Ah, the often-overlooked first space in your home. Are you guilty of taking your entryway or foyer for granted? We all know how important first impressions can be with human relationships. The same is true with home relationships, and in this blog, you’ll learn six ways you can enhance your entryway so it will make a lasting impression.

1. Add storage. Whether you have kiddos or not, it’s always a good idea to have a place inside your front door where guests can place their items when they come in. And let’s be honest here, the entryway is about as far kids will go before dropping their coats, backpacks, papers, things that resemble food, and things that don’t resemble anything. Let’s at least try and give them somewhere to put things to keep the clutter off the floor. Decorative hooks on your wall and a coat rack are two easy additions to help remedy the problem.

2. Add seating. Obviously, it’s helpful to provide a place where people can take a seat to put on and off their shoes. And if you can find a cute bench with storage underneath, you can solve two problems at once. A bench with storage can be a great spot for people to stash their shoes, and kids to stash things known and unknown.

3. Add a mirror. This can also serve several purposes. A mirror allows you to make yourself look even more amazing before leaving the house. Plus, it bounces light around the entry, which can sometimes be darker than desired. Finally, a larger mirror can make the entry feel more open and bigger than it actually is.

4. Choose Lighter Colors. You want your entry to feel bright, open, and inviting, not dark, gloomy and scary. Choosing lighter colors will help you achieve this goal and will also make a smaller, darker space feel bigger and brighter.

5. Add a side table. Another double benefit. The first is that it gives you a place to put stuff like the mail or your purse, keys, wallet, etc. The second way is that having a table in your entry with a nice lamp on it can help add light to your space if your spaces feels dark or doesn’t have great overhead lighting. It’s also nice to have a lamp that you can leave on when you leave the house and plan to return when it’s dark. You could even put the lamp on a timer so it turns on when you need it to or you can use a smart bulb so that before you walk in, you can already have the light on to welcome you home.

6. Define the space. If your entry is one that just opens right into the rest of your house, you can define the space by using colors that are a little different than what’s in the first adjoining space. Either complimentary or contrasting. You can also help achieve this definition by simply adding an area rug to your entry. This will help visually ground the space and make it feel like it’s a separate area with its own purpose.

I hope these simple tips will help you make the most of your entryway. It can help you be a little more organized, set the mood for the rest of your home, and help to make that all-important good first impression!

Now, what will you do next to love where you live?

Please feel free to reach out to us at The Redesign Habit and ask questions or simply share a project that you are working on or have completed.