Your front yard is the first impression your property has on visitors. When we approach a front door or entryway for the first time, we want to feel invited and welcome. A well-designed front landscape can serve to draw your guests closer, creating a sense of movement and interest that they will naturally follow.
Here, we offer our landscape designers’ top tips on creating a more memorable entryway with landscaping.
Incorporate Vertical Elements for Visual Interest
Vertical structures like trellises, arbors, or pergolas can add height and dimension to your entryway. They serve as focal points and can support climbing plants, introducing greenery at various levels. The layering effect enhances the visual appeal and guides visitors toward the entrance.
Interlocking Pavers
There are a variety of paving materials you can use for walkways and driveways that lead to your entrance. A careful use of colour keeps them from becoming too overbearing. For example, grey tones of the concrete pavers in the walkway may tie in with any existing concrete porch surfaces by the front door. Beige and brown pavers tend to tie in very nicely with the brick houses.
Incorporate Lighting for Ambiance and Guidance
Visits aren’t reserved for the daytime, are they? Many homeowners host dinner parties and evening soirees so, they’ll want to ensure their entryway is just as inviting at night as it is during the day.
Strategically placed lighting also ensures safety in the dark while adding a warm ambiance to your entryway. Consider installing path lights along walkways, uplights to highlight architectural features, and pendant lights near the doorway. Solar-powered options offer energy efficiency and easier installation.
Go Bold with Boulders and Rocks
The use of large rocks and boulders creates an impact. Using more than one can also add movement down your entrance path. The slightly irregular curve in the line of boulders makes them more dynamic. The ascending height of the boulders mimics the series of steps to the front porch. The eye naturally follows this line. Boulders are an effective way to add interest to almost any landscape. They provide visual contrast to plant materials and symbolize permanence and stability.
Pot Planters for a Finishing Touch
Planters are an elegant final touch for an entry walkway. A staggered placement also provides movement, potentially directing the view toward the door. Lush plants in the planters serve to soften any brick or stone while florals add a pop of colour.
Without the planters, there may be nothing between the hard surface of the walk and the vertical walls of the house. Though they may not seem important, they actually make a significant contribution to the success of your landscape.
Design a Beautiful Entryway with Wright Landscape Services
The entryway for your home should have a focal point and a sense of movement. As the eye is led toward the door, we are drawn closer; we feel invited. A gradual approach and a large, comfortable entry space make us feel welcome. A good designer will understand these concepts while also developing the details of the design, such as planters that make your landscape special and unique.
If you’re ready to take your entryway to the next level, we’d love to help! Contact Wright Landscape Services today to book a consultation. In the meantime, if you’re looking for some inspiration, we’ve got you covered with a free lookbook.
Dreaming of a redesign?
Get inspired and start the planning process thanks to our FREE Inspiration Guide.