The year we left behind has changed us in many ways. According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the most exciting changes has happened in and around our homes.
After decades of seeking our privacy, we started yearning for connection with others. Consequently, we started opening up our front yards and making them a hub for reaching out to the community.
While 2020 was in no way a great year, if you agree that this was a change for the better, read on to learn about different ways to make your front yard more social and neighborly.
Add appropriate furniture
No matter your front yard size, adding some nice furniture should be your first step towards creating a more friendly surrounding. Use something natural that will complement your front yard look, such as natural stone furniture or furniture made of wood.
Even if you do not have a front porch, a seating area in the front garden, perhaps nestled amongst mature trees, can be a welcoming spot in which to hang out with family or neighbors.
Keep some open space
Having an open space is excellent if you like your neighbors and create some old-fashioned street spirit. Sitting in your front yard in view of the street, chatting to people as they walk past, is a fantastic way to get to know people.
An opening in any fencing coupled with a literal pathway to your door will send out the message that all are welcome and encourage more visitors. Once you make the initial move, other neighbors might follow your example.
Do not forget privacy
If you want to have a private space in your yard, consider a courtyard. It is an outdoor space surrounded by high walls, creating a sense of enclosure and privacy. It is like a surprise area for someone you invited over for coffee, tea, or dinner. This might work for you if you have a small front yard space, but you still want to entertain a couple of people.
Another alternative is to add some fencing or walls. Or, block the world from view with some plants and trees. It depends on how private you want things to be. But, be careful with this option.
Try some soft plantings near the street or sidewalk, and aim to have the overall height of these beds hover around the waist or the chest. Anything taller, except for an occasional small tree, will be too overpowering and send the message to keep out.
Light the way
As the evenings turn the skies dark, there is no better way to let others know that you are welcoming visitors than to have exterior lights on, literally illuminating your yard and automatically creating a cozy, inviting, and friendly atmosphere.
Good lighting also adds to the safety and attractiveness of a front garden. It is also a proven deterrent to crime. Use lighting to highlight unique elements like your front door, favorite decor, or the unique shape of a tree or plant.
When lighting the front walk, take care to eliminate pools of light and darkness, which can be a hazard, particularly for elderly visitors. The goal is to have the walk evenly illuminated.
Whatever you choose, don’t be afraid to experiment. That means an asymmetrical layout, fixtures placed at variable heights, even different fixtures altogether from one location to the next. There are plenty of varieties to choose from: spotlights, sconces, lanterns, string lights, in-ground lighting, post lights, and hanging lamps, and more.
Plants are important
Greenery is very important when it comes to your home’s curb appeal, and even more so when you are trying to make your front yard more social.
If the area between the street and your front porch is relatively spacious, you want to utilize this as much as possible. For starters, you should mow the lawn and maybe even invest in artificial turf if necessary. Thanks to low-maintenance plants and shrubs, your front yard can look beautiful throughout the year without too much effort on your part.
Finally, you can add a personal touch to this makeover with a new house number and mailbox. Small things like these can make an enormous difference.
Create several gathering areas
You may already have a porch, deck, or covered patio, but that doesn't mean you need to stop there. If you have the room, create a secondary area for gathering by adding a simple gravel patio with complementary furnishings. Make this secondary area smaller, so the two regions don't compete for attention. Make sure to coordinate your materials for a unified look.
Set up the seating in a way that encourages communication. The more comfortable people are, the more likely they are to linger. And when they can face one another, they will be more likely to enter into conversation.