Image Credit: House of Turquoise
Entrance hallways are often a forgotten area of the home, yet they create the first impression as soon as guests step through the front door. If you’re fed up with your messy, dull hallway, take a look at our tips on how to inject some wow factor and personality making it a more welcoming entrance space.
What’s underfoot?
Giving good consideration to your flooring in your home’s entrance could be one of the best investments you make. High traffic areas require hard-wearing floors that won’t buckle under the pressure and look tired.
If you’re carpeting your hallway to create a warm look, try a tough natural fibre like a sisal. Tiles are durable and can also create an impressive visual impact, allowing you to be a little more playful with the space. Floorboards provide a timeless look and hold up well over time. If you’re hardwood floors are looking a little shabby, sand them back and give them some TLC or consider painting them.
And don’t forget to take advantage of rugs to add a touch of colour and texture to the space.
Let in the light
Image credit: Becki Owens
Entrance halls without well-planned lighting schemes can feel smaller than they actually are. Lighting up this space provides a more welcoming atmosphere and creates ambience when your guests walk through the front door.
Natural light is always best. Maximise any windows in the space by removing heavy curtains and hanging sheer blinds instead. For those without windows, adding skylights is a great way to capture the sun’s rays and carefully positioning a mirror to reflect the light will be beneficial.
To add drama, consider handing a chandelier or feature pendant in the centre of your entrance. Just ensure you have ample ceiling height so your guests will experience the visual impact without bumping their heads on the way through. If you’re wanting a subtle look, a table or floor lamp with a low-watt globe can create a welcoming glow.
Store away clutter
Making your guests stumble over shoes and bags isn’t going to create a great impression and having nowhere to put coats, letters and keys is a common problem.
Think about the type of storage you need that won’t compromise the look of your space. There are plenty of great hooks and coat racks if you don’t have the luxury of a cupboard. If you have kids, be playful with the positions of the hooks so that they’re at the height of both kids and adults.
Image credit:Vtwonen.nl
Consoles help personalise the space as well as incorporate storage. Our Portland Console table has several draws for random bits and bobs and even a clever space below that could be used to house shoes or kids school bags. For a smaller space, it might be worth considering a console like our Malmo which is light and open in appearance.
Consoles are the perfect furniture pieces to position a lamp on, lean a mirror or picture on or add the natural element of flowers or an indoor plant.
Play with your walls
Entrance spaces are the perfect place to be a little playful with your walls, especially if space is at a premium. Consider using a pattered wallpaper, bold colour or hanging large scale artworks or photographs. Before you start on your bold statement, make sure you assess the scale of your space.
Image credit: Damaske & Dentelle
If your entrance is a long narrow hallway with a lack of natural light, think about using a lighter colour scheme to open up the space and adding accessories to incorporate colour. If you want to emphasise how small the space is you can play with the scale by painting it in a dark colour or adding a dramatic wallpaper. Typically, larger entrances are able to handle bold, rich tones better.
Image credit: HubPages
Above all, have fun with your entrance and be confident injecting personality and your own style into the space.
You might also like
How to bring your holiday vibes into the home
Tips to renovate without destroying the planet
6 ways to warm up white walls in your living room