We had a small front porch on our last home, which was a ranch. Just enough room for a small bench. Hanging above was an old wrought iron gate. Between bench and front door, there was a plant. To left of front door, a pot (with dirt covered in moss) with a wire topiary form on top. Stayed year round and at Christmas I put white lights on it. Across from bench (parallel) was a concrete planter. I kept shade/green plants in it. You walked between bench and planter to front door. Hanging plant or fern above that. Next to bench (edge of porch) I made a water feature (bubble fountain) from a metal planter. Had a tall water plant in it. I was able to keep it running year round, for the most part. Steps were wide, so I was able to put a pot of annuals on each step and still have plenty of room for visitors.

Have you priced doors yet? We've been pricing them for the past two years since we desperately need ours replaced. More glass = more expense. If expense isn't an issue, my point is moot. Also, if you are doing doubles versus the single with sidelites, you will be talking a custom size which may cost even more. On top of that, unless you go with a very well made door, the glass may not be warrantied for as long and the insulating levels will be less. In shopping for doors, Provia has an excellent warranty on their door AND glass, most others like Therma-Tru have very limited warranties on their glass; it's a read the fine print type of thing. The downside is Provia is a higher priced than Therma-Tru and only sold through dealers who install the doors themselves. I live in a center hall colonial in New England, I don't think double doors fit my house style or my neighborhood. I've lived in homes with them in the past and when they are full sized, double doors, they are indeed quite nice to have. Do you have a standard 36" door with 12" sidelites? Your double doors would be two 30" doors. Privacy would be a concern unless you covered the windows or opted for designer glass. With the expense, be sure you truly want what you think you want, consider all the changes, before going that route.

Below is a link to my blog where I posted about this. I completely changed my game plan this year. No stringer lights on house gutters & shrubs this year. Not dealing with it. Just simple wreaths on the windows. Most important: I got a new front door this year, so I have a nice new focal point to work with...and not that old bright white, boring, metal utility door which did nothing for the house. You can now see the front door and visitors have a visible entry point to the house. Soooo.... I LOOOOVE the vintage sled I got this year...and I plan to continue using it in the future. Another thing...the shrubs in the front will get yanked next spring, so I wanted to work with base Xmas decor which doesn't include the shrubs. I have some tweaking ideas for future years: I think a few spartan silver balls added to the little lit trees might add more interest. I think maybe to add a simple swag/garland/something to the upper door header, but nothing distracting from what's going on below. I didn't want to do anything on the door this year. It's too new to me to even want to touch it or try anything...however, I don't really think the door needs anything on it...even a wreath. I'm still thinking that through for future. Anyway, this is my base foundation I'll keep using, and tweak over the years as I get ideas. Gayle Here is a link that might be useful: Gayle's Blog-the xmas door post

Hi there! My name is Katie and I am a full time artist creating art that can be customized to fit any theme or decor. I have created pieces that are custom sizes, colors, and can even include favorite quotes or personal photos! I am attaching a photo of a piece that I created for a couple from Canada. The piece includes text from their wedding invitations as well as photos of their favorite vacationing spot. Here is also a link to my artist site. Good luck with your project and please let me know should you have any questions about my work.