An elegant foyer introduces your home's personality and welcomes your guests.
Ask any designer, and they'll tell you the same thing: Stepping into your home should be an experience.
If you're not excited or inspired when you walk through the door, then it's time to shake things up a little.
When you start thinking of your entryway as a personal space (and not just a place to drop your stuff) you can start to see how visitors feel when they walk through your front door. Focus on comfort and style to make sure your entryway really makes a statement.
With a few ideas and planning, you can make a stylish entrance.
Cut the clutter.
If you're like most homeowners, your entryway can get a little cluttered.
As the landing place for kids, guests and even pets, it's all too easy to let piles stack up.
The best design tip for your entry is to make sure that everything has a place. Be realistic when planning out your foyer: if you tend to drop your mail when you walk in the door, make sure it has a place to go.
In a perfect world, your kids would hang their backpacks in their room, but a couple of hooks in the entry can keep them off of the floor.
Even a place to stash shoes out of the way means you're not tripping over boots and thongs–and a shoe bin doesn't need to be perfectly organized.
Think about how you and your family use the entryway and get organized.
A bench makes a comfortable place to take off shoes.
One thing that most entryways tend to miss is a place to sit.
Naturally, you're not going to invite people to pull up a chair in your front foyer. Still, a place to sit gives a convenient place to slip on shoes or sort through the mail when coming and going.
What's more, a bench can double as a clever storage solution for shoes and jackets to help cut down on clutter. Look for a bench with shelving or one that hinges open to make your entryway comfortable and convenient.
Use wall space to set the tone for your house.
Your entryway is the perfect place to define your style. While it might be a tighter area, you can capitalize on wall and ceiling space to bring in some extra style.
A statement chandelier, for example, can give guests an idea of your home's style.
Grouping of picture frames can add some interest to the walls.
Your entryway walls are the perfect place to display shadow boxes, mementos, and souvenirs so visitors get an idea of what's important to you.
Use a rug to define the space.
A selection of luxury rugs to take your entryway design project to another level, with an aesthetic ranging from abstract, organic, and bold design.
It will inject colour and charisma into any division. Statement rugs have the power to create a new silhouette in your home.
If you live in an open concept home, a front entryway can be tricky.
Without a clear definition between the foyer area and the rest of the home, you could be left scratching your head.
Defining the space with colour and furniture lets visitors know where the entry ends and the home begins.
Stage your entry with furniture so there's a clear delineation between it and the rest of your home.
A well-placed bookcase or table gives a place to set keys or a bench and a locker set shows guests where to stash their stuff.
If your entryway is too small for furniture then utilize a bold colour or even wallpaper to bring attention to the foyer without clutter.
Use mirrors to open up a tight space.
Entryways are notoriously tight in some homes and others can suffer from a lack of light.
Bounce some brightness into the entry by utilizing mirrors to reflect light. This works especially well if your front door features windows.
By angling a mirror directly across the source of light, you can essentially double down on whatever natural brightness you have to make your entry feel larger and airier.
Give visitors a place to stash their stuff.
Remember that your entryway should serve as a way to welcome guests into your home.
Make sure that it gives the right impression and helps your guests always feel comfortable.
Offer a defined place to put things so that guests aren't left holding coats and shoes.
Diffusing essential oils or lighting a candle ensures your home smells as great as it looks. Keeping necessities like phone chargers, ice scrapers, and umbrellas at the ready means you always have what visitors need on hand.
Hallways can often feel narrow and dark so bring in areas of a pale colour that will reflect the available light – this could be in stripes or a series of checks or squares.
Try using metallic paint as a paint effect over a matt emulsion to add shine and reflection and bring a space to life.
Tones of white will obviously be a suitable colour for a bright hallway and can look super stylish – especially if you think about painting woodwork something like a pale grey to give definition.
Illuminate your entranceway with the right lighting scheme
A hallway should always feel warm and inviting so choosing the proper hallway lighting ideas is key.
Whether you're opting for a number of lighting sources, you should always consider a statement ceiling light.
A statement light in an entranceway creates a focal point and for those with smaller spaces, it helps to lead the eyes up making the room feel larger.
Pendant lights create a sense of coziness, especially when hung low but also act as a statement piece.
Wall lights are also another great lighting option. Not only do they light up larger areas such as hallways or staircases but can highlight interesting features in the space such as art or family photographs.
If you decide to choose more of a sculptural wall light, this too can act as a piece of art in the home.
Make a statement in your hallway with eye-catching designs that will withstand heavy footfall, whilst adding instant impact and interest to your space.
Whether you opt for a staircase runner idea or a runner in the corridor, it will instantly create the illusion of an elongated space.
Runners made from 100% Sisal are practical flooring solutions as they are hard-wearing and stain-resistant; making them perfectly suited to entranceways and stairs.
Runners can be fitted on the stairs either as a standard carpet, attached with stair rods, or used as stand-alone hall runners
A playful runner can provide an attractive focal point in the home and is an ideal way to experiment with patterns on a smaller scale without dominating the area.
The hallway is often the first thing seen when entering a home, so it is important that your choice of flooring reflects your personal style and taste.
The organization is key in a hallway to keep it tidy and welcoming.
Depending on the size and shape of your entryway will very much determine what you put in there. Utilize clever hallway storage ideas to max out your space.
If you have a narrow entryway, choose a slim storage unit with tilting drawers so you can store all of your shoes inside!
Alternatively, choose a slim bench with storage inside. These are handy to store shoes and winter coats in the summer.
When it comes to key storage, there is a wide range of key hooks that you can easily grab before going out. Not only this, but they are great if you often lose your keys!
Having somewhere to have a “key station” means you will always be able to find your keys in a rush.
Most entryway tables are designed to be placed flat against the wall since most entryways are not large enough for a console table to be placed in the centre of the foyer. This is one of the reasons most console tables you'll find are square or rectangular.
An entryway table should be placed directly across from your front entry if possible, as this will create a symmetrical look even if you choose an asymmetrical arrangement for the table itself. However, entryway tables are also a good fit for stair alcoves if your stairs are connected to the front foyer.
Choosing your console table from a furniture store? You'll need to think some things through before you settle on the one you want. Take these steps before you decide which entryway table to choose for your layout:
Measure the space. You'll need to know exactly how much room you have in your entryway to choose a table that's appropriate for the space. You don't want to buy a table and get it home only to find that it's too bulky to comfortably fit in your entryway.
Check your style. If you have a coastal interior, you'll want a very different-looking console than someone who has a farmhouse or modern interior. See what kind of furniture is paired with the consoles in the store to get an idea of how it would look with other pieces.
Choose a function. While a console table can be purely decorative, you can also find console tables that incorporate storage for books or even a small wine rack. Knowing how you want the table to work in your home can help you pick one that fits your needs.
At the end of the day, the entryway table you choose should be the one you love best as long as it fits in the space.
Since there isn't a lot of furniture in a foyer, you're free to make your entryway table the focal point of the room.
Maximize natural light with white walls, a large mirror design, and furniture that (almost) blends into the rest of the scheme if you like the idea of a spacious, minimalist-inspired hallway design.
If natural light is limited, it's important that you invest in quality hallway lighting that illuminates your space and makes it easier to navigate on dark mornings — anything to make it easier to get up in the morning.
Hallways have a tendency to be dark spaces so consider how you can incorporate as much natural light as possible into your space while designing it.
Glass panels on the top half welcome natural light inside the house even when the door is closed.
If you're redoing the entryway, consider flanking your front doors with glass panels to flood the entire space with natural light.
Other Reading
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/best-entrance-halls-slideshow
thehttps://www.thespruce.com/entryway-ideas-4171872
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