How to design a Rural Entrance

The trick to styling your house in a rural way is to achieve harmony. If you have steps at the front of your house, then the proportions and detailing should sit harmoniously with your house. This harmony relies upon the succesful combination of house and garden, blending into woodland for example.

An old tree stump can give a really great rustic feel to the house, though a young, fresh pine tree can also provide a wonderful focal point. If you have steps, setting them at wide intervals creates a relaxed appoach to the house entrance.

Low masses of shrubby Pinus mugo are a must, as they link with the woodland theme a rural home usually has. To add colour, include 'wild' plant forms such as the foxglove and the spectacular giant cow-parsley.

A strong design can be established through dramatically grouping boulders, the rounded forms contrasting with the neat lines of the rest of the house and entrance design.

Alfresia is a supplier of garden furniture.