The foyer or entryway of a home is like the first chapter of a book. It can make a great impression and leave you asking for more. Or it can be dull and boring and want you to stop your journey right there.
This first impression isn’t just for the benefit of your guests. It’s for yourself first.
You step into your home after a long day at work. You struggle to remove your shoes with bags in one hand and the car key in the other, and no proper place to keep any of it.
OR
You step into your home after a long day at work. You put your bags down on the console, car keys in the drawer and then sit down on the stool to remove your shoes. As you take a look around and see all the things you love, it brings a smile to your face instantly.
How To Make A Fabulous Entryway
The thing is, it isn’t difficult to make that great first impression at all. For any space to be fabulous, it needs to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
So here are all the things we’ll need to make a spectacular entryway of our own.
(1) A Place To Keep Things
Whether on your way in, or your way out, you need at least a little place to be able to keep your bag, keys, files, jacket etc in your entryway. Depending on how much space your foyer has, this can be as small as a little shelf.
Notice how the hook below the shelf takes care of the bags here?
A single shelf works in a large space too, if you prefer to keep your entryway light.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
A small table will work just as well.
Drawers are always useful to keep keys, access cards etc, which can be picked up and dropped in the foyer itself on your way in and out of your home.
Make sure the size of your console is proportional to the size of your foyer. A tiny table in a large space will look lost, while a large console in a small foyer would make it look crowded.
If you keep your shoes at the entrance of your home, use a chest of drawers or a side board to double up as a console and shoe storage.
(2) A Place To Sit
A place to sit is the next essential to include when you design your foyer. It doesn’t have to be plush, comfortable seating, as you would plan in your living room. The idea here, is not to sit and chat for hours, but to be able to sit for a couple of minutes if need be.
Even a small stool is enough to be able to put on your shoes, or sit and wait a while.
Depending on the space available, you could plan to use a single chair.
Pushing pouffes under your console is a great space saver.
A bench works really well when you have enough width, but not too much depth to fit in a chair.
A heavier, more ornate bench could be just the show stopper you are looking for in your entryway.
Or you could use a bench like the one below, which takes care of the table, drawer and seating, all at once.
If you do have a larger space, flanking each side of your console with a chair puts all your furniture on one wall of your entryway, making it the focal point.
Space permitting, you could use comfortable lounge chairs in your foyer too, and have it look like an extension of your living room.
(3) Add A Mirror
Another extremely useful item to have in your foyer is a mirror. Being able to take one last look at yourself before you step out of your home is a great convenience.
There are a dozen ways in which you can place a mirror, the most obvious being above your console.
You can play around with the size, shape and frame of your mirror to go with the look of your space.
Remember, a large mirror helps to make a small space look larger.
I love the way this shelf has been built across the mirror, adding a sense of height to this room.
In this case, the long mirror goes beyond the console and runs behind it.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
If, for some reason, above the console doesn’t work for you, you can just as easily put the mirror above your seating.
It will look just as nice, and be just as useful placed here too.
Just as in the case of the bench, you could pick an exquisite mirror, and make that the show stopper of your entryway.
(4) Add A Shoe Rack
In a lot of Indian homes, shoes are not taken inside the house. In this case, adding some storage for shoes in your foyer would be a great idea. How you plan this would depend a lot on your requirement.
If you need space only for visitors’ shoes then a simple open shelf like the one below would suffice.
You could use a trunk, or a small storage cupboard if you prefer to keep the shoes out of sight.
Drawers are always the easiest to use and you could build them into your console or your bench.
Or, as we discussed earlier, use a large sideboard with drawers or shutters, depending on what you prefer.
(5) Hooks For The Extras
Hooks are extremely handy and give you storage without taking up too much space.
They work well to hang keys, hats, coats, bags and maybe even an umbrella.
If you hang some artwork or a little planter, they also help to take care of your wall decor.
It’s easy to keep things handy without looking like a mess using hooks, and so adding a few to your entryway will also be a good idea.
(6) Light It Up
In most cases, the entryway to an apartment is a narrow passage or hall without much natural light. The large windows are usually in living room into which it leads. So to ensure a warm, bright welcome into your home, you have to make sure that you light up your entryway well enough.
You could use table lamps if you have a console.
Or a pendant light if you don’t have shelf space.
Wall sconces are a great way to provide light and make a statement on the wall.
A pair of lamps always looks great if you have a console large enough to hold them.
And multiple sources of light makes sure that your foyer is well lit.
Notice how the foyer below, though large, has a small console table. So light has been provided by using a chandelier and wall sconces, keeping the table top free for use.
(7) Artwork
Once all our functional requirements are in place, it is time to dress up our foyer. The first thing we tackle is the bare walls.
A piece of art, framed well and hung on your wall speaks of you and to you.
Use a larger piece that catches your eye and you won’t need much else in your room.
Framing an embroidery is a great way to get a large piece of art to make a stunning statement.
Or take a few pieces and put them together to make a gallery to cover up a large wall space.
You could also combine your mirror and artwork to make your gallery. Notice how this gallery is spread horizontally, along the length of the long console.
While this gallery goes high to fill up the tall niche.
(8) Rugs For Warmth
A rug not only adds warm comfort to a space, but is also a great way to add colour and pattern to it. It could be a simple pattern in neutral tones for the understated look.
Or a bright, vibrant rug to add a burst of colour to your space.
Remember to choose the size and shape of your rug according to the space you have. This rectangular rug fits in well into this wide space.
While this runner is perfect for the length of this entryway.
(9) Plants For Life
And finally, how can we do without plants for the breath of fresh air as you enter.
A single tall plant in a corner or along your console, with some fresh greens or a bunch of flowers on the table top will always give you a warm welcome.
Here, the designer has played with symmetry, right down to the plants on either side, to make this gorgeous entryway.
Or you could go with the flow and pop in a few of your favourites to liven up your foyer.
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By the end of these 9 steps, you’ll have an entryway that makes your heart warm and brings a smile to your face every time you enter home.
I’ll wrap up this post with a few entryways we’ve designed over the years.
Em’s Rental Living Room
Let me start with this simple entryway from Em’s Rental Living Room. This home had a three foot gap between the main door and the safety door, giving it two entryways. So we fit in the console cum shoe cabinet between the two doors.
This passage, which came after the second door, then became our seating spot. A coat of bright pink on the wall, a large mirror with a beautiful frame and some cushions on the bench below it made sure this would always be a happy space to walk into.
White & Light Home
The entryway of our White & Light home was a long, narrow passage. Luckily, it had a niche right near the entrance door. We fit the shoe cabinet right into that niche. The large mirror above not only helps the space to look bigger, it also hides all the main electrical boxes of this home behind it.
Boho Living Room
This boho living room didn’t have an entryway at all. The main door opened right into the living room. We used one part of the entry wall to place this mirror with the cabinet below it, to give the impression of an entryway. It allows for a place to keep your things as you step into the home.
My Foyer
Finally, this shot of my foyer. We managed to fit in comfortable chairs on either side of that table, which we intentionally kept low so that we could place the Buddha on it. The drawers hold all our scrap newspapers. We have mirrors on the opposite wall, and lights, plants and the rug complete the look.
I hope the many tips and the pretty pictures have given you loads of ideas on sprucing up your entryway. All questions and comments are more than welcome, so please do write in below.
While you are designing your foyer, don’t forget the main entrance to your home. We have 4 Easy Steps to A Beautiful Home Entrance to help your home look great even before you enter it. We also have 12 Terrific Door Design Ideas right here to help complete the entire look.
Until next time,
Beautiful entrance ideas
Thank you 🙂