September 12, 2025 • 5 mins
The House Whisperer Dean Sharp is back on Wake Up Call for another edition of ‘Waking Up with the House Whisperer!’ Today, Dean talks about how you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's say good morning now to the host of home
right here on KFI. It's a very own Dean sharp
our house whisper morning, Dean.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good morning. Don't touch bats. That's not going to be
a toughie.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
For me, I know, right, I don't think that I would. Well,
I have a story, but that's a whole other thing.
It has to do with my cat who captured a bat.
I brought it into the house.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
See that can be a thing.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, but anyway, we got it out. So speaking of
your house, since that's what you talk about, you know,
you never get a second chance to make a first impression,
and so the introduction to your house is a very
important thing.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It's true, and people always scratching their heads. What do
you mean by introduction spaces? There are in a typical
home at least four or five spaces that we think
about from a design perspective in terms of introductions. They're
kind of transitional spaces. You get your pathway to the
front door from the curb. You've got the foyer entryway
(01:00):
right inside the front door. You've got hallways leading down
from you know, your main spaces to bedrooms. You've got
a stairway if you've got two story house, and you've
got pathways out into the rear yard, all of those.
Their primary job from a design perspective is to get
you ready to make a great introduction to what's about
(01:22):
to happen. And unfortunately, if you don't realize that that's
their job, then you don't hold them to it and
they don't do it well. And that can make a
huge difference in your house. And these are areas that
just need a little bit of attention as opposed to
like a major remodeling, And it's something that warms up
(01:43):
and sets up every other great space in your house
when you get it right.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So that's what I was going to ask you. We
only talk about new homes or what if you already
have a home and you need to kind of make
some modifications to make it more inviting and make great
first impression and make it feel more homey.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, that's the thing, especially if you've got an existing
home and it's time to you know, jujh it up
a bit. The pathway to the front door, for instance.
You know, we're not talking about curb appeal. This is
different than curb appeal. Curb appeal is what the house
looks like when you're you know, standing in the street,
when you first get out of your car, when you
first walk up to the house. But when you take
(02:24):
that first step onto the property on your way to
the front door, the path that you take, okay, that
is the introduction to the house. Now we have an
opportunity to start communicating things subtly to people as they
approach the front door. It is very much an introduction.
So the question is what kind of experience are they happening?
(02:47):
Are you making them, for instance, walk up the driveway. Okay,
probably fifty percent of the houses in southern California are
set up so that you have to walk up the
driveway in order to get to the front door. And
if you're looking to spend a little bit of remodeling
money out in the front yard, I am always always
an advocate of let's separate the entry path from the
(03:10):
drive because the driveway is a utility area. Okay, that's
for the servants, and so I always put it that way.
That's for the servants. Don't make your guests walk up
the driveway as if they're walking into the back of
the house somewhere. Let them have an experience from the
(03:31):
curb all the way to the front door. It changes
the way people feel about the home.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I love that, okay. And then once you walk inside,
when you take those first steps in, what are some
things to consider.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Well, that entryway or what we call the foyer, the
little entryway Number one, Do you have one at all?
If you live in a townhouse or a condo, you
may not have much of one. Smaller older homes don't
have much of one. And we want to do everything
we can just to create one, even if it's just
changing the pattern in the flooring so that there's a
little bit of a pause, so there's a sense that, oh,
(04:06):
this space is different than everything else. People don't really
think about this, but you know, we all enjoy kind
of emotional airlocks when we walk into a home. Nobody
wants to walk straight from the outside to oh, now
I'm in your living room. There is that nice Okay,
I've walked in through the door, but i haven't really
entered the main house yet because I'm in the entryway.
(04:30):
That's very emotionally comfortable. And the entryway has a lot
of things to say, and it can be messed up,
and usually is if you have a low ceiling. You
shouldn't have a hanging fixture in the entryway because it's
kind of hanging down right in your face.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Us.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Just what's that?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I think of the tall people skimming their heads on it.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, so I'm six'. THREE i can reach an eight foot,
ceiling you, know with the tips of my. Fingers and
SO i always tell, owners, listen if you have just
an eight foot ceiling walking in your, entryway don't have
even a ceiling. Mount don't have anything coming down lower
than that. Ceiling that's the place to put a recess
can light to light that. Up don't put a chandelier
hanging down in. There don't make me feel LIKE i
(05:10):
have to walk in your house and start to walk
around something or duck under something in order to make
it the rest of the way. In and it's tips
like that that really are, subtle but change the, game.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
All, Right just a couple of great, tips and you're
going to be talking about all of the rest of.
It AND i love that we don't only have to
deal with new, things but you can take things that
are old and make them just.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
A little bit. Better, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Okay and you can be listening To dean this weekend
six to eight tomorrow morning right here ON, kfi and
then nine to noon On. Sunday the show is Called
home With Dean. Sharp you can follow him At home With.
Dean thank, You.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Dean Thanks amy
Let's say good morning now to the host of home
right here on KFI. It's a very own Dean sharp
our house whisper morning, Dean.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good morning. Don't touch bats. That's not going to be
a toughie.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
For me, I know, right, I don't think that I would. Well,
I have a story, but that's a whole other thing.
It has to do with my cat who captured a bat.
I brought it into the house.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
See that can be a thing.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, but anyway, we got it out. So speaking of
your house, since that's what you talk about, you know,
you never get a second chance to make a first impression,
and so the introduction to your house is a very
important thing.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It's true, and people always scratching their heads. What do
you mean by introduction spaces? There are in a typical
home at least four or five spaces that we think
about from a design perspective in terms of introductions. They're
kind of transitional spaces. You get your pathway to the
front door from the curb. You've got the foyer entryway
(01:00):
right inside the front door. You've got hallways leading down
from you know, your main spaces to bedrooms. You've got
a stairway if you've got two story house, and you've
got pathways out into the rear yard, all of those.
Their primary job from a design perspective is to get
you ready to make a great introduction to what's about
(01:22):
to happen. And unfortunately, if you don't realize that that's
their job, then you don't hold them to it and
they don't do it well. And that can make a
huge difference in your house. And these are areas that
just need a little bit of attention as opposed to
like a major remodeling, And it's something that warms up
(01:43):
and sets up every other great space in your house
when you get it right.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So that's what I was going to ask you. We
only talk about new homes or what if you already
have a home and you need to kind of make
some modifications to make it more inviting and make great
first impression and make it feel more homey.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, that's the thing, especially if you've got an existing
home and it's time to you know, jujh it up
a bit. The pathway to the front door, for instance.
You know, we're not talking about curb appeal. This is
different than curb appeal. Curb appeal is what the house
looks like when you're you know, standing in the street,
when you first get out of your car, when you
first walk up to the house. But when you take
(02:24):
that first step onto the property on your way to
the front door, the path that you take, okay, that
is the introduction to the house. Now we have an
opportunity to start communicating things subtly to people as they
approach the front door. It is very much an introduction.
So the question is what kind of experience are they happening?
(02:47):
Are you making them, for instance, walk up the driveway. Okay,
probably fifty percent of the houses in southern California are
set up so that you have to walk up the
driveway in order to get to the front door. And
if you're looking to spend a little bit of remodeling
money out in the front yard, I am always always
an advocate of let's separate the entry path from the
(03:10):
drive because the driveway is a utility area. Okay, that's
for the servants, and so I always put it that way.
That's for the servants. Don't make your guests walk up
the driveway as if they're walking into the back of
the house somewhere. Let them have an experience from the
(03:31):
curb all the way to the front door. It changes
the way people feel about the home.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I love that, okay. And then once you walk inside,
when you take those first steps in, what are some
things to consider.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Well, that entryway or what we call the foyer, the
little entryway Number one, Do you have one at all?
If you live in a townhouse or a condo, you
may not have much of one. Smaller older homes don't
have much of one. And we want to do everything
we can just to create one, even if it's just
changing the pattern in the flooring so that there's a
little bit of a pause, so there's a sense that, oh,
(04:06):
this space is different than everything else. People don't really
think about this, but you know, we all enjoy kind
of emotional airlocks when we walk into a home. Nobody
wants to walk straight from the outside to oh, now
I'm in your living room. There is that nice Okay,
I've walked in through the door, but i haven't really
entered the main house yet because I'm in the entryway.
(04:30):
That's very emotionally comfortable. And the entryway has a lot
of things to say, and it can be messed up,
and usually is if you have a low ceiling. You
shouldn't have a hanging fixture in the entryway because it's
kind of hanging down right in your face.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Us.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Just what's that?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I think of the tall people skimming their heads on it.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, so I'm six'. THREE i can reach an eight foot,
ceiling you, know with the tips of my. Fingers and
SO i always tell, owners, listen if you have just
an eight foot ceiling walking in your, entryway don't have
even a ceiling. Mount don't have anything coming down lower
than that. Ceiling that's the place to put a recess
can light to light that. Up don't put a chandelier
hanging down in. There don't make me feel LIKE i
(05:10):
have to walk in your house and start to walk
around something or duck under something in order to make
it the rest of the way. In and it's tips
like that that really are, subtle but change the, game.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
All, Right just a couple of great, tips and you're
going to be talking about all of the rest of.
It AND i love that we don't only have to
deal with new, things but you can take things that
are old and make them just.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
A little bit. Better, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Okay and you can be listening To dean this weekend
six to eight tomorrow morning right here ON, kfi and
then nine to noon On. Sunday the show is Called
home With Dean. Sharp you can follow him At home With.
Dean thank, You.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Dean Thanks amy
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