How to Decorate Your Entryway

Make a First Impression

Whether you have a large foyer or a small entryway, the area just inside the front door sets the scene for the rest of your home. No matter its size, your entry should look as good and be as comfortable as every other room in your house. If your entry or foyer doesn’t feel inviting, consider it an opportunity to do a little redecorating to turn it into a space you’ll love coming home to every day.

Set the scene for the rest of your home with decorative statement pieces in your entryway.

Start from the Ground Up

To make your entry look and work better, begin at ground level. Often the floor is overlooked when decorating a room, but it can make or break the overall look. If you have a hardwood or tile floor, an area rug can define the entry and give it a finished feel. If your entry is carpeted, you can still layer an area rug over the wall-to-wall carpeting. A rug will add texture, pattern, and color to your entry. Flat-weaves, sisals, or seagrass are good materials for rugs that will wear well in high-traffic areas and look stylish enough for a great first impression.

Add an area rug to give your entryway a finished feel.

Add a Place to Sit

A bench, a pair of accent chairs, or garden stools offer you a comfy place to take off your shoes, go through the mail, and take a quick breather after a long day at work. Upholstered pieces, throw pillows, and throws bring in more texture, color, and warmth to create a cozy feel. Since most seating used in a foyer is smaller in size, you can also easily move a bench or chair into a main living space should you need extra seating when entertaining guests.

Accent chairs, throws, and other upholstered pieces bring in texture, color, and warmth to create a cozy feel.

Leave Room for Functional Storage

Need a place to store items, but your entry lacks a closet? No problem! A hall tree provides a place to hang coats, scarfs, and hats, stash boots and shoes, and drop off gear such as umbrellas, handbags, and backpacks. If you have a nearby coat closet, a cabinet or chest will give you additional storage (and who doesn’t need that?) while making your entry look less cluttered, more finished and polished.

A cabinet or chest will give you additional storage while making your entry look more finished and polished.

Add a Table for Essentials

A console table or accent table not only provides the perfect place for a small, stylish display, it helps create a welcoming focal point. A console table can set the scene and opens up your decorating possibilities. You can flank it with matching chairs on either side and add lamps or wall sconces to impart a warm glow in the evening.

The table will be the backdrop for decorative and functional accessories that can be placed on its top, on the floor beside it, or on a gallery shelf if one is part of the table’s design. Plus, if the console or accent table has one or more drawers, it offers additional storage space for small, necessary items such as keys or your phone, keeping them within easy access when you leave or come home.

A console table or accent table is the perfect place for a small stylish display and helps to create a welcoming focal point.

Reflect on Your Space

Hanging a mirror in a foyer or entry is as practical as it is stylish. Most of us will take a last look at ourselves before we head out the door to make sure we’re looking our best. Likewise, arriving guests do the same to check that their appearance has not been mussed from wind and weather. The addition of a wall or floor-length mirror makes good sense in these cases.

Not only to protect our vanity, a mirror will help visually enlarge smaller spaces, bounce more light around a room to brighten dark corners and narrow halls, and add an attractive decorative element. Because they open up a space and reflect light, they can make a world of difference in the look and feel of a small entry.

Hanging a mirror in a foyer or entry is as practical as it is stylish.

Deck the Walls

Think of the walls in your entry as a blank canvas to dress up with wall décor and artwork. The style possibilities are endless. Here’s the place to let your personality show. Even the smallest items can have the biggest impact. Let the items you display give guests a sense of your individual personality from the moment they enter your home.

Vintage pieces found at a flea market or heirlooms passed down through generations of your family, meaningful art, mementos from your travels, and other eye-catching treasures can easily be displayed. These decorative pieces don’t need to take up much room to still make your entryway feel personal.

Let your personality show by hanging décor and artwork on your entryway walls.

Lighten Up the Space

Many foyers and entryways will have an overhead lighting fixture. Usually foyer and entry lighting is a pendant or chandelier, but can also be a semi-flush or flush mount ceiling light if the space is small or the ceiling is low in height. If the space is larger, you might want to add another light source such as a table lamp or wall sconces. These will provide a soft light that can be turned on when you come in from outdoors without overwhelming your eyes with too much light. The softer lighting also creates a warm, welcoming ambiance for incoming guests.

Chandeliers and wall sconces provide a soft light which creates a warm, welcoming ambiance.

More Tips to Decorate Your Entry

Here are some other things to consider adding when decorating your entry. A door mat let you and your guests wipe their feet to prevent water and dirt from getting tracked into the house. If you prefer people to remove their shoes, a mat will help define the area to place them.

An umbrella stand or wall rack provides a place to hang umbrellas, hats, and scarfs when coming in from cold or inclement weather. Hooks and racks also make a great place to hang keys and purses. You can also place a tray or bowl on a table to provide a convenient and decorative spot to place keys, loose change, eye glasses, and phones so you know where they are before you leave the house.

A vase of flowers makes a wonderful way to add color, a touch of nature, and a welcoming aroma. Whether on a table or in a larger floor vase, a beautiful floral arrangement is a lovely thing to see when you first step in the front door.

When you put as much thought into decorating your foyer as you would in any other area of your house, you will set the scene for the style and mood of your home.