With life slowly returning to some kind of normal, we’re now at the point where we can start inviting friends and family over to our houses again. Whilst this is great, you might feel that, after a year of being at home, your house feels uninviting and unwelcoming. Having a home that is inviting makes for both an enjoyable and memorable home and the bonus that comes with creating a home that is more welcoming for guests is that it’s more welcoming for you, too!
When a home is warm and welcoming, you can feel it almost as soon as you walk through the front door. You and your guests will feel at ease and relaxed, but what is it that makes a home welcoming and inviting? We all have different ideas when it comes to home interiors and what makes a house feel homely. Often, this comes down to personal touches and finishing pieces of decor. Unsure of where to start? Here are some top ways you can make your home more welcoming.
Focus On The Entrance
The entrance to your home will be the first thing that your guests see, so if you want to make your home more welcoming and inviting, this is where you should start. Depending on your entranceway, feel free to experiment with decor that is both welcoming and shows your personality. Pops of colour, good lighting and fragrance are all important and will create the right first impressions of you to your guests.
If you have a small entranceway, avoid using dark or bright colours as this will only make the space feel smaller. Instead, choose a bright, neutral colour and add your personal touches to make it more welcoming.
Soft Textures and Textiles
Adding different textures to your home is a great and simple way to make your home more inviting and create a soft and warm welcome for both you and your guests. Adding soft textures creates a sense of cosiness, from fluffy plush carpets to soft, squishy cushions and smooth wooden furniture to sleek kitchen worktops, a mixture of textures and textiles will make your guests feel instantly more comfortable. Texture helps to make a room feel less rigid and instead emits a much more welcoming feeling.
Wake Up Your Walls With Artwork
Bare and empty walls will make your home feel cold and not lived in, so one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your home more welcoming is to add prints around your home. When home decor lacks character and charm, it’s often down to empty walls. Take the different rooms around your home into consideration when choosing wall art prints, as different rooms will have different feels and themes. For example, in the kitchen choose art prints that feature food and drink designs, whereas in the living room, you can choose ones that are more suited to your personality.
If you want to create a gallery photo wall, which is a selection of complimenting prints and artwork in different sizes, but aren’t sure where to start, there are plenty of gallery wall creator tools online to help you choose the right prints. When hanging prints on your walls, you need to ensure that they are properly sized based on the scale of the wall and are not hung too high.
Power Of Fragrance
Over time, we become ‘nose blind’ to the smell of our home, but the first thing that your guests will notice is the smell and fragrance of your home. The power of smell plays a huge role in making your home more welcoming and inviting. Avoid using overly strong smells that could make guests feel uncomfortable and use lightly scented products instead. The smell of your home will differ from room to room.
For example, in the living room, floral scents are often used, whereas, in the kitchen and bathroom, fresh smells are more welcome. There are endless options available when it comes to fragrancing your home, from candles and diffusers to plug-in air fresheners and room sprays, so choose the options that are right for you and your home.
Don’t Forget The Bathroom
Whilst focusing on your main living spaces is a great idea when it comes to creating a welcoming and inviting home, you shouldn’t forget about making the bathroom welcoming, too. No matter if your guests are staying overnight or for a few hours, do a check before they arrive to ensure there is plenty of toilet paper, clean fresh towels, soap and that it smells nice. You will also want to make sure that the bathroom smells fresh and clean and is tidy, as cluttered and unpleasant bathrooms will instantly make you and your guests feel uncomfortable.
Use Natural Elements
Adding natural elements in and around your home will bring your home decor to life and make your home much more inviting and welcoming. Plants are one of the most popular ways to bring the outdoors in and, in the right room, can really transform your space. In the kitchen, evergreen and unscented plants are best as they will add pops of colour to the room, without being too infringing on the senses.
In the bathroom, go for plants that love humid environments, as this will ensure their longevity. Succulents and cacti are popular choices for bedrooms and home offices, as they need little looking after and watering. From tall and leafy plants to fragrant florals, experiment with different plants in and around your home to make it more welcoming.
Other natural elements you could use include wood and wicker decor pieces, especially in the kitchen and more neutral rooms in your home. Long pampas grass makes a bold statement, especially if placed in the entrance of your home or in the living room.
Declutter
Clutter has a huge impact on your mind and mental wellbeing, even without you really noticing it. If you have piles of clutter around your home which doesn’t really have a place, then attack the stacks and sort through it. File away any important pieces of paperwork, throw away rubbish or donate things which are no longer needed and, in the place of the clutter, put a stylish storage box or basket instead.
Clutter will naturally accumulate in places around your home that you frequent the most, so by putting some form of storage in its place, you’ll save future you a job from having to sort through it again. Having clutter on display will distract you and your guests, keeping them from enjoying the time in your home.
