How Do You Create a Welcoming Environment
First impressions and early experiences influence us more than we realise. These first impressions set the expectations and it’s difficult or even impossible to overcome them. That’s because we tend to reinforce our earlier beliefs and continue to look for evidence that will support what we saw or felt (in psychology, this is called confirmation bias).
Creating a favourable first impression and the right atmosphere
That’s why it’s essential to “set the right mood” early on instead of trying to change people’s minds after they’ve already set their expectations. This applies to meeting new people or letting guests come into your home or workplace.
For instance, a welcoming environment can set the right mood and expectations about your home. This kind of environment and feel can also create a favourable impression about you as the host or homeowner. As a result, guests can feel more at ease while staying in your home especially during gatherings.
But first, how do you create a welcoming environment and make other people feel at ease? One way is to make the entry easy and intuitive. In other words, guests should find it smooth and easy to come inside your home. This can mean that the path should be straightforward and with no obstacles. This can also mean that the path should be well lit and it’s easy to find and get into the front door.
Another way to create a welcoming environment and set the right expectations is by making the entrance impressive or appropriate. This can mean that the door should be of high quality (sturdy material and properly installed). If there are flaws on the door’s surfaces or the door seems to be too difficult to open and close, instantly this creates an unfavourable impression. But if the door seems perfect or it just faded into the background, your guests can better focus on the other parts of your home and they can just go straight to the living room or the dinner table.
“Getting it right the first time (or early on)” can make a huge impact on creating the right expectations and setting the perfect mood for the day or night. That’s why it’s important to study how guests and other people will enter your premises. If the entrance is smooth, easy and predictable, their experience in your home will tend to follow.