“Well hello there!”…What’s Your Home Saying?

The entrance and approach to your home is your house’s way of greeting your guests.  Some houses do a great job at that, essentially saying “Hello…welcome, I’m so glad you’re here…we’ve been looking forward to seeing you.”  Others on the other hand say “Stay away…don’t bother me…I’m not in the mood to have guests right now.”  I would say that the majority of the houses I’ve seen are somewhere in between…”Hey…oh it’s you…whatever…zzzzzzz”.  

Well the entrance to the home of RYGblog follower Carey has a lot to say…and as you can see by her pictures, a lot of great things to say.

Doug and Brittany, I am so excited to have found your blog!  You’ve helped me see that with a little bit of thought and creativity you can really enjoy every nook and cranny of your indoor and outdoor spaces.  I look forward to coming back to be inspired by your stories and those of other RYGblog followers.  That said, I just had to share our favorite transformation from our home in Central Florida.

We purchased a 1962 mid-century modern home a couple of years ago that had been neglected for a long time, both inside and out. The front entry retained a glaring white painted poured concrete patio and a couple of lackluster planting beds. After about a year of contemplating how to landscape the space (we were still busy ‘putting out the fires’ inside anyway), my husband came up with the idea to create a modern koi pond. His stroke of genius has completely transformed our entry!

After removing about 4 yards of dirt, laying a rubber liner, chiseling some mortar out of the brick wall to create a minimalist waterfall, and laying Travertine tiles, our pond was born. Water plants were submerged and koi fish were gifted to us by a generous cousin for instant wow factor (within weeks they produced about a dozen babies!).

What used to be an awkward forgettable entry is now a literal living and vibrant welcome to our guests! It has even brought our neighborhood together in some respects. The smaller children of the street come by with their parents in hopes of getting a chance to feed the fish, and an older lady who we had never met before unexpectedly dropped off a long-term loan of a koi book while walking her dog just last week. We’ve caught many a deliver guy and mailman pausing to enjoy the pond before going on their way.

Thanks to you both for continuing to inspire us with projects that make our house a home.

Carey K.
Central Florida

Wow Carey…what a transformation!!  Thanks so much for sharing your story.  You’ve definitely inspired me to look at my entrance with fresh eyes to see how I can make it more welcoming.  We primarily use our side entrance…and that’s pretty welcoming; but it’s sad to say, but I sometimes forget about our front entrance.  Thanks for the reminder…I’ll get out there this weekend to see what I can do.

What does your home’s entrance say to your guests?  Please share what you’ve done to make sure the message is positive and welcoming.

Take care,