Are you familiar with the term ‘amuse-bouche’?
Normally experienced in a restaurant setting, an amuse-bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre – complements of the chef .
Its purpose is to tickle your taste buds and whet your appetite for what’s to come.
If you think about it, the entryway to your home is a kind of amuse-bouche, although you aren’t likely to see it described in that manner in any publications on interior design.
Why do I say this?
Let’s explore the purpose of the Entry, and you will see what I mean. The Entryway is:
- A place to enter the home
- A place to receive visitors
Here’s what else the Entry is meant to do:
- Say something about the people who live there, by suggesting their interests and personalities
- Be warm and inviting, so visitors feel welcomed.
- Offer a hint of ‘what’s to come’
Do you see the connection?
In my own home, the Entry is pleasant enough, although fairly typical in size and furnishings – with a low ceiling, a small table, a mirror and a closet for hanging coats.
Yet one is immediately aware of an immense space around the corner, and the furnishings in the next room that definitely say something about me and my family.
Now, if you’re like me and your home has an attached garage, it’s a whole different story.
Chances are that the entryway you really use is the one that leads directly from the garage into your house.
Have you ever given that second entry much thought?
I know I haven’t.
Speaking for myself, when I enter my home through the garage it’s an entirely different experience. One enters into a stairwell, surrounded on three sides by walls.
Is it attractive?
No.
Is it inviting?
Not really.
Would I want guests to use this entrance?
No – they’d see all the junk in the garage.
That said, the second entry into your home might need some extra love and attention. The easiest suggestion that comes to mind is paint.
At least, that’s my plan for now.
The very thought of entering my house, via the garage, and seeing a welcoming splash of color on the wall directly ahead – puts a smile on my face.
What would induce a similar smile for you?
What can you do to spruce up your entryway – and arrive at that ‘amuse-bouche’ no matter which entrance you might use?
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