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Jazz Up Your Entryway

Your entryway or foyer may just be the most important part of your home, and yet it is often the most neglected - the place where clutter appears and then never seems to leave.  The entryway creates a first impression of you and your home to visitors.  With some thought, it can present a welcoming invitation to family and visitors alike.

Creating a good initial impression requires an uncluttered walkway and entryway.  Spend a little time collecting trash, shoes, and toys that can collect on the porch, and give your walkway and porch a good sweep.  Include the walls and ceiling as well, to remove spiders, dust bunnies, and dirt.  Create sparkle by shining your windows and glass doors.  Adding chairs, a glider swing, and a table develops a comfortable outdoor "room" for those warm summer nights.  Add color and personality with decorative plants, flowers, and a fun doormat for muddy feet.

Inside your foyer, extend the welcome by creating an uncluttered space that reflects your personality.  You can give your entryway dramatic impact with custom stained glass windows.  The iridescent colors and designs of stained glass provide unique decorative elements, playing with light and prismatic reflections.  Entryway furniture may include a glass table, chest, or baker's rack, giving an area to personalize your space with family photos or a personal collection.  A mirror will reflect light and give the illusion of a larger space, while allowing you to make those last minute hair and make-up checks before you walk out the door.  A plant-filled urn by the doorway will lend vitality to the space while taking advantage of light.

Don't forget the floor, often the first place one looks when entering a room.  A tile mosaic creates a functional and decorative floor.  Luxurious hall runners and rectangular rugs can coordinate in color and style with home decor in other rooms, inviting and leading the visitor into the main part of the home.  

With children in the home, the entryway can be a special challenge.  Coats, shoes and backpacks quickly end up cluttering the entryway space without an organizational system.  Placing colorful hooks in strategic locations provides an organized space for coats and backpacks.  A bench in the entryway allows a space for quickly putting on or removing shoes, and provide hidden storage space.  Totes or cubbies can hold school papers, gloves, keys, and all those other items that we always seem to need at the last minute as we are walking out the door. 

Provide the final welcoming touch with scented potpourri, a spray of fresh flowers, scented stones, or a vanilla candle. 

An entryway in/out box system for organizing papers

Caring for interior plants

Stained glass windows