Your home's foyer or entryway creates the first impression of the interior of your home.
It should not be a plain beige hallway, but it should give a glimpse of how your home is decorated and entice visitors to want to see the rest of your home.
Here are some interior designer tips & tricks for how to decorate a foyer or entryway to be worthy of a design magazine.
photo courtesy of Bill Wilson flickr.com/photos/okchomeseller/14991975237/
Light Fixture
Invest in a beautiful light fixture to decorate and light your foyer.
If you have high ceilings, you can use a large chandelier, else use a beautiful or unique flush mounted or semi flush mounted fixture.
Don't settle for a plain cheap light fixture in your foyer or entryway that the home builder originally installed.
Rug
A rug in the foyer or entryway will not only look pretty, but it will reduce echoes if you have hard surfaces and reduce the amount of dirt entering your home from the bottom of guests' feet.
Table
An entry table is a great place to keep a lamp, fresh flowers, perhaps baskets to organize mail or newspapers, keys, sunglasses, and whatever else seems to go with you whenever you leave the house.
Mirror
A mirror is great for checking your appearance before leaving the house, but it also bounces around light in the room.
Decorate your entryway or foyer with a mirror that is unique, over sized, or a bold color to showcase your home's personality.
Coat Closet, Coat Rack, or Coat Hooks
When guests enter your home with a winter coat, where does that coat go when they remove it?
If you live in the south where it is only cold enough to wear a coat 1 week per year, you can probably get away with not having a dedicated place to store coats.
Everyone else should have a specified place in or near the foyer for coats. Ideally, a coat closet works best, but you can also use a coat rack or wall mounted coat hooks.
Shoe Storage and Seating
If you do not want people wearing shoes inside your home, make sure to have a dedicated shoe storage area near the entrance so shoes are not scattered all over the floor.
Shoe storage can be as simple as a large basket.
You can even have a dedicated shoe location labeled for each member of the family.
Family members and guests will need to sit down to take off and put on their shoes, so make sure to include a chair or bench.
You might like the article Shoe Storage Ideas for an Entryway.
Umbrella Storage
If you have room, consider adding a beautiful or unique umbrella stand or other vessel to hold umbrellas.
