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By Mitchell Owens and Rachel Davies
Consider the entrance hall your opportunity to sweep guests off their feet. There’s no shortage of entryway ideas; whether visitors are welcomed into a soaring space crowned with a sparkling chandelier or a cozy foyer with warm wood floors and a bouquet of blooms, the entryway sets the tone for the rest of your home. This transitory spot is the perfect place to showcase a sleek console table and statement mirror, a bold painting or sculpture, or an ornately tiled floor with a vibrant color palette.
If you’re looking for entryway decor ideas, why not take a cue from some of the most stunning entrances featured in the AD archives to ensure that the foyer of your home is as spectacular as the rooms that follow? You know what they say: You rarely get a second chance to make a good first impression.
In order to make your entryway look nice, consider what your priorities are for the space. If it doubles as a mudroom, prioritize building out ample storage space. For a crisp and clean look, add in closed closets, but for a more family-friendly approachable appeal, employ coat hooks and open shelves.
If you don’t need to use your entryway for storage, consider the space as your decorative mission statement for your home. What exactly do you want to communicate with your guests from the moment they walk through the door? What would make you feel most comfortable after a long day out once you step foot inside? Whether it’s a framed photo of your family, a small table to place your keys so you never have to wonder where you put them, or a prized artwork, figure out a singular piece that can serve as your entryway’s focal point and build from there. Since the majority of entryways are at a smaller scale than the rest of the home’s rooms, and many are directly open to the rest of the home, it’s best to keep the design simple if you’re intimidated by decorating the space.
Figuring out how to decorate an awkward entryway space depends most on what exactly makes your entryway awkward. In a space that’s hard to decorate because it’s open to the rest of your home and doesn’t feel separate enough, figure out a way to softly distinguish it from the rest of the living space. This could involve using a small area rug just for the entryway, using a different paint color or wallpaper, or even adding a screen, divider, or bookshelf between the entryway and the rest of the home. For something even more subtle, consider adding a floor lamp or plant to mark the divide between the spaces.
If your entryway is awkward not because of your home’s layout, but instead because of the room’s shape, consider centering your design on a commanding pendant light fixture that can serve as a centerpiece. While this certainly doesn’t work in every space, it can be especially impactful for entryways that have little wall room for artwork or other decoration, and it’s a relatively low-effort fix.
In the entrance hall of this Minneapolis mansion, designer Michael S. Smith employed a painting by Jacob Kassay, Qing-dynasty vessels, and a tabletop sculpture by Anish Kapoor; the custom-painted fretwork pattern over the dining room doorway is by Gracie.
Interior designer Nancy Morton enclosed the loggia of her 1940 house in Boca Grande, Florida, to create an entrance hall that doubles as a casual living room, furnished with welcoming seating areas. Even in smaller entryways, consider adding a seat or two to create a more comfortable space. This is especially fitting for entryways that get a lot of natural light or offer a pleasurable view that you wouldn’t want to go to waste.
At Obercreek, the Hudson River Valley farm of investor Alex Reese and his wife, architect Alison Spear, the stone-floored entrance hall is lined with family portraits, hung frame to frame on the pale gray walls. Heirloom Windsor chairs flank the front door, and the 19th-century settees are upholstered in a flame stitch by Scalamandré.
In a stylish Hamptons home devised by Deborah Berke and decorated by Thomas O’Brien, the latter’s pendant lights from Aero join an Alexandre Noll sculpture (far end) and a Donald Baechler painting (right) in the long entrance hall; an Alexander Calder lithograph is mounted at the bottom of the staircase.
In the entrance hall of Steven Klein’s home in Bridgehampton, New York, a striking image that he photographed of Brad Pitt pops against the space’s black, white, and brown palette. Horizontal boards amplify the room’s length and the peaked ceiling lends height and drama. Dark colors help to create a sleek and sophisticated impression, as in this home, whereas bright neutrals can allow for an energizing first step inside.
A custom-made table anchors a New York City apartment entrance hall that decorator Vicente Wolf conceived as a mini-gallery, with works by Richard Prince, Brice Marden, Eric Fischl, and Thomas Houseago. The large space could easily house a splendid cocktail party, since the long table could serve as a bar, if necessary.
Placing family heirlooms front and center in a home can serve as an immediate conversation starter with guests. The 13th-century entrance hall inside this Irish castle was remodeled in the 1830s after a fire; the 17th-century Brussels tapestries came into the family in 1935. Even without generational furniture pieces on hand, family photos or mementos make for lovely foyer decorating ideas.
Thanks to bright white walls and shimmering silver flooring, the art pieces really pop in the entrance hall of this home designed by Charles Zana for a couple with a blue-chip contemporary art collection. A deep red Anish Kapoor sculpture greets visitors, while a text painting by Richard Prince hangs opposite a dramatic glass-bead sculpture by Jean-Michel Othoniel.
What should you put in your entryway? Why not add a few seats! The travertine-tiled entrance gallery of Donny Deutsch's Manhattan townhouse is anchored by bespoke Ingrao sofas, both upholstered in a Perennials bouclé.
A sunburst of marble and onyx paves the entrance of a Bel Air, California, mansion renovated by Tichenor & Thorp Architects and interior designer Kelly Wearstler. Beneath the spiky Jean de Merry ceiling fixture, a Pedro Friedeberg table rises like a golden fountain.
At designer Ralph Lauren’s residence in Bedford, New York, a 19th-century Dutch chandelier presides over the entrance hall. Faux moose head wall mounts and a tall vase add additional dimension to the space, immediately drawing the eye in.
There’s nothing worse than stepping inside and feeling like your surroundings have become distinctly more dull. The entrance hall of interior designer Ray Booth’s Nashville, Tennessee, home is backed by near floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a sense of breeziness and fostering a connection with the property’s exterior.
In the baronial entry hall of Tommy Hilfiger’s Connecticut estate, an antique iron chandelier hangs over an 1840s Gothic Revival library entry table and Martyn Lawrence Bullard–designed stools, which are dressed in a Robert Kime print with a Samuel & Sons fringe trim.
At a Southampton home renovated by interior designer David Netto and architect David Hottenroth, a rush basket from Mecox sits beside the door in the entry hall, which is crowned by a Charles Edwards pendant light. A Poul Kjærholm daybed stretches out in front of the fireplace, and the midcentury French shell sconces are from JF Chen.
At Victoria and Vassily V. Sidorov’s country house near Moscow, designer Gabhan O’Keeffe painted the entrance hall to resemble padded white leather. The black walnut table’s wasp-waist silhouette keeps sight lines open, and the stone floor features a radiant inlaid pattern of limestone and silver mosaic tiles.
Even in a New York City apartment, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent manage to create a home that feels connected to nature. Earth-toned flooring, artwork, and furniture—French limestone floor, a Matt Connors painting, and a 19th-century French pedestal table specifically—create a sharp contrast from the grittiness of the city the moment they step through the door.
Interior designer Tino Zervudachi’s black-and-white Paris entrance hall puts every inch of space to use—including the area underneath the sweeping staircase. The space is often used for dinner parties thanks to those eye-popping red-leather-clad 19th-century chairs.
The light-flooded foyer of this Long Island beachfront home by architect Thomas Kligerman and decorator Elissa Cullman welcomes with its warm, neutral palette and natural finishes; the bespoke door hardware is by the Nanz, and the steps are made of reclaimed oak.
Boasting spectacular views, the entrance hall of a Lake Placid, New York, home by architect Gil Schafer includes a 19th-century gilt-frame mirror from Sutter Antiques, a mahogany trolley from John Rosselli Antiques, and George III side chairs with seats covered in a Bennison floral.
Hospitality Furniture Black-and-white floor tiles by Clé provide a graphic welcome at the Manhattan duplex apartment of Naomi Watts; the interiors were designed by the firm Ashe + Leandro. The entrance hall's pendant light is by Ralph Lauren Home, the 19th-century shellback chairs are from KRB, and the painting in the stairway is by Harland Miller.