1. Choose Wallpaper That Makes An Impact
Entryway wall decor can bring character to the area, and set the tone for the rest of your home. Patterned wallpaper will draw the eye, as it does in this design by Kathleen Walsh, principal of Kathleen Walsh Interiors. But a bold paint color for the walls or painted paneling could be equally impactful.
2. Store Around The Door
Avoid clutter in an entryway by fitting custom storage that becomes a hidden drop zone. This design uses the area above a door as well as the space on either side to maximize the space to stash. Storage instantly elevates any entryway, allowing you to reduce clutter and focus on what looks good in an entryway instead.
3. Add An Entryway Bench
A bench is not only an elegant addition to an entryway, but also a practical feature, allowing shoes to be taken off when coming in and put on when going out with no awkward balancing act necessary.
4. Consider The View
A mirror can be a stylish feature as part of modern entryway ideas or more classic designs. It’s also a functional one, allowing those going out to check their appearance. This version picks up the curves of the nook in which it’s hung, and draws attention to the height of the space, too.
5. Create A Point Of Focus
A standout, eye-catching design – and statement color palette – in an entryway not only tells a story, it also draws our attention and sparks wonder. In this modern hallway, graphic prints hung side by side over a bespoke metal console create a striking impact. Shapely accessories in glass and marble further enhance the ensemble.
6. Add A Statement Addition To An Entryway
'I always advise using really interesting furniture in hallway ideas – a beautiful console table or a sculptural piece,' says Charu Gandhi, founder of Elicyon. 'It's unexpected and because it's not a space you're going to sit in for ages, you don't have to focus on functionality or, indeed, comfort, so you can get away with doing something that's quite frivolous.' Here, striking artwork and bold accessories set the scene in this bright entryway.
7. Make Furniture The Focal Point
Entryways have a structure to them and you can add a very heavy, monolithic piece of furniture that's going to stay there. 'While you wouldn't necessarily want to have a very chunky, oversized marble table in the living room as you wouldn't be able to move it around, it can stay in place in the hall,' says Charu.
8. Allow Space For Easy Movement
Make sure you don't select furniture that blocks the flow of the space from front porch ideas to entryway to hall. You really want to look at the entire journey and make sure that the flow and movement is protected.
9. Add Warmth Underfoot
The main advantage of hallway carpet is the incredible range of decorating possibilities that it offers, thanks to the wide variety of colors and textures, as well as the feeling of warmth underfoot. Plus, it is an instant win for anyone hoping to add a seductive softness to their home’s entrance, or keep a house’s corridors insulated during the winter.
10. Factor In Entryway Storage
When in search of extra hallway storage space in an entryway, make the most of ceiling heights available. Built-in joinery or off-the-shelf solutions can provide the perfect amount of extra room to house items only used for special occasions or rarely read books. To break up a large wall of storage, use a mix of closed and open solutions.
11. Keep The Color Palette Neutral
It’s a common decorating dilemma, achieving a balance in our entryways between what is beautiful and what is functional, so take a 'less is more' approach when it comes to designing a hallway or staircase. One important aspect to consider, when decorating with a neutral color in an entryway is to bring in as much texture as possible as it creates interest and layers –important factors when strong colors are out of the picture. After all, this is the first room your visitors will see upon entry.
12. Evoke A Whimsical World Upon Entrance
There is something undeniably magical about chinoiserie, especially in an entryway. This cultural phenomenon first swept across Europe and America in the 17th and 18th centuries, flooding both interiors and gardens with all manner of things inspired by the Far East. It was in England that chinoiserie can be said to have been most successfully absorbed into mainstream fashion – and into our homes.
13. Paint Your Entryway In A Shade Of Gray
A gray that straddles the boundaries between blue, green and gray can be many things: front and center or a background to show off art and objects.
14. Enchant With A Scenic Mural In An Entryway
Scenic landscape murals are the biggest story in decorating today – wonderfully atmospheric and evocative, an impressive hallway wallpaper or wall mural idea will transform any entryway, hall or landing space.
15. Take A Bold Approach To An Entrance
In the modern and colorful entryway of her home, interior designer Sarah Southwell had a vibrant green made by Paint & Paper Library to contrast with the red stair runner by Roger Oates Design. ‘It’s the bravest choice I’ve ever gone with but the color combinations work perfectly together,’ she says.
16. Dress You Walls With Art
An entryway should be decorated with as much care as other rooms and this means considering entryway wall decor and art. Interior designer Louisa Greville Williams’ entryway is painted in Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball. ‘It’s a good backdrop for my art, which is a mix of modern and older paintings.
17. Mix The Old With The New
Interior designer Sarah Vanrenen is known for using strong-colored pieces of entryway furniture alongside more traditional florals and geometric patterns. ‘We designed the Augustus table for this entryway to really stand out and reinstated the cornice and architraves,’ she says.
18. Create A Room
Where the entryway layout is more generous in size, make the most of it by introducing good-looking furniture and elegant fittings that result in somewhere that people might want to sit and linger. This was the approach that decorator Christian Bense took for this entryway idea for apartments.
19. Choose Colors That Work Well With Adjoining Rooms
Interior designer Lucy Marsh chose Lewis & Wood’s Adam’s Eden wallpaper in ivory for this country house, which sets off the antique furniture. ‘I always choose an impactful design for an entrance hall and this paper brings real character,’ she explains.
20. Play With Pattern
Add strong patterns to make an entryway look bigger. ‘Creating beautiful interior architecture is about striking the right balance of elements: if a room has a mass of original features, we’ll tend to add less to it,’ explains Tom Cox of HÁM Interiors.