Breaking the Narrow Walkway Cycle

Picture this: you are back in kindergarten. Your teacher claps their hands and says, “Line up, everyone! Single file!” Dutifully, you and your classmates form an orderly line to head out to recess. They taught us well, didn’t they?

But here is the thing, why does it feel like we are still living by that same rule as adults?

When you visit friends or family, have you noticed how often you end up walking in a single file line up the front walkway? Most paths are only three, three and a half feet wide. It is as if our homes are saying, “one at a time, please.”

That is not exactly the warm welcome we want to give. Narrow front walkways often feel uninviting and out of scale with the home’s design.

Designing for Comfort and Connection

At Rooted In, we believe landscape design is about connection, not just to nature, but to one another. A front walkway should invite people in, not make them fall into formation.

Imagine a walkway wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side, sharing a conversation as they approach the front door. That is not just practical it is emotional design. It makes guests feel like they belong the moment they step out of the car.

Narrow walkway designs are one of my biggest pet peeves. They are a decades-old default that we have simply stopped questioning. It is time to break that pattern and design front entries that feel open, gracious, and full of personality.

Designing Beyond the Box

Thinking differently is what keeps design and life interesting. I love finding creative ways to make each client’s outdoor space truly theirs. That does not just mean unique plants or bold hardscape designs; it means crafting spaces that express who they are, right from the first step toward the door.

I do not want anyone to say, “That looks like one of Patrick’s designs.”
I want them to say, “That feels like me.”

Whether the style leans modern, traditional, or wildscape, walkways are a chance to create rhythm, warmth, and surprise something that quietly says, you’re welcome here.

A New Perspective on “Welcome”

Now that I have ruined narrow walkways for you (you’re welcome!), you will start spotting them everywhere. But more importantly, you will start imagining what is possible.

A wider, well-designed front path changes more than curb appeal it changes how people experience your home. It reframes the entrance as an act of hospitality, an invitation, a moment of pause before stepping inside.

Design is about how spaces make us feel. So, let us make your walkway say,
“Welcome come on in, together.”

Ready to Rethink Your Front Walkway?

If your front entry does not feel as inviting as it could, let’s talk! The team at Rooted In specializes in crafting welcoming, sustainable, and deeply personal landscapes — from walkways to wildscapes.

Cheers!

Patrick Dickinson