You know that feeling when you're FINALLY home after a long day? You pull into the driveway or walk up the walk and a you sigh. That is until you walk up to the door. Dead potted plants, spiderwebs from the overhanging rafters, chipped paint on the door. Not very welcoming. Is this what you see when you come up the walk?
I'm depressed and I don't even live here! This is a case of curb side pick up to the rescue. The front walk and door is what people see as a first impression of you and your family. This is, as they say, not so good!
I would paint the door a darker color, can't see the roof color but maybe a door in the dark rust/brown family. Or use one of these color choices:
The color of the house seems to be OK, orangey shades are welcoming and the path is not straight up the yard to the door, so the bones are there.
I'd say that storing the junk, placing a healthy potted plant or two near the door, putting out an updated welcome mat and some flowers in the flowerbed would go a long way! Also a wind chime, a decorative flag or a mobile would attract energy that will come into the house with you.
Ready, let's open the door, shall we?
Hey, at least the coats are hung up and the hats are in neat rows! Could have been coats, backpacks, shoes and assorted sundries are all over the place. Oh wait, there is! More orderly perhaps, but does it say welcome home? At home are you trying to hide from peeling corners on the wallpaper, scuffed up paint, smudges on the woodwork? And if you are coming in through the garage and laundry area, I'm so sorry! We don't need to even see what you'll go through.
Like I say, it could be worse, but let's see what could be done with a really small space.
Now this is a bit better. Even though this is a tiny space to the right of the door, look at all the organization going on here. I imagine the shoes are stored in the bench but you'll need to fit a boot tray in there for the snow areas of the country. In a small entry the big difference will be that the entire jacket wardrobe can't be there. Pull out only what you'll wear on the day when space is at a premium. I'd add more hooks so we could put the dog leash into the mix. Love the little decorative touches and it seems to do the trick to welcome us in such a small space.
What if you have a small entry with a closet but there's still not enough storage? Take a look at this :
Sometimes re-thinking an area is a smart option, a good DIY project if you are a bit more seasoned. This family now has a seat to put on shoes, hanging area for coats and storage galore! I've had clients where we've had to hang up the bicycle or stroller on the wall in an entry, not ideal but organized at least. If you are lucky and have a mudroom, vestibule or garage entry outside the house, great! Putting away stuff is still a priority but at least you don't have to deal with putting it away inside!
Color is an important factor when re-doing the entry. I mentioned orange shades as welcoming, but what if you don't like that color?
Here is a more earthy orange with black. Don't forget the color spectrum is wide. Oranges could go from the palest peachy pink to the deepest rust.
Yellow is another good entry color for welcoming guests:
Yellow? This particular entry is painted a creamy yellow off white. The flooring and lighting also cast a yellow glow. This is a very simple but effective entry hall, a tray for keys, letter sorter for mail and a small lamp for a night light. The closet is probably off to the left for storage. (Wrap that cord up off the floor, oops sorry, couldn't help myself). As always, when in doubt, go green! Green is the color of life and growth.
What if you have stairs coming right down to the front door? Unfortunately, not very good Feng Shui. Ch'i (energy) scoots right out the door in that case. You want it to meander around your entry hall and not head on out too quickly! My favorite cure for stairs going straight towards the door is an overhead light with clear crystals like so:
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| Messy House via uglyhousephotos.com |
I'm depressed and I don't even live here! This is a case of curb side pick up to the rescue. The front walk and door is what people see as a first impression of you and your family. This is, as they say, not so good!
I would paint the door a darker color, can't see the roof color but maybe a door in the dark rust/brown family. Or use one of these color choices:
 |
| Colors via Design Seeds |
The color of the house seems to be OK, orangey shades are welcoming and the path is not straight up the yard to the door, so the bones are there.
I'd say that storing the junk, placing a healthy potted plant or two near the door, putting out an updated welcome mat and some flowers in the flowerbed would go a long way! Also a wind chime, a decorative flag or a mobile would attract energy that will come into the house with you.
Ready, let's open the door, shall we?
 |
| Entry Hall via uglyhousephotos.com |
Hey, at least the coats are hung up and the hats are in neat rows! Could have been coats, backpacks, shoes and assorted sundries are all over the place. Oh wait, there is! More orderly perhaps, but does it say welcome home? At home are you trying to hide from peeling corners on the wallpaper, scuffed up paint, smudges on the woodwork? And if you are coming in through the garage and laundry area, I'm so sorry! We don't need to even see what you'll go through.
Like I say, it could be worse, but let's see what could be done with a really small space.
 |
| Tiny entry via Google |
Now this is a bit better. Even though this is a tiny space to the right of the door, look at all the organization going on here. I imagine the shoes are stored in the bench but you'll need to fit a boot tray in there for the snow areas of the country. In a small entry the big difference will be that the entire jacket wardrobe can't be there. Pull out only what you'll wear on the day when space is at a premium. I'd add more hooks so we could put the dog leash into the mix. Love the little decorative touches and it seems to do the trick to welcome us in such a small space.
What if you have a small entry with a closet but there's still not enough storage? Take a look at this :
 |
| Hall closet re-do via the houseofsmiths.com |
Color is an important factor when re-doing the entry. I mentioned orange shades as welcoming, but what if you don't like that color?
 |
| Orange entry via Houzz |
Here is a more earthy orange with black. Don't forget the color spectrum is wide. Oranges could go from the palest peachy pink to the deepest rust.
Yellow is another good entry color for welcoming guests:
 |
| Entry via circledesigns.blogspot.com |
Yellow? This particular entry is painted a creamy yellow off white. The flooring and lighting also cast a yellow glow. This is a very simple but effective entry hall, a tray for keys, letter sorter for mail and a small lamp for a night light. The closet is probably off to the left for storage. (Wrap that cord up off the floor, oops sorry, couldn't help myself). As always, when in doubt, go green! Green is the color of life and growth.
What if you have stairs coming right down to the front door? Unfortunately, not very good Feng Shui. Ch'i (energy) scoots right out the door in that case. You want it to meander around your entry hall and not head on out too quickly! My favorite cure for stairs going straight towards the door is an overhead light with clear crystals like so:
 |
| Via Lamp Plus |
Or
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| Via Lamps Plus |
Both are good choices for decorative purposes and to keep the ch'i in check. Look on lighting websites for great ideas in fixtures that add crystals to your interior design style or hang a simple 30 mm crystal from the ceiling if you wish.
Another cure for stairs heading out the door is a circular or octagonal area rug. The ch'i is supposed to hit the rug and be flung into the room!
These ideas are just a sample of entry hall designing. The key points here are organization and removal of clutter inside and outside the door, fixing the boo boos while changing out the color and any needed cures for the staircase out the door. Then that sigh at the end of the day will be for day end relief and not a sign of more stress!
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