Table of Contents:
how to decorate your front entryway to welcome and Wow
You know the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression?” Well it’s true. And, for better or worse, your home’s entryway is your first impression. Think of your entryway as your leading lady. If she doesn’t perform, the whole play will flop. She needs to woo, entice, seduce, but also be true to her character and make her audience fall in love. Sound like a lot? It is, but don’t worry. Jodie and I are here to help you cast your perfect leading lady. We are excited to share our best entryway decorating ideas with you. So, sit back, relax and get ready to make your entryway the favorite room in your house.
My Best Entryway Decorating Advice to Wow and Welcome
Firstly, begin by defining your style. You must choose everything with this style in mind. Then you must decide your priorities for function, which will depend on you, your family and your lifestyle.
1. Why is having an effective entryway important?
Julie: Not only does it need to look good, but it needs to function. The space needs to handle a lot without looking cluttered, so form and function must work hand in hand capitalizing on every opportunity for storage.
2. What purpose should an entryway serve? Is it to stun, to store items, both?
Julie: Both. You need your entry to wow and work for you in all the ways that an entryway must function.
1. Welcome all who enter.
2. Provide at least temporary storage and preferably some on-going storage.
3. Make a style statement that speaks to who you are.
What you ask of your entryway will of course depend on your lifestyle. Do you have kids? Is it the only entrance? Do you entertain? How formal or casual is your lifestyle? No matter who you are or how you answer these questions don’t forget style. This is your first impression, so it is important that what you say here is what you want to say. It’s hard to forget a first impression. Even if you rarely have guests, don’t underestimate the power of the mood you set for yourself and your family as you step into your home.
3. What are the key components to entryway decorating?
Julie: Of course, this depends on the amount of space and your layout. You need to decide your priorities and work from there. Does the entry have a closet or close access to one? If not, you’ll need to solve the issue of coats and shoes with creative, stylish and inventive solutions that function. The very last thing you want to see upon entering any space is clutter.
In some cultures, shoes never enter a home. I would like that to be my culture, but since it’s not I make sure that it’s very clear to my guests and my family where they can put their shoes. (Am I letting my OCD show?) So, a shoe basket or shoe rack (preferably in a closet) is my recommendation. Not only does this create an organized entryway but it will keep the rest of your house a bit cleaner. Let’s face it, we need all the help we can get. Am I right?
Key Components to a Gorgeous Entryway:
-
- Good lighting
- Ample storage
- A place to sit
- Your personality/style
Want to shop our style?
4. How important is lighting in an entryway?
Julie: Very important. Lighting is a great way to set a mood and the fixture you choose is an important, powerful style statement. I’m a big fan of dimmable lighting everywhere so you can adjust the light to fit your mood. In your entryway the items that you choose need to have design impact. The light you choose is my favorite way to make a statement.
5. Do you have one component that isn’t essential to entryway decorating but a personal design favorite?
Julie: I always love a mirror because it reflects light. A mirror serves up a heavy dish of both style and function. It adds light, enlarges a space and who doesn’t like to check how they look before they walk out the door? With all the amazing mirror choices out there don’t settle. Make sure the mirror reflects (no pun intended) your style.
6. What are some tips one should keep in mind when decorating a small entryway versus a large one?
Julie: My greatest fear when decorating a small space is that it feels even smaller once you’re done. Keep in mind scale as you choose your pieces, as well as your priorities. You’ll want to streamline the decor and do all you can to hide clutter. Your choices need to be multi-functional.
I love a place to sit (think of those tough to get on boots). I love to decorate with a bench or chair, whichever fits your space and style. This piece invites and welcomes, expresses your style and performs an important function. The space under the bench or chair can provide storage for shoes, hats or whatever you need. If you don’t have a closet find a cool coat rack or install stylish hooks. Make sure the style matches the mood you want to set. For more front entryway storage hacks, check out this organization blog post.
Note: Never let too much pile up here, only the absolute essentials.
Keys to Smaller Entryway Decorating:
- Limit the amount of furniture.
- Keep in mind scale and don’t select pieces that dwarf your space. In fact, you want to do the opposite.
- Choose furniture and pieces that serve multiple purposes.
- Less is more. Be careful of too many decor details in a small space.
7. Any final entryway decorating tips?
Julie: It’s so important to let your personality greet people. Choose items very carefully and let them tell your story. If it feels too sterile or too staged the room will fail, no matter how well planned. Choose pieces that have meaning and clearly convey who you are.
Overwhelmed? Don’t Be. You’ve Got This!
A Final Pep Talk for Your Entryway Decorating
Your entry is the first thing people see when they are invited in. And it’s the last thing they’ll remember after they leave. It has to look good as well as perform. But don’t worry about getting it “perfect” the first time. Choose your furniture carefully, and if you don’t get it right don’t be afraid to swap out pieces from different parts of your house and keep “playing” until it feels right. Live in the space and really give it some thought.
I tell clients to pay attention each day as they walk in and to use that reaction to help them decide what’s working for them and what’s not. I always tell people that decorating is a process. Very few people get it exactly right without trial and error. Bring in elements you love, avoid clutter and you’re sure to have a space that, over time, will be one you love to come home to.
Happy Decorating!
jodie & julie
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Front Entryway Decorating Ideas and Solutions
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Entryway Decorating made easy and affordable! Follow these key tips to create a welcoming, stylish space no matter your budget, style, or size!
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The Design Twins
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The Design Twins
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The entire VintageStyleLiving.com staff loves these entryway ideas. Especially the oversized clock which is very popular right now as well as the large mirror.
Thanks for Sharing!
Thank you Kendra! That means a lot to us. I just visited your shop. What a gorgeous collection you have curated. Well done. We are so happy you made it over to our blog. We hope you will visit us regularly. Wishing you success, Julie & Jodie
Time for me to change up my entry!!! Love this!❤❤❤
Tanya, This is a great day because we absolutely love your comments and love having you on our blog! We wish every day were like this. Hee Hee! Well, we know you probably don’t have time to send us 3-4 comments a day, but when you do it’s delightful 🙂 Thank you so much, Honey, and we hope to see you back here often. With gratitude, Julie & Jodie
Your entryway is gorgeous!! That’s what makes choosing an option for the giveaway so hard. But I am sticking with the Instagram one!
Stacey, You are too darling, just darling! I love your enthusiasm so much! Have a blessed night sweetie pie! XO ~ Julie
This is beautiful! I am learning so much from all these photos. I’m always amazed at how people decorate what seems to be every wall/corner. I still have a long way to go!
Elizma, We are so glad you like the photos. How much you decorate and how much you fill is entirely up to you, and it really is a personal preference. Don’t feel pressure to fill like we do…only if you WANT to. Many people like less, and I certainly get into moods where I like less too. Thanks for reading and your fun replies. XO ~ Julie & Jodie
Hi Julie and Jodie. I admire both of your decorating styles and your willingness to share your knowledge on everything from decorating, exercising and even your faith. I also appreciate the encouragement you both give to the IG community ?.. if I were to win your giveaway I’d choose a one hour consultation ? Thanks so much, Patti
My entryway is the only space in my house that I haven’t restyled in the eight years I’ve lived in my home. It’s a narrowish hallway entry. I have very old family photos framed on the walls there, and I get a lot of compliments on it, but lighting has always been an issue. I love the idea of dimmable lighting. The light I have is too bright when it’s on, and there’s not enough light when it’s off, even with a lamp. I can see what husband’s next little project will be – dimmer switches. 🙂 March Madness.
I love this! Thank you for the tips. <3 I cannot wait to decorate my entryway. It isn't big enough for a seating area (thought I wish it were!), but I'm going to have fun with it anyway. Thanks again! March Madness
Lauren,
We are so happy to hear that you found it helpful. And our Spring Home Tours will be posted in the next week or so…so look for that. We’ll have new spring decor to share!
God Bless,
Jodie & Julie
I picked this blog post to leave a comment for March Madness, just because this is how I felt in love with your style! Your homes feel so warm and welcoming… March Madness #pickme#pickme
Hey Nancy,
I love that!! Thank you for joining us here on our blog and for your kind feedback.
Stay tuned because we are finalizing pictures and will have Spring Home Tours of both our homes up in the next week or so!
Good luck! And remember, every day in March is a new chance to win!
With love and gratitude,
Jodie & Julie
Can’t wait!
MARCH MADNESS!! Hello from Idaho~ I just want you two ladies to know I enjoy watching you and seeing your posts on Instagram. Love your style, information and the ideas you share. You both have the best decorating ideas! Have a wonderful day!!
Julie,
You are so so sweet! We are so excited to welcome you to our blog! Thank you for following along and being a part of this wonderful journey. We hope we can continue to inspire you and share our passions with you so we all may find joy together!!
Good luck on the giveaway! Remember, each day holds a new chance to win so we invite you to enter every day in March!
With love,
Jodie & Julie
Great Tips!! I love changing my entry just a bit to welcome each new season!! What shall I do for March? March Madness ☘️☘️????????☔️☔️????????
Thanks Mandy! Stay tuned…we are finalizing pictures for our Spring Home Tours which will be up on the blog by this weekend! (fingers crossed)
Good luck!
With love and thanks,
Jodie & Julie
I love all the decorations in your homes. You two make it look simple. But I always feel overwhelmed when shopping for decor. Any advice ? -march madness. ????
Alison, First of all welcome to our blog. We hope you will come back each day during March Madness to enter for 31 chances…each day is a new giveaway…But truly, we are hoping to inspire you and to give you so much more than a home decor gift. We want to give you the gift of ongoing friendship, inspiration and support. In this short space it’s hard to give you the full expanse of my advice on the topic of shopping for home decor…I could write a book. However, if I could tell you one thing it would be to go shopping with a goal in mind, a specific place in your home. Go with tools: photos of the space, measurements, swatches, even small portable elements. Designers and decorators who are good at visualizing do this…you definitely need to do this because you are not as practiced at visualizing as even they are. So shop with purpose and you will be much less likely to be overwhelmed. Good luck! Your friends, Julie & Jodie
Second day of March Madness! Thank you for sharing with all your followers on Instagram ❤️
Thank-you for all the beautiful pics of your homes and the time you put into posting and talking about home decor!! You are amazing ladies!
Dear Kim, First of all welcome to our blog! We are so excited you are here! Next we want to thank you for your kind reply. It makes it all worthwhile to hear such kindness and generous feedback. We truly hope to inspire you…we hope that through our words here we can lift you up on a daily basis, show you how creativity can actually change you life, how attitude is your most powerful asset, and that together, we can do anything. Please, won’t you join us as we travel this exciting journey? With love & gratitude, Julie & Jodie
You are both so inspiring! I look forward to seeing my two new friends every day! I love your style and love to be inspired by you both!
Paula, What a sweet and generous reply! We love to hear it. We are honestly so thrilled and excited to have you join us on our blog. We hope that in 31 days with 31 chances to win you’ll come back often and take full advantage of the giveaways. Even more importantly, we hope that in the process you gain so much more…inspiration, ideas, knowledge, and of course friendship. With love & gratitude, Julie & Jodie
I have to say..I look forward every morning to hear and watch what you twins are up to. So darn cute. I totally love your ideas and blogs. March Madness.
Julie and Jodie, thanks for sharing! My husband and I are currently building a house and our front door entrance has a gorgeous vaulted wood ceiling, but there isn’t a ton of room to style the walls and floor. I’m thinking one of those mirrors you posted may do the trick to make the space seem a little larger! I happened upon your blog for March Madness and I’m so glad I did ☺️ Thanks, girls!
Alexandra, Well, we are so glad you stumbled upon our blog too! We sincerely hope you will continue to be inspired and enjoy this journey with us. With many blessings, Julie & Jodie
Good morning Julie and Jodie! Love how your entry way post focuses on lighting, storage, seating and personality! Am going to go decor shopping today to incorporate some of these ideas into my small entry way! Thanks for the inspiration! Bring on March Madness!
Great blog. Unfortunately my entry is so small that i have no room to put anything. It’s very simple and clean with a few of my late mother in laws paintings.
March Madness
Dear Nadia, That’s okay. Hopefully you can apply some of these ideas to any hallway or any landing spot in your home. I find that just thinking about decor helps me decorate other areas. We are so glad the giveaway motivated you to come to our blog. We hope that you will continue to make our blog a fun part of your day long after the giveaway is over. We hope to inspire you and motivate you in all kinds of ways and together, travel this journey…with gratitude, Julie & Jodie
Another great post. I agree with the entryway being the first and last impression and I change mine up frequently. Thanks for the tips. Such a beautiful entryway. March Madness
Enjoyed reading your post on decorating your entryway. Always something to look forward to reading everyday.. I wish you two success in all that you do. March Madness!
Love this post! I really need to work more on my entry to make it flow more with the rest of the house. Love your entry! It’s so inviting. March Madness!
Your entry is gorgeous! I am trying to work on my entry and keep going back to look at these pictures.
March Madness!
Aw, Maryellen, You are so sweet! I’ve spent a lot of time and energy creating this entry space. And of course I love to change it around. But it makes me happy that you like it. Thank you so much for making it to our blog. It means so much to Jodie and me. With gratitude, Julie & Jodie
I love reading your blogs and looking at your pictures, it gives me lots of great ideas. Happy March Madness
Thank you! We have a small entryway and I’ve been trying to figure out how to decorate it. These tips are very helpful! March Madness
Love all your blogs, but I really love your videos!! March Madness!!!
Oh my what a lovely entryway. Your home is so lovely thanks for sharing…..happy March Madness.
so stylish 🙂 I love all of them! many thanks
I’m totally going to use these ideas when our big house remodel is done! I mean this is great stuff… thank you so much for sharing your home and ideas with us.
~Sarah
P.S. March madness
I love your spaces. They are gorgeous and look absolutely comfortable at the same time.
Julie and Jodie-
I am so grateful for both of you. I’ve learned so much from your blog in the last month. I do have a small entryway that actually I don’t know if you can even consider it one since you step right into the living room as you come in. However, I do have a bench with hooks for coats but I’ve got ideas from you now I want to incorporate. Someday when I get some of my projects done, I’m gonna send you some pics. Thanks for the continued advice. God bless you both. ????????
Have been working on my entry and I think it is slowly coming together. Love your ideas! March Madness
Love your ideas. Your entry way is so inviting. Love it. My entry way is small but I’m excited to try and incorporate a style to it that will give a welcome feeling. ????March Madness ????
I like that you talked about considering the size of decorations when decorating your entryway. I have been wanting to try something new with my entry hallway, and I wasn’t sure how to choose decorations. I can see how it would be smart for me to choose smaller items, so I don’t make the place look crowded.
Scott, Thank you so much for visiting our blog. We are happy you had an “ah-ha” moment reading this post…and a solid take-away! We hope you will return often for more information and inspiration. With gratitude, Julie & Jodie
Wow! your front entryway decorating ideas are too good. These tips will help any individual to decorate home decor. Keep sharing!!!
Thank you so much! Very kind of you. Jodie and I appreciate your taking the time to read and reply. Hope you continue to enjoy our blog. Best wishes, Julie & Jodie
You really do have a beautiful home. I especially love your taste in furniture with all the light wood shades. Love this post!
Thank you for the kind words, Taylor. It means a lot. My entryway is one of my favorite places to decorate and of course so important as it is where first impressions happen. Hope you continue to enjoy our blog. Best wishes, Julie
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This is absolutely beautiful I can’t wait to do my foyer it is on my to do list thank you so much for the inspiration and have an amazing evening
Kathy,
Thank you so much for the sweet comment! We are so glad you are excited to try this in your own home! You are so welcome sweet friend!
Lots of love,
Jodie & Julie
I love your entry and it has lots of inspiration but I have a dilemma and would love a suggestion or two. My entry is so weird! As you come in the front door the stairs are slightly to the right but they are really curved and I have no clue what to put in that curvy area. since it’s way over to the right of the actual entryway. Almost behind the door. I don’t want a round table because we are super casual and I think it would look to elegant. I have a rattan wing back chair and small side table now but hate it. Any ideas?! Thank you sweet ladies. Love all that you do!
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for your kind reply. It’s hard to recommend what to do when I don’t have photos and I don’t know your taste. However, I can give you some general process advice. All you know right now it that you don’t love what you have currently. Try to identify what you don’t like about the current set up. I would suggest removing the chair and seeing with just the table. And try the reverse. I suggest trying a variety of items you currently have in your home to experiment with sizes and shapes and styles. Since you are struggling to visualize what to buy you need to run experiments. Also, simply google “entryway decor” or “round entryway table”. Google various phrases and start browsing photos to get ideas of what you like and various solutions. I think you are assuming a round table has to be elegant. You can get a table with a casual feel and decorate the area in a relaxed and cozy way and make it far from elegant. Wishing you great luck on your decorating adventure. Have fun with it! Blessings, Julie & Jodie
Always look forward to your blog posts! Have yall ever thought about writing a design book? Hint hint 😉
♡, Melissa
@lambertcottage
Melissa,
Aw this means so much to us thank you sweet friend. And that’s so sweet, we haven’t thought of it but we definitely want to write a book in the future. Thanks for your support on our blog!
Lots of love,
Jodie & Julie
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