious areas, such as the oven, around the toilets, and behind your refrigerator. You should also clean your HVAC system from time to time.
“While there’s no substitute for having your air vents cleaned on a semi-regular basis, you can help the air in your home smell better by attaching little air fresheners (the kind you would put in your car) to the outsides of vents,” Green Residential explains.
If you’re expecting a guest and want your home to smell especially nice, you can try diffusing essential oils or simmering water in a saucepan with cinnamon sticks, citrus, herbs, or mint.
- Be Strategic With Lighting
“Good lighting is key in making your home feel warm and inviting. Not only does decorative lighting become a beautiful accessory for any space but when strategically placed throughout your home can make your home feel incredibly cozy and inviting, especially in the evening when the lamps are on to create beautiful ambient lighting,” ZDesign at Home says.
Light makes a space feel larger and more comfortable. It also reduces the amount of hidden spaces, which can make certain guests feel uneasy or insecure.
- Relax Your Décor
Incorporate as many soft linens and pillows as you can within bedrooms and living areas. This will make your home feel more functional and comfortable.
“As someone who is always cold, I can tell you that extra blankets and throws are always appreciated! And even if your friends aren’t cold blooded, linens add a soft, cozy feel to the home, and invite people to sit and relax awhile, regardless of whether they use them or not,” this designer says.
On a related note, your home will instantly become more inviting when you remove cheesy store-bought décor in favor of original décor items, family keepsakes, and photographs. Your house should look like you live in it, not like it’s a showroom.
Show Your House Some TLC
It doesn’t matter what your personal style may be, how big the structure is, or where it’s located, there are always further opportunities to make your home more inviting to friends, family, neighbors, and loved ones.
We hope this article has given you a glimpse of some of the practical steps you can take to achieve that end.
2018 ·
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