If you’re looking to take on a budget-friendly home makeover project, the entryway is the perfect place to start. For one, the entryway is the first area in your home that guests – and you – will encounter and a few simple entryway ideas can pack a serious design punch. Every home has a spot that sets the stage, and having a good entryway design is key to establishing welcoming vibes in your home, especially if you’re looking to make a stylish first impression.
Before you place an old side table or hall tree in the space and call it a day, we reached out to design experts from Spokane, WA, all the way to Houston, TX, for their best entryway ideas to help you make a big and beautiful impression.
1) When styling your entryway, keep three things in mind; art, accents, and lighting
Use large-scale art or create a gallery of works over your favorite console as an entryway idea to add a little drama. Add extra entry lighting with unique wall sconces or tall lamps to bring in height. Then accent your surface with a tray to display a vase of flowers, stacked books, or your favorite sculpture. –Shandra Ward Interior Design
2) Showcase your personality with fun decor pieces
The entryway of the home can be a great place to lighten the mood for friends and family. Add some fun (and unexpected) vintage pieces. An old fabric-covered life preserver as a circular design element, a fallen tree branch with hooks for coats, a collection of old keys all add a friendly and a bit of a quirky vibe which will surely bring smiles. –Susan Serra, CKD
3) Create a focal point as one of your entryway ideas
I love adding a large mirror, sign, or piece of artwork that is oversized and eye-catching right when you walk in the door. If you have an entryway table, don’t clutter it, but place some greenery or faux flowers to add some color and texture to the space. If you’re on a budget, source your own home. Find a couple of books, pictures, and plants that have been sitting in the same place forever and give them new life by freshening up your entryway. –Anna Joy Interiors
4) Make a statement with mirrors and light fixtures
A great entryway idea is to add a mirror, such as a round mirror with a slender frame. The entryway is your first impression of the home, so choose a light future that makes a statement. If it is a rectangular room, select two matching fixtures for optimal lighting. –Designs by D
5) Don’t forget to keep it functional
Your home’s entryway should be functional as well as stylish. Include pieces that serve more than one function, such as a stylish shelving or storage unit that can be decorated with books, florals, or photos while also serving as a handy place for your keys and sunnies. Add an eye-catching area rug to the space that will catch any water droplets as you come home after a cold and wet day, saving you from tracking said droplets throughout your home. By ensuring that each piece in your entryway decorating scheme serves a dual purpose, you are effectively keeping the area clutter-free, stylish, and highly functional. –Diamond Interiors
6) If you’re looking for unique entryway ideas, try layering your decor pieces
When thinking of what to put on your entryway table, think of layers. You want various heights and various materials. I love to mix woods and metals and even delicate flowers to give a balance to the space. –Megan Hickman Design
7) Design rules should guide your decisions, not control them
Push yourself out of your design comfort zone and bring your entryway to life with colors and decor elements that make you smile. If you love hot pink, then so be it; let’s do some hot pink. Life is full of color, and I try to stay away from trends and do designs completely unique to each client.
Use texture, color, and pattern in your entryway and mirrors to make a big first impression. Mirrors reflect light and come in so many different designs that add that “pretty” quality. Plus, we all want to check our face or outfit before heading off. –Pillow Queen Designs
8) Bring natural elements into your decor
As an artist using semi-precious stones and mixed media items, I love incorporating “elements of the earth” into my art and home. Bringing in wood, stones, and other earth elements into your home creates a comforting environment, plus amazing energy in any room you place them in. Entryways are particularly important to create an inviting impact for you and your family and your guests since it’s the main entrance to your sacred space. –Tesa Michaels
9) Accessorize with a mix of high and low decor and incorporate greenery
Mixing high-end and inexpensive decor for your entryway can be accomplished with an expensive console table and inexpensive decor piece, or an inexpensive table and high-end accessories, such as luxury coffee table books.
When thinking of other entryway ideas, try incorporating greenery or florals to add life to any room and provide a sense of warmth upon entering your home. –Designs by Victoria Liz
10) Use the layout of your home to plan out your entryway design
If your home is large enough to have a dedicated entry, lots of options become available. For smaller SoCal homes, such as homes in San Diego, CA, with doors that open to a living space, furniture placement is key. Benches are great decor elements because they work, and a credenza is nice, too, so long as it doesn’t just become a place to drop stuff when you come home. Also, clutter is never a good first impression, so be sure that you’re including functional storage when planning your entryway ideas to keep the clutter to a minimum. –Arise Interiors
11) Don’t be afraid to go bold
Be bold and dramatic with your entryway. It’s the first thing that guests see and sets the tone for the rest of your home. Using a large and unusually shaped mirror, dramatic oversize artwork, or colorful wallpaper are great entryway ideas that create an interesting landing zone in your home. –509 Design
12) Tuck away the junk
Clutter can easily accumulate in the entryway, so take stock of what items always end up there (shoes, incoming mail, school backpacks, etc.) and develop a plan for those specific items. Maybe it’s a basket for shoes that sits under your seating area or a locker where the kids can throw their backpacks and sports bags or a wall or tabletop-paper organizer to help sort incoming mail and bills. –The Editors at American Farmhouse Style Magazine
13) Create a functional storage system
Don’t forget the shoes! Entryways have so much design potential as they are the welcoming space for you and your guests. A good entry pairs functionality with aesthetics that align with the rest of the interior spaces. But really, it often comes down to the shoes – start with a design solution for shoes that fit with your family’s habits and then build the space from there. –Alden Miller Interiors
14) Use seating to create a stylish (and comfortable) landing zone
Seating in a foyer is inviting, and interesting art gives visitors something to do. For example, you can create interest by displaying historical postcards in eye-catching black frames with wide white mats that bring harmony to their different sizes. –Pineapple House Interior Design
15) Don’t forget to use the vertical space
Your entryway space is when your guests get a first glimpse into your home, and it should be stylish as well as functional. When it comes to an entryway area don’t be afraid to design vertically with hooks, a mirror, and console/or bench for storage. Underfoot a durable indoor/outdoor rug works great for a high foot traffic area and can also be a great opportunity for some color and pattern. –Angela Belt
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