Dear Jon:

I am glad to hear that you wish to express your faith in an outward fashion in terms of how you decorate your house.

In addition to the Holy Water font place by the front and back door, it is typical to have a crucifix above each door in the house and on the wall above each bed.

I have a plastic rosary (so it won't break) hanging on door knob the entrance side of each door in the house.

In addition, having icons, a picture of the Pope, maybe a wall rosary, other artwork decorating walls is traditional.

A prayer altar is also typical in a Catholic home. This can be a small table there a larger Crucifix is placed on the wall with the table covered in white linen with various religious items placed on the table -- such as small statues of patron saints, a bible, candles, etc.

On the outside of the house it is typical to find a crucifix on the front door, a statue of our Blessed Mother in the yard. If you have a bird bath one can find them with angel designs, and similar decorations.

I am not sure why you would be hestitant to have statues. Having Statues of our Blessed Mother, patron saints, and such is a beautiful addition to the home. For statues to be placed outdoors, be sure to get the ones designed for the outdoors. The main problem with statues for the outdoors is that they are rather expensive. Right now at my hermitage I do not have an outdoor statue because of lack of money to buy one, though I do have 18 inch statues of St. Michael, The Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart that were donations and sit upon our prayer altar.

What you do, and how much you do, in decorating your house is purely up to you, of course. My overall advice to people is that they NEED to have some outward expression of their faith so that when people come to their house they KNOW this is a Catholic house, or when passing the house one can see from the street that this is a Catholic house.

This also goes for our person as well. Wearing a pin, a necklace, a ring, etc. that is religious in nature and identifies us as a Catholic is also important.

St. Louis de Montfort wrote about this:

Although what is essential in ... devotion consists in the interior, we must not fail to unite to the inward practice certain external observances. “We must do the one, yet not leave the other undone” (Mt 23:23); because the outward practices, well performed, aid the inward ones; and because they remind man, who is always guided by his senses, of what he has done or ought to do; and also because they are suitable for edifying our neighbor, who sees them; these are things which inward practices cannot do. 

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary