In feng shui your front door is known as the “mouth of chi” and it’s where all the energy flows in and out of your space. If you want to create a first impression that leaves people smiling, relaxed and at ease, instead of frustrated, annoyed and stressed, pay attention to your front door!

#1: Make it easy for people to find you

We’ll start by zooming out a bit farther with the art of Wayfinding.

Wayfinding refers to all the things that guide people through a physical environment, enhancing their understanding, and guiding their way.

You can start creating a welcoming environment for people before they even get to your space by ensuring it’s easy for them to find you! Some simple tips:

Ensure street signs are clear leading up to your house. If you know something is confusing, give people visual cues ahead of time to tell them where to go.
House numbers should always be clearly visible from afar and not blocked by anything. Take a walk across the street and see if you can view your house number from a distance at different angles. Can’t? Clear whatever is blocking the view.
Is it clear where to park? If not, tell people ahead of time!
Is the front door facing the same façade as the street and clearly visible? No? Add a meandering pathway you can see from the street. You can mark it with lights, stones, plants, etc.

Seems simple, maybe obvious, right? Of course YOU know how to get to your house, but if you think about finding a place for the first time, you might notice some confusing or unclear parts that your guests would love if you could help them out with ahead of time.

#2: Ensure your door is solid and secure

A solid front door creates the greatest feeling of safety and comfort. A glass door, or one with small glass windows can leave you feeling exposed and vulnerable. Glass windows might provide easy access for a break in if someone could smash a window, reach around and unlock your door.

If you’d like to incorporate windows or glass in your front door, it’s ideal to place them far enough away from the doorknob, and high enough that people couldn’t peer in from the outside.

#3: Make sure your door is in good working order

In feng shui you might hear something like this – if there’s an issue with the front door, you’re blocking opportunities from coming your way.

Makes sense if you think of it like this…

Imagine the lock is hard to turn on your front door, or the screen door on the outside is hard to open. One day you’re on your way out the door for an important interview, you’re stuck fumbling with the door for a few moments, you get in your car frazzled, you miss your turn while you’re driving, end up speeding, getting a ticket, and being late for the interview.

Was it your front door blocking opportunities from entering your life? Maybe. Or perhaps it was your reaction to your environment that then rippled out into the rest of your day.

#4: Your front door should be able to open completely, unobstructed

Think back to the above tip.

If every time you open your door, you’re smacking into clutter or furniture, that’s pretty frustrating. It does nothing to help create a relaxed, peaceful feeling when you come home at the end of the day.

Having a clear, open pathway for you to enter a space allows you to come in feeling relaxed, at ease and able to take in your surroundings.

Take a moment to check your front door. Does anything need adjusting? Know that even small, subtle changes can ripple out to impact your mood, change the course of your day, or shift your whole life.

Does your front door spark JOY or FRUSTRATION?