The first glimpse of your home, your style, your interior aesthetic, is your entryway. While usually a small space compared to the rest of the house, neglecting the design element of your entryway will set a poor tone for the rest of your home. Your entryway should give off warmth and welcome!
Regardless of your floor plan, here are some ways to help elevate your entryway.
Designate Your Space
Entryways are rarely a room unto themselves, particularly with the growing trend of open floor plans. You need to designate where your entryway ends and your living spaces begin. An easy way to set this space apart is with a rug! Go towards a soft, patterned rug with some color – this is where the dirt from outdoors comes indoors, and the color and pattern will keep the dirt hidden until laundry day. Many rugs on the market now are also stain-resistant and fade-resistant – perfect for high-traffic areas! Not only will the rug establish an aesthetic boundary, but it also brings some style and color to the space.
Get Some Furniture
Even the narrow entryway hallways have enough space for a small set of shelves or a half-table. Furniture in your entryway serves two purposes. Firstly, they make the space feel like a room rather than an afterthought, giving a design element to the space. Secondly, they multiply your organizational options! Entryways are dumping grounds all too often, for keys, mail, bags, and shoes. But with furniture, you now can allocate a basket for mail, a bin for cold weather outerwear, a little pot for sunglasses and earpods. Add a lamp for functionality, some books or beloved knickknacks, and you have instantly created both style and substance in your entryway!
Corral Those Shoes
The biggest culprit of entryway clutter are shoes. Raise your hand if you have a small pile of shoes somewhere in your entryway right now! There are many ways to approach shoe organization, but one of the easiest is a shoe storage bench. These come in many different styles to fit both your aesthetic and your organizational methods. Some have a hinged seat that opens into a large space for shoes. Others have ample space for baskets and bins. Not only will your shoes have a space, but you will have a space as well – to sit and put on your shoes, organize your belongings, and get your outerwear on.
Upgrade The Lighting
Light brings warmth. Particularly in narrow entryways, adding a lamp atop that shelf or table will be a nod towards functional elegance and warm welcomes. Remember, this is the first space in the house you see upon entering, so don’t settle for the first lamp you can find! Choose a lamp that is fully your style. Another way to bring more light into your entryway is by hanging a wall mirror, of whatever size your space allows. The mirror will reflect light, lending space and light to your entryway. But more than that, it also lets you take one last once-over before you head out the door.
Fresh Flowers
While we’re talking about what to put on your entryway furniture, consider flowers! Whether fresh or well-done imitation, flowers are a quick and easy way to perk up a space without taking up space. If you go fresh, you’ll have the added benefit of a lovely scent every time you walk in the door. Choose flowers with a light scent – we want the scent to be welcoming, not overpowering! Hyacinths, liles, gardenia, and jasmine have nice light scents that are pleasant to most. From your backyard, clip peonies, roses, and lilacs to help your entryway truly be the bridge from the outside to the inside.
Make A Statement
Sure, your entryway walls should have a key hook and coat rack somewhere accessible, but they also should make a statement. For small spaces like entryways, wallpaper shines. These short stretches of wall are the perfect places for removable, self-adhesive wallpaper. With a significantly lower learning curve than traditional wallpaper, you can order and install your statement wall in a flash. If a colorful pattern overwhelms your space, consider a textured wallpaper all of the same color.
