Before you reach any part of the house, you have to enter the door. Once you step into it, you have to go through the entryway, which is the first area that you, your family members and your visitors see and experience inside. Some houses have a short and small entryway, while some have a long and wide one.
Needless to say, you want your home’s entryway to be pleasant and cozy, so that when you arrive home after a long day at work, you will really feel you’re already home! At the same time, you want it to be presentable and snuggly, so that when you have guests coming over, they will be delighted and will feel at home!
The entryway makes the first impression towards a house, especially for people who come to your residence for the first time. It is also the stretch that embraces you inside the house, signalling that you’re really at home now. Although some say that you can skip giving time to beautifying your entryway since the most important things are deep inside, it would still be best if starting from the entrance, you and your home display awesomeness and ease!
Actually, an entryway should not be empty. It must contain these 12 essentials that make your home’s entryway welcoming and winning! Keep reading!
1 – A FOOT RUG is a must.
Depending on your house rules, you might allow your children to enter the house with shoes on. But most likely, it’s a non written rule that everyone leaves his/her footwear outside (or inside but on a shoe rack in the entryway). Because of this, a foot rug is a must in this zone.
Besides its function, a foot rug radiates a hospitable feeling, signifying the opening of the house. Choose a cute, purposeful rug, and expect to immediately hear nice words from your visitors. It should be non-slip for everyone’s safety, especially when there are little kids at home, going in and out of the house to play.
It just doesn’t feel right when the entryway has no foot rug, so ensure you have one!
2 – Functional CARPETS radiate an elegant appeal.
You may have them partnered with your foot rug or have them dominating the area by themselves; nonetheless, carpets are a great piece for your home’s entryway. Without a doubt, they radiate an elegant appeal since you often see them in luxury homes. Anyone entering your home will be amazed as they feel special being ushered to your living room by these carpets.
More importantly, carpets insulate your feet from a cold floor, which is particularly helpful the moment you remove your shoes and step into the house. At the same time, they safeguard your neat floor from scratches and dirt that may cause damage to it. These carpets are more than a pretty face because they’re functional on top of that!
3 – An oversized MIRROR is always a huge help.
Placing mirrors inside your house never disappoint. It’s also a clever thing to do to your entryway.
Mirrors make a space look bigger and wider than it really is. Because home entryways are often narrow hallways, they need the help of mirrors for a more airy feel. Moreover, they attract natural light coming from outside during daytime, so mirrors can improve the lighting in a dim entrance door when the artificial lights are switched off.
They are always a huge help to you because you use oversized mirrors in the entryway to check yourself before you finally leave the house for work, school and other appointments. You’ll be more prepared and excited after seeing your good-looking self for the last time before you leave the house and achieve productivity outside! And when you go back home, again, these mirrors will tell you how your face or hair looked the whole time.
4 – Entryway LIGHTING should be perfect.
Mirrors may help add lighting in the entryway during daytime, but how about when it gets dark outside? Of course, they won’t function that way. That’s why your artificial lighting in the entryway should be perfect! It should provide serviceable light that makes entering the house easy and safe because basically, you can see everything!
Additionally, select lighting that’s stunningly designed, appearing like an ornament, so you get both lighting and decoration. Pendant lights are very famous because they are aesthetically pleasing and very elegant. If you want something more deluxe, go for chandeliers; you can buy them in small sizes and in styles that will fit your interior design.
5 – Place a small BENCH or COUCH for that snuggly vibe.
Whenever you want a different area to rest at home, which is not always the living room or your bedroom, you can consider your entryway! Just place a small bench or couch where you can come to unwind and to see outdoor views without stepping outside the house.
For visitors, they will feel the snuggly vibe of your home when even from the entrance, they are already invited to sit back, relax and enjoy. Any furniture will do, yet it would be most ideal if its style suits your general home design, hinting about the bigger, comely design that they will see inside your home.
6 – Hang an ARTWORK or your own PHOTO on the wall.
For an artistic appeal, hang framed artwork on your entrance walls. It could be a painting that you yourself hand-made or that you won from an auction, if you’re on that level! Also, it could be a masterpiece of your favorite artist or an image with an interpretation that resonates with your personal principles.
On the other hand, you may hang your own photos on the entryway. They could be your solo or family photoshoots. These give your home a fashionable customization and immediately introduce who the inhabitants of the house are. You can hang here your favorite photographs, including those remembrances of your milestones, such as graduation, birthday and wedding pictures.
This is a good way to present, like in an exhibit, the people and the events you cherish in life!
7 – Use the power of WALLPAPERS.
For plain walls, use the power of wallpapers for a chic entryway. They protect your walls while wrapping them with a dash! When you install wallpapers, you lessen the need to add a lot of wall accessories, meaning you lessen expenses and hassles too.
8 – Set an accessible SHOE RACK.
An accessible shoe rack must be on your home’s entryway because it’s where you will leave your shoes before going inside and where you will take them from before going outside. So all kinds of footwear won’t be messy and cause clutter in the lobby, set a shoe rack that can store them. This helps organize your items and tidy up your walkway, keeping it unobstructed.
It would be more advantageous if you assign two shoe racks, which include one for people at home and one for guests. In that way, you will be able to categorize and arrange them properly. When guests arrive, you avoid accidentally displaying your dirty shoes in the same shoe rack too.
9 – Don’t forget the UMBRELLA STAND.
Rain or shine, having an umbrella is essential when you’re leaving the house. What a regret when you suddenly recall that you forgot to bring yours while you’re already walking close to the village gate, far from your house! It’s fine if it’s not going to rain, but the heat of the sun is sometimes too much to handle. And who knows? Even amid the bright sun rays, rain may fall without warning.
When you have an umbrella stand situated on your home’s entryway, you will be reminded to pick up your umbrella before you leave. It’s there, waving goodbye before you step out of the house, so it will be a routine for you to grab an umbrella before going outside.
An umbrella stand is aidful for visitors as well. When they have an umbrella and see that stand on the entrance door, they would know that they’re free to use it.
10 – An entryway TRASH BIN is a relief.
When you’re outside and you have a candy wrapper or a bus ticket, yet you can’t find a garbage can, the responsible thing to do is to keep them first inside your pocket or bag. Having a trash bin near the doorway is a relief because you may immediately take those small rubbish out of your pockets and into the bin! You wouldn’t need to go far into the kitchen to clean up your bag’s small trash too.
11 – Situate an easy-to-see WALL CLOCK.
What time are you leaving the house? What time did you arrive? A wall clock on the entryway will help you know the time easily while you’re still tying or untying your shoe laces. If you’re in a hurry, you’ll be reminded to move fast. If not, then you’ll be assured that you still have a lot of time.
12 – FRESH PLANTS make you feel happy.
Indoor plants have been proven to provide a number of therapeutic advantages to people at home. They uplift moods as they fill the house with the hues of nature. Enhancing air quality is another benefit that you receive from indoor plants.
Place a pot of fresh flowers or a set of hanging planters on the entryway. They will make guests feel warm when they enter your house. They will surely make you happier when you reach home.
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JOY FROM THE FIRST STEP
Since the entryway is the first segment that you arrive at when you enter your house, it should make you see and feel good. It would be really great if it delights your visitors the moment they see and be in it as well.
Work with adept new home builders to bring a ravishing entryway to life! The list above shows terrific tips on how you can build and decorate your constructed entryway in such a way that will make it welcoming and winning. Keeping all these in mind and applying them to your own house, you will succeed and enjoy your entryway for sure.
Be ready to own an entryway that brings joy from the first step!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. She finds quality and well-researched writing as a worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. Giving all the glory to God, Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.
