6 Decor Mistakes That Always Make the Front of Your Home Look Tacky

The front of your house is the first part anyone else sees, so it can make quite a first impression. However, what you don’t want is for people to judge the home negatively based on a few decor missteps that are completely fixable on your end.

“When you go to a home, generally, there’s a delay between you ringing the bell or calling the person, and them coming to the door,” says Pamela O’Brien, the principal designer of Pamela Hope Designs. ”

The exterior entry and the exterior portion of the home are the most important part, because people have that couple of seconds, or even sometimes a few minutes, where they start to look around.” 

So, what are some decor mistakes that always make the front of your home look tacky? We talked to O’Brien and other interior design experts about which main entrance and home exterior flubs homeowners should avoid.

Too Many Lawn Ornaments & Figurines

All of the interior design experts advise against decorating your home’s exterior with figurines and lawn ornaments shaped like woodland creatures, gnomes, or signs with inspirational sayings.

“You can see how these can dilute the sophistication of a home,” says Isfira Jensen, the CEO and principal designer of Jensen & Co. “You want the exterior of your home to be more inviting, clean and crisp, sophisticated or even more welcoming. These elements don’t typically lend themselves to that.”

O’Brien suggests moving the ornamental figures from the front of the house to the backyard, where they can be placed on outdoor tables, the patio, or into a flower bed.

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Outdated Holiday Decorations

Once Christmas, Halloween, or Easter is done, experts recommend taking those decorations down right away. Keeping them up past the holiday can make your home’s exterior look tacky.

“The solution, obviously, is just take them down or maybe add some type of bistro light that’s more appropriate for year-round lighting and doesn’t look holiday-directed,” says Jennifer Beget, the owner and principal designer of J Beget Designs.

Mismatched Exterior Fixtures

Jensen suggests looking out for door handles and knobs that aren’t the same type of metal or outdoor light fixtures that don’t match. The same goes for exterior house elements like siding and the roof.

“It looks like not much consideration was put into making sure that everything matches, and then that’s where it starts to look a bit outdated,” she says. “The rest of the house can look absolutely spectacular, but these eyesores will definitely stand out.”

Discolored or Dying Plants

A small garden can be great for the front of your house, but not if the plants are yellowing or wilting.

“Plants are really only pleasing when they are healthy and happy,” O’Brien says. “Take care of the plants and make sure you pick a plant that’s going to do well in the climate it will find itself in for your front entry area.”

Even if you use artificial flowers in the garden, Beget warns that their colors can start to fade and they can start to fall apart if they aren’t UV protected.

Overly Ornate Front Door

The front door can tell you a lot about someone’s home, but Jensen recommends going with a simpler design than something with complex glasswork, multiple colors, or metal inserts.

“They just potentially don’t even work with the style of the house,” she says, “Or they are so incredibly ornate that they stick out from the features, and they just make the entire facade of the space look tacky, and cheap looking.”

She suggests installing solid colored doors that are more toned down with glass features that don’t go overboard.

Poorly Maintained Front Porch or Entryway

No matter what you have by your front door, if it’s covered in dust and cobwebs, it doesn’t make a good first impression. The same goes for a faded or filthy door mat or a dirty front door that’s showing wear and tear or peeling paint.

“It does occasionally need to be swept and power-washed, or at least scrubbed down,” O’Brien says. “I think these are things that most of us just don’t think about doing very often, but they really make your home look a lot less polished.”