1. MESSY SHOE STORAGE
There’s one mistake often made when decorating and subsequently using an entryway day-to-day which makes designers twitch and that’s messy shoe storage. Although practically-speaking, yes, you will want your shoes close to the door of your home, filling your entryway with open shelving full of muddy sneakers is going to quickly make the space look untidy, no matter how polished the rest of the space is.
2. USING COLORS THAT DON’T CONNECT TO THE REST OF THE HOUSE
Although you can make a feature of your entryway, Atlanta-based designer Catherine Wilson of CCW Interiors warns against using colors that don’t connect to the rest of your house, or at least to the adjoining room. “When you don’t study your paint transitions before you paint, you could either end up with a choppy paint connection from one wall to the next, a deep color overextending its welcome in stairwells and hallways that often don’t have natural light, or light colors extending into stairwells and hallways creating a very sterile and uninviting look,” the designer explains. “Depending on the color you select for your foyer, you must plan on the fact that it needs to purposefully and smoothly connect to other rooms.”
3. CARPETED FLOOR
A mistake catching Kathy Corbet of Kathy Corbet Interior’s eye is underfoot. That’s right, carpet in your entryway is a major no-no. Although carpet is known to make a space feel cozier and less clinical, in an entryway, it’s a material to steer clear of. “An entryway is a high-touch home area, so it is crucial to utilize durable elements such as tile floors that will withstand shoes, pets, and heavy traffic,” Corbet says. “I often see entry spaces that are designed for esthetics and no function.”
4. WHITE RUNNERS
In a similar vein, Brooke Speckman of Californian brand Design Hutch says she notices white runners in entryways and not for the right reasons. Although you may have taken Corbet’s advice and moved away from carpeting your entryway, laying a white runner to add dimension back into the space isn’t necessarily the way to go. “Ideally, avoid colors like white in an entry runner, as that will show the most amount of wear and tear, and dirt immediately,” Spreckman explains.
5. UNNECESSARY CLUTTER
Like the shoe storage issue, Madison Popper thinks general clutter in other areas of an entryway can be a significant eyesore. “Everyone loves a showroom vibe but it still needs to feel like a home,” Popper says. “We are all stimulated by constant distractions every day. The last thing you want to feel is overwhelmed when you return to your space.”