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Ask Jennifer Adams: When guests are confused which is the front door

Do your guests have a hard time figuring out which is your front door? Here are Jennifer’s tips to minimize side doors and maximize your front door.

When you have multiple doors to your home, make the front door obvious with plants and a pathway leading to the entryway.
When you have multiple doors to your home, make the front door obvious with plants and a pathway leading to the entryway.Read moreTNS

Q: I enjoyed the blog post about creating an entryway when you don’t have one, which got me thinking about my grandparents’ mountain cabin -- used by family members and also periodically rented out. I help with the management. The problem: Guests complain they can’t find the front door! To get inside, there is a stairway that begins near the garage door and lands at a large, covered porch. There are three sets of doors to that same porch. Another set of stairs on the other side of the house leads to a smaller porch off the master bedroom, but because that porch is angled more to the road, people think that is the main door. How can we make the real front door special enough so people know where to go?

A: Creating a welcoming entryway for any house starts at the street when you arrive. Some people make their main entry whatever is closer to their driveway or garage, even though this might lead everyone through the laundry room or straight into a kitchen. Others would rather guests use the front door.

For your cabin, consider ways to make the true front door more prominent, and the side door more private. If moving that second set of stairs isn’t an option, hide them with a row of tall plants, a tree, or a fence that screens it from the driveway.

At the same time, reinforce or create a walkway to the stairs guests are supposed to use with a wide path that gets narrower at the stair to “funnel” your guests in the right direction. Consider using different pavers or material than the driveway. Edge this path with large rocks, a low fence, or small shrubs, or use a combination of all three. A wide, open gate, trellis, or charming lamppost at the start of this path will reassure your guests even during daylight hours. On the porch near the door, use a screen, a panel, or tall (5 to 6 feet tall!) potted trees or shrubs to partially block the rest of the doors from view. A bench placed perpendicular to the house on the far side of the door will also help separate the entry from the rest of the porch. And don’t forget a big doormat.

Lastly, add holiday lighting along the stair rail and on the screen next to the front door. Choose strings with larger bulbs at the entry and stair than you might for the rest of the porch, to further emphasize the entry. Good luck and let me know how this goes!

Have a design dilemma? Jennifer Adams is an award-winning designer, TV personality and author of the book “Love Coming Home: Transform Your Environment. Transform Your Life.” Send your questions to AskJennifer@JenniferAdams.com or for more design ideas, visit Jennifer’s blog on her website at www.jenniferadams.com.