Small Front Entrance Decorating Ideas

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50 Foyers That Make a Stunning First Impression

Come on in.

contemporary entryway with black grand piano

Stephen Karlisch

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover—but in many cases, we think it's fair to judge a home by its foyer. Whether it's a grand house or a tiny apartment with a nook by the door, your home's entry is the first thing visitors see when they step inside your house and the sight that welcomes you home every day. So make it a good one! From high-drama to super-cozy, here are 50 of our favorite entryways from the pages of House Beautiful as well as our favorite new designers.

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Hang a Pet's Portrait

Commission an artist to capture a hyperrealistic portrait of your pet to hang in the entryway to greet you and your guests each time you walk through the front door. We're loving this foyer by Romanek Design Studio. The juxtaposition between the dog's serious expression and the laidback floor tiles, throw pillow, settee, and sconces create a fun air of irreverence.

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Use a Daring Color

Lipstick pink might not be the most obvious choice for a foyer, but in this 19th-century Brooklyn townhouse, it's a total showstopper. Designer Jonathan Berger, who used Benjamin Moore's Razzle Daz, played up the historic glamour with a Louis XV chair and table and an 18th-century Italian mirror.

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Add Animal Print

Designers love animal prints for stair runners—they're great at camouflaging muddy footprints, spills, and other wear and tear from daily life. Garrow Kedigian used Stark's classic Antilocarpa for the stairs of his Montreal townhouse in homage to the region's fur-trading history.

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Feature a Prominent Instrument

What better way to make a grand entrance than with a grand piano? In this entryway designed by Dallas-based decorator Jean Liu, the glossy black piano asserts a stately, formal air while the light wood flooring, modern glass elements, and worn leather pieces ensure a grounded welcome.

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Pack It All In

If you're working with a pint-sized entryway, you can still make it feel grand. Case in point? This foyer designed Tamsin Johnson. All it takes is a chic mirror, accent chair, umbrella holder, and a couple of hooks. With the right pieces, you can stretch just a few items into a sculptural statement.

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Utilize Smart Storage

The coral skirted table isn't just striking—it also hides the family's clutter. "It has a lot of stuff stored under it on a shelf—baseball mitts and Wellington boots," says designer Tom Scheerer, who worked with Quadrille to create the lattice wallcovering.

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Invest In Custom Builds

Designed by Corey Jenkins, this little nook is another great example of a small but impactful entryway. He maximized limited space with a built-in bench and slim side table for keys and other essentials. Then he covered the wall in an eye-catching blue wallpaper to break up all the white space. It's the perfect complement to the chevron throw pillow and graphic artwork.

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Embrace Old-School Styling

Architect James Carter and designer Jane Hawkins opted for a low-ceilinged entry with an up-and-down stair landing in this newly-built (but old-looking) country house. "When you enter, it feels like a tiny cottage. We wanted to delay the drama," says Carter.

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Let Light In With Glass Panels

The inky pigment and sharp angles of the light fixtures and graphic area rugs assert a modern edge to the foyer, which also gets just a splash of old-school decadence with an ornate console table. It's eclectic without being jarring. Also, pro tip: If you're redoing the entryway, consider flanking your front doors with glass panels to flood the entire space with natural light.

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#blueandwhiteforever

No one does blue and white quite like Mark D. Sikes. He piled on the patterns in this Beverly Hills foyer, mixing China Seas wallpaper and textiles with Fermoie chandelier shades and an Elizabeth Eakins striped rug.

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Fill Negative Space

That awkward space under the stairs doesn't have to be so, well, awkward. Romanek Design Studio spruced up the negative space with an elegant settee and set of small frames that work with the scale of the niche but speak to the other design concepts of the room, like the black and white stone tiles and elaborate chandelier. An architectural stool and modern accents bring the perfect balance.

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Opt for Natural Textures

A sisal rug as wallcovering? Why not?, says Colleen Bashaw. "I didn't want to cover up that great cement-tile floor, so that sparked the idea of putting sisal on the wall," she explains. "[The contractor] mixed up a custom paste, applied it to the back of the rug, and hung it like wallpaper."

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Update Coastal Style

"We found this incredible carpet from 1stdibs and the blue-glass console from Avenue Road and just followed that thread," says Philip Mitchell of the blue-and-white—but by no means nautical—palette.

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Choose a Statement Rug

This entryway designed by Arent & Pyke shows both restraint and personality thanks to the architectural staircase, double frosted glass doors, and burnt orange rug, which leads the eye straight back. The rust and sage colors in the rug warm up the darker elements and tie everything together nicely.

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Go Grand

A sweeping staircase makes a major statement in the entry of a Fifth Avenue duplex. Garrow Kedigian, a Paris flea market regular, found these neoclassical-style antique gilt stools during one of his shopping trips.

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Save Space Stylishly

Schuyler Samperton used a vintage console and West Elm basket to turn the vestibule of her pint-sized Miami Beach rental into a drop zone for keys and dog leashes. "That Chinese console is a vibrant blast of green in such a tiny zone, but the slim shape makes it work," she says.

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Make Room for Storage

"'Moments' rather than looks best encapsulate a home's positive impact, and the ultimate moment experienced in Magnolia House is the slow and elegant descent down its new sculptural staircase, the metaphorical spine of both the home and the project," write designers Arent & Pyke. The jib door is continuous with the baby-blue painted paneling as to not interrupt visual flow while also providing extra storage.

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Add Globe-Trotting Flair

South African designer Mally Skok mixed pieces from her travels in the foyer of her Massachusetts home.

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Modernize Midcentury Elements

Architect Ray Booth of McAlpine used a louvered screen in the entry of a 1961 Houston house to replace an old '60s room divider. The screen keeps the space separate from the dining room while still feeling airy.

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Keep it Elegant

Black-and-white marble entryway floors never go out of style—see this Georgian-style Atlanta home designed by Melanie Turner for proof.

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Upgrade Your Drop Zone

Who says a kid-friendly foyer can't be ultra-luxe too? This circular settee upholstered in fuchsia velvet has become a New York family's landing pad for backpacks and sweaters. "The kids come through this hallway and toss everything on that ottoman. It really functions," says designer Fawn Galli.

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Keep it Small But Mighty

Even a corner can become a proper entry with the right accessories, says Sarah Bartholomew. For a Georgetown house where the front door opens right onto the living room, she explains, "I wanted to create a moment by the front door where you could pause and hang your coat, but it had to feel cohesive with the room. That's why there's a bird print over the entry console instead of a mirror."

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Add a Tropical Punch

A classic banana-leaf motif by Hinson announces you're in warm-weather territory as soon as you set foot in Lindsey Lane's Palm Beach bungalow.

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Go Wild with Floor-to-Ceiling Pattern

John Fondas' trick for a low-ceilinged space: top-to-bottom pattern—and an oversized round mirror. "Unlike horizontal mirrors, round ones don't lower the ceiling," he explains.

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Cultivate a Jewelbox Allure

King of color Miles Redd went all-out in this Manhattan foyer, mixing bold tones and a black-and-white floor. "The wife is super-stylish, and she wanted it to feel like an opium den where Yves Saint Laurent had just left the room," he says.

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Embrace Wood Tones

Gideon Mendelson updated a new home's Neo-Elizabethan woodwork with a modern chandelier by Apparatus. Brass spindles on the staircase add another metallic touch.

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Create a Gallery

Janie Molster used a collection of black-and-white art to add a contemporary touch to the muted pinks and grays of her Richmond entryway.

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Go Green

Traditional woodwork in Juan Carretero's Catskills house is anything but staid thanks to lush green paint (Sherwin Williams' Country Squire) and black-and-white cement tile.

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Update the Classics

In a Maine summer house, classic New England style gets a bold update with millwork in Farrow & Ball's Red Earth. "We wanted to keep the feeling of an authentic old farmhouse while using rich and unexpected colors," says designer Kari McCabe.

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Show Off Shiplap

For an example of shiplap done right, see how architect Ruard Veltman used horizontal paneling to create a shaker-inspired entryway that's rustic but not theme-y.

Emma Bazilian Senior Features Editor Emma Bazilian is a writer and editor covering interior design, market trends and culture.

Hadley Mendelsohn Senior Editor Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful's senior editor, and when she's not busy obsessing over all things decor-related, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again.

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