Inner City Terrace Garden Design – The front Door Statement
Ever noticed a classy front door to a house regardless of the architecture? I love nothing better than a feature front door that beckons me to come in.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for all of us the appeal of a house from the street is dependent on its architecture, size, color, garden and yes even the front door. All the elements should work in harmony, but often it is the front door that offers the most economically creative opportunity.
A creative front door need not, and should not be a gregariously loud announcement about who lives here. It should foster a welcoming relationship between the house, its occupiers and all who visit it.
Large or Small Inner City Terrace Garden?
A small inner city terrace garden may be tight for room, such that in those circumstances all the design elements of that garden space should complement each other. Designers cannot get it wrong, all elements are visible and one oversight will be there for all to criticize. In many ways, designing a very small space requires more time and effort than a larger garden.
With small inner city terraces the scale of the building is always larger than the garden and so it is the building that is the dominant feature. A good landscape designer and stylist will recognize that a well designed garden should balance the house, but not overtake it.
Give that privilege to the front door. It is after all the point of entry, the first element of the house that we engage with, so why make the experience a pleasant one.
Whilst the style of the door should resonate with the architecture of building, I believe it is the color of the door that provides the unique characteristic of a complimentary edge to the building, whilst shouting out “welcome”.
As a landscape designer and garden stylist, my initial motivation has often been to focus on the garden space available, and then the penny drops, ….use the door.
