Ways to create a summer entrance to your home

The blossoms are now falling from the trees giving way to lush green leaves unfurling and the swallows have returned to blue skies, summer is on its way. I have started spending more time in the garden and this is when I like the outdoors to transition into my home with doors wide open and fragrant scents of lavender and herbs in the air, breezing into the hallway or the kitchen. I like that feeling of the summer vibe being really apparent as soon as you approach the front of the house and of the garden carrying on into the home. It makes me happy to add little touches to transform the house entrance into a fresh new summer look and also consider long term improvements for a lighter summery style.

I love a home that feels both inviting and interesting to look at and have put together what I consider key aspects to create a summer entrance to your home:

Entrance Doors

The very first feature to bring visual impact to any home are entrance doors that are eye catching and bring light into the home, think of early morning rays beaming in through glazed door windows and the warm tones cast all day. Doors such as those from Pirnar, a family company started in 1968 who specialise in luxury innovative doors, create instant appeal and sophistication. Pirnar’s many options that can be chosen to suit your own tastes are door with windows set within them, or windows above and beside the door for optimum light, add to this illuminated door handles or surrounding LED illumination for balmy summer evening ambience. The choice of door finishes like aluminium or wood make their doors a very personalised feature for your home, the finishes can be chosen too, high gloss or matt, painted wood or perhaps the aluminium in different shades.

Colour is something that can easily change the whole look of the house, a coat of paint over a weekend and instant new appeal – be daring with a summery colour; punchy pink or coral, a fresh green, sky blues or a cheerful sunflower yellow. There is a town nearby here that has many colourful doors, similar to a coastal village where the style is much more daring and it pays off, you can’t help but smile at their colourful charm. If a colourful front door is too dramatic for you then perhaps some colour to accessorise the entrance instead.

Accessories such as door mats give a seasonal perk-up to the house front. There are so many fun designs to choose from and they are inexpensive. I love how you can really choose something that reflects your personality such as your love for cats or sausage dogs or playfulness with fun statements. The 'hello' decal sticker shown below is my must have and for a keen instagrammer like me, it fits in well for those front door photo shots. And I still love lanterns, tall ones with candles in, either side of the door look lovely and welcoming as the evening comes.
Pots and plants are a must have to spell out summer - hanging baskets, troughs and urns filled with flowers such as geraniums, roses and petunias. Create your own planters in colour coordinated pots by using a spray paint for your own unique look, a colour to accent against your front door perhaps. Galvanised buckets look very summery filled with daisies and will last all season. Splashes of colour created by flowers can be done on a budget and if you remember to water, feed and deadhead regularly, they will flourish into the autumn. 

I adore climbing or rambling roses the most and for me they create the perfect summer entrance - there is a rose colour and type for every taste and a scented one will intoxicate both your guests and the bees. Recently I've bought a peachy one to adorn some grey painted trellis (to match the front door) and this will grow alongside a clematis - another climber where you can find almost any colour.

An idea I spotted that looks great if you have a front garden or yard space is a little bench or a bistro table and chairs because if the evening sun is at the front, well then why not......? Sat there with a glass of wine/ mug of tea and being sociable to the neighbours or watching the evening passers-by sounds great to me. Garden furniture at the front of the house is very welcoming. It shouts of summer and sharing, I think that's what the key thing is about creating a summer entrance - it's a cheery hello of a space, not closed off and hiding like winter, of welcoming in rays of sunshine through doorways, of shiny materials and gloss or pretty seaside colours and fun accessories, of being seen and breathing in scent, of feeling relaxed and sociable. These extra elements to the front of any property will give the summer feeling and make you smile everytime you walk into the house.

*Collaborative post