The simple fact of the matter is that the entryway of your home is the first thing that your visitors see when you invite them in.  It may seem cliché, but you only get one first impression and that is the impression that will stick with your guests.  You want to set the right mood, so it is imperative that you decorate your foyer with entryway furniture that reflects you.

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If you don’t care about what your guests think when they come into your home for the first time, it doesn’t really matter what you buy.  Decorating any room requires time, effort, and patience along with some degree of trial and error.

You may be tempted to hire a home decorator to do it for you.  The truth of the matter is that you can design your entryway yourself following the same, simple steps that home designers use.  Whether you have the money to hire a decorator or not, you do not have to pay someone else a small fortune to do what you are capable of doing yourself.

Designing Your Entryway

Following some of these simple steps will help to ensure that your entryway invites people in and gives them a good impression of you.  As with any other undertaking, it helps to have a plan.  You can follow the same basic plan that most home decorators use.  In a nutshell:

  • Set the room’s mood
  • Add entryway furniture
  • Consider a rug
  • Compliment with accessories and décor

Setting the Room’s Mood

Initially, you will need to do is set the mood of your entryway room.  This can be done with a good combination of paint and light.  Generally, you want to set a positive mood, so it is usually recommended that you use light colors and plenty of light.

The very first thing that any decorator will look at when they enter your home’s entryway is the paint.  They will probably recommend that use light, earthly colors unless those colors greatly contrast the other colors of your home.  Light colors, other than white, provide the base for a bright mood for your entryway or foyer.

But you can’t just stop at the paint.  During this phase of planning, you will also have to take lighting into consideration.  Bright lights that hang from or are mounted on the ceiling provide ample lighting for your guests as they enter your home.  If you make your home too dark and gloomy, they may feel uncomfortable from the moment they enter or it may provide a safety hazard as they navigate the entry of your home for the first time.

If you have a taller ceiling, a chandelier is an excellent way to accent your entryway.  Otherwise, wall mounted lights are also popular in some cases.  But it is typically advised to keep lights of an entryway on the ceiling.  This ensures maximum light coverage and minimal clutter.  Whichever lighting method you choose, the key is to providing enough light to prevent your guests from stumbling through a dark and possibly injuring themselves.

Adding Entryway Furniture

Probably the most enjoyable part of designing an entryway is selecting the entryway furniture.  However, there are a variety of methods to choosing the optimum furniture foyer.  Different furniture says different things about you, so you will have to consider what impression you want your furniture to give your guests about you.

One of the easiest methods of selecting furniture is to contrast the color of the room.  If the room is a light color, dark furniture will stand out as being bold.  Another popular method for choosing entryway furniture is to use old or older looking furniture.  This provides a rugged, classic look to your foyer.

However, if you are looking to get away from the norm, furniture with a modernistic look to them are way of expressing your creative nature.  This entryway furniture tends to jump out at your guests and lets them know that you are the type of person who thinks outside the box.

There is also a huge variety of different types of entryway furniture that you can choose from.  Some of the most common pieces of furniture include a coat rack, cabinets for jackets and apparel, a hall table, a chest, and a drawer console for miscellaneous household goods.  You can mix and match different pieces of furniture to meet your needs.  It is important to note that you want to find a good balance of not having too much clutter, but not leaving too much empty space.

Consider Purchasing a Rug

Rugs are a good way to add design and decoration to your foyer.  Like furniture contrasting the walls, it is common for people to use rugs to contrast their floors.  Decorative rugs are especially nice on hardwood or tiled floors, but they can be used on carpeted surfaces as well to add detail to the room.  It is important that if you put a rug on wooded or tiled floors that you use rubber pads to prevent them from sliding around, causing your guests to topple and injure themselves.

Compliment the Room with Décor and Accessories

The last thing that you want to do when decorating a room, after adding entryway furniture and a rug, is to add minor décor and accessories.  At this point, you can add things such as small plants, additional lighting, mirrors, and other décor.  Remember, everything that is chosen should provide guests with a warm, inviting feeling.

Small plants, both real and fake, are a great way to give people a sense of livelihood when they enter the room.  Furthermore, it eases the transition from outside to inside.  Using strategically placed lamps can add additional lighting and shine light into areas that are not covered by overhead lighting.

Mirrors are almost always a welcome addition to an entryway.  Many guests like to give themselves a last look over before they enter or leave the home of a host.  Putting subtle mirror near where the jackets are being stored is a great way to accomplish this.  Other inviting entryway accessories include family pictures, welcome signs, and potpourri dishes.

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Your foyer or entryway is the gateway to your home and should give guests a warm, comfortable welcome.  Selecting the right decorations and entryway furniture is the key to providing them with a lasting, good first impression.  Following some of these simple guidelines should give you a good starting point for designing the perfect entryway to your home.

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When you live in a small apartment or home, entryway storage may not be readily available near the entrance.  It would be ideal to have a closet at the door, but many apartments and houses don’t afford their residents that luxury.  For that reason, you may have to turn to alternative storage options, and there are a lot available.

Coat Rack

Perhaps the easiest and most economical entryway storage solutions is the coat rack.  Coat racks provide a simple, elegant place for residents of the home and their guests to hang their coats and cold weather accessories.  Of all the storage solutions, they occupy the least amount of space, so they are optimal for narrow halls and entrances.

Shoe Rack

Adding to the simplicity, a shoe rack coupled with a coat rack invite residents and guests to remove their shoes and feel more at home.  A small, cheap shelf can act as a wonderful shoe rack.  The key to a nice shoe rack is that it not be cluttered, so if you have a lot of shoes, keep most of them in a closet elsewhere.  Home decorators claim that your shoe rack should be about 3/4 full.

Cabinet

A big step up from the shoe and coat rack combination is a cabinet.  Although cabinets are substantially more expensive, descent and good cabinets can be found at much lower prices at yard sales, thrift shops, and popular store chains.  Shop around and you are sure to find a good deal.

Aside from being a little more expensive, cabinets take up considerably more space.  In turn, they also can store a lot more and if the cabinet has doors, it can also keep your shoes, jackets, gloves, and hats out of sight, as some homemakers prefer.  Just make sure you have the space for a cabinet; if it takes up too much space, it may clutter you entryway or pose a hazard.

Storage Chest

An entryway storage solution that is accepted by some and rejected by others is the storage chest.  A chest can be a tasteful addition to your entryway.  They are not the optimal solution for everyday use, but they can be a decorative piece of furniture to be used for longer term storage like storing winter clothes during the summer.

Storage Bench

A stylish entryway storage solution that has been growing in popularity is the storage bench.  Storage benches combine a place to sit with convenient storage compartments under the seats.  These compartments can be used to hold everything from shoes, coats, and other outerwear.

Aside from acting as a storage area, benches also serve a practical purpose, a place to sit.  Residents and guests can sit on the bench while putting on and removing their shoes rather than sitting on the floor.  Additionally, if you invite a guest in for a few moments while you finish getting ready, they can have a place to relax, possibly sipping on a cold beverage.

Not every home comes entryway storage areas readily available at the front door.  It may be necessary to purchase storage areas.  However, this does not have to cost a small fortune or take a lot of space.  There are plenty of options available for you to consider.

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