10 Ways to Create a Welcoming Entryway

Your home is your castle. The look and feel of your entrance is determined by your walkway, your porch, your pre hung exterior door, and the color of your home. But what about the scene that greets your guests when they step through that door? Does your home offer a warm welcome? Do your guests feel comfortable and happy to be in your home?

Here are 10 techniques you can use to create the warm welcome you want in your home.

1. A Family Portrait Wall

Portrait walls have graced family homes for generations, but they don’t often occupy entrance halls. However, this decoration is a fabulous way to greet your guests. It makes a statement about what you love, value, and spend your time on.

2. Layered Antiques

This primitive décor trend, layering antique items on the floor, shelves, and walls, can add depth and interest to an otherwise little-used space.

3. Natural Elements

A great way to warm up your entryway is to treat it as a transition space between the inside and outside. Adding natural elements like bird’s nests, tumbled stones, and wood or wicker baskets can create that transitional entrance.

4. Hats

It’s culturally expected to see hats taken off inside the home, so why not decorate with them? With clever hooks that go with the rest of your home, hang hats that make a statement about who you are as a family. Do you love baseball? Hang a collection of baseball caps. Do you garden? Hang wide-brimmed gardening hats.

5. Responsible Style

Do you have 3 or 4 beautiful handmade bags that you take with you when you go grocery shopping? Are you dedicated to reducing the number of plastic bags used win your community? Why not decorate with your dedication? Hang a coat rack in your entryway and hang your colorful shopping bags from it.

6. Quirky Collection

If you have an unusual item that you love to collect: walking sticks, pressed flowers, snow globes, or umbrellas, showcase them in your entrance. Greeting your guests with this fun statement of who you are can go a long way to starting a conversation.

7. Lighting

Table and floor lamps can be layered in an entryway to beautiful effect. Mix and match the shades to add depth and visual interest. Use differing watts for lightbulbs to create interesting shadows.

8. Provide Seating

An entryway doesn’t have to just be where people take off their shoes, it can also be a place to sit and chat with a friend who only has a minute or two. Provide an upholstered bench or two arm chairs, a small decorative table, and even a collection of books to create a space where friends want to sit down and stay awhile.

9. Create a “Stuff” Spot

Family members drop stuff by the front door: homework, backpacks, briefcases, and keys. These items can clutter up your entrance and undo the relaxed feel you want in your home. But you can minimize this effect by providing a place for these items to land. A set of cubbies, an antique dresser or old secretary desk, or even a hanging cabinet. These can all be put to good use holding the items that would otherwise find a place on your floor.

10. A Play Place

Do you have kids and their friends over a lot? Why not turn the entryway into the “play” zone? A chalkboard paint hopscotch pattern can be painted directly onto your entryway floor, a large decorative basket can hold baseball bats, badminton rackets, and croquet mallets. A shelf can hold both indoor and outdoor games. Is there any better way to welcome friends than by inviting them in for a friendly game?

With just a little bit of planning you can create an entrance that will have your friends and family looking forward to the next gathering at your place.

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