How to Decorate the Entry Way in a Home Living Room

Your entryway sets the tone for your home decor, so carefully select pieces that marry form and function. Whether you have an entry with cathedral ceilings, stained glass windows and separate doors or a tight corridor with only enough room to hang your hat, you can maximize the effect of a space with dramatic lighting, a carefully chosen color scheme, or a clever layout of furnishings or accessories. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Paint or finish your entryway. To add the illusion of volume, stick to monochromatic color schemes in cool tones such as stone gray, steel blue, royal blue, turquoise, sage, apple green or blue-based white. A semi-gloss finish on the ceiling reflects light entering through your front door and windows. Make the space feel more intimate with a two-tone color scheme that features a darker, warm tone on top and a lighter hue below.

2

Create a landing strip. No matter how you decorate an entry, the daily clutter of mail, bills, backpacks, purses, outerwear, work papers and magazines will kill the effect of your home decor. If you establish hidden or open storage for these items, your entry will have a more streamlined look. A simple floating shelf or niche holding a lidded basket can hide keys, outgoing mail and bills. A long, narrow table may feature baskets or buckets underneath for shoes and hooks overhead for jackets and bags. For a larger area, consider an armoire or other closed shelving that can contain jackets, sweaters, shoes, umbrellas and bags.

3

Furnish your entry. A narrow picture rail or wall ledge may suffice for tight spaces, while larger entryways may hold an armchair, bench or ottoman. Your furnishings need not match those in your living room, but coordinating your furnishings in both rooms with a shared detail, background color or theme creates continuity.

4

Hang focal point artwork. A large format oil painting may hang on the wall facing the door, while a narrow or long wall may benefit from a series of smaller pieces in matching frames. For a bohemian modern or "bomo" effect, tightly group several framed and unframed pieces on the wall.

5

Illuminate your entry. Plan your lighting to ease entries and exits at various times of day and night. A pair of small wall sconces may flank your artwork or a large mirror can provide enough ambient light to locate keys. If you have a table in your entry, place a lamp at the end of it.