A current photo would really help - I'm confused.

You can see the 4 family paintings in the lower left of the 2nd pic and those are supposed to be surrounding the HELLO sign (2x2)

I think you just need to paint the walls a color with some punch to it. The white is boring.

There is too much going on and too many little things.

Yeah, the stuff on the shelf needs to go - actually maybe the shelf part can go and the coat rack part can stay. But I still think it needs something else above it.

ETA: The Husband says the shelf has to stay for now. Need a workaround.

I also think the curtain rod over the front door is kind of awkward. Maybe spring rods with taut ,fitted curtains instead? Or blinds?

The shelf above your hanging coats looks populated with decorative items. I would definitely remove the shelf as it is not functioning as actual storage, and is not really contributing to décor. Agree with Tibb that you should have sheers shirred on rods on the sidelights only. Alternatively, the shutters are a more elegant solution.

Additionally--- I think the Hello on the underside of the stairs looks lost and the plant adjacent to it looks random. Have you looked for photos of split foyers online? You may need an inspiration picture.

Thanks - I like the sidelight rods - didn't know I could get those! The shelf has to stay for now until we can alter it down to just the coat rack (have to remove the brackets and shelf - won't take long, but you know, when to do it). Maybe just identical bins/baskets on top for now? As I said in one of my earlier posts, the HELLO sign will have 4 similar portrait paintings around it, but maybe even then that will look too cluttered. Definitely too many little things cluttering it up. The lucky bamboo is my nod to feng shui, lol. Split foyers with stairs in front of the door are bad for chi!! *sigh* Every little bit counts, doesn't it?

Honestly, there is nothing inherently wrong with a split foyer---it's what you put in it that makes it lovely and welcoming or not. The lucky bamboo is a good example of what not to do, as it is small and apropos of nothing else.

The bamboo is a nice though. I just think it's too small for where you've put it so it looks like it was just stuck there. Try it in different places in the foyer. I'm thinking where you've to the clock now or on one end of the shelf over the coat rack. I see nothing wrong with that shelf at all.

You have to work with what you've got which is a lot of wall space and a need to keep it uncluttered so traffic isn't impeded. So that leaves you with color, texture, lighting and artwork.

Here's a before/after from apartment therapy. Notice the pattern on the floor the impact of the color from the painted door and the simplicity of the mirror on the wall which reflects light and is of good scale.

Here's another where the simple colored rug picks up on the color in the artwork making a welcoming entry...and note the scale of the artwork which is appropriate for the space.

In your case I would eliminate all the small items, including that poor little plant. I think eliminating the shelf will be just as easy as changing the artwork would be, but if it must stay, then add a large piece of art above or make a grouping in good scale that makes it important, as in this example:

Also, the coat rack looks pretty crammed. If you are keeping the shelf, then consider adding hooks beneath it ... I think it could work better than the rack which might topple.

I'd paint the door red. Then I'd put the Hello or the large green/red artwork above the door for visual height (in greeting your guests, taking their coats etc they would still turn around to see it and it would be fun to walk down to every morning).

raising the curtain rod a ft or 18" above the door might make sense-- and then hang longer panels... there would be a little less empty wall and the door would maybe seem alittle elongated... I don't usually like curtain rods too far above window trim, but with the panels very similar to the wall color, it might look better than what you currently have. (I personally would take down the rod and would leave the sidelights open without anything covering them...)

in a previous home we had a large space above the door that I didn't like and I hung a tapestry there... it was much less expensive than a huge painting would have been, high enough up so that it's purpose to add color and texture was nice, but the picture on it didn't have to have gorgeous details, etc.

It looks like you're frittering away the 2 fabulous details in your entry--the gorgeous floors and the elegant stairway--by filling the area with low-impact decorating items. I love Annie's first photo, with the colorful rug and large artwork. It welcomes guests, as it should, and suggests a home filled with interesting people and things. I'm not a wall-word person, but I think if you used your "Hello" (I'd use a more elegant font; that one reminds me of Hello Kitty) and your cute portraits, kept the shelf just for utility, and picked up a colorful indoor/outdoor rug, your entry might have the pizazz you're looking for. Less is more, and not every wall needs filled. The reason that wall feels blank to you is because every other area is filled, so it feels empty by comparison.

I think it's a neat space and can appreciate that you want it to feeling welcoming to your family and guests. I agree that there are too many little objects on the shelves. I would remove everything from above the coat rack and just let it be a place to hang coats. I would move the large, colorful piece of art to over the door (if there's room) and put the H-E-L-L-O letters (so very cute, by the way!) over the shelf opposite the coat rack, and perhaps put a couple of larger items on the shelf, together on one side. I think the entry should set the tone for the home being entered, but you don't need a lot of items in order to do that.

Remove everything from the coat shelf. Put the faces artwork two above, stacked and centered and two below stacked and centered over the hello sign. It would look like a cross.

Leave the big print where it is and put some largish items on the shelf under it.

Paint a color block wall, floor to ceiling, on the door wall, maybe that bold red! But remove the curtains and rod and if you need something to block lookers get some glass frost and just cover the glass. Curtains or shutters just make it look small and cluttered and I think your modern design stuff needs uncluttered. Maybe paint the door red too! Leave the trim white.

Get a bigger more substantial light fixture or maybe spray paint the one you have black, chain and all. It needs a bit more umpph. ( how do you spell that anyway...)

Get a black square tall pot (Lowes has them) and replant the bamboo. Then try it on top of the coat rack shelf and just one basket.

I too love the user name! Too funny!

As for your dilemma, painting the walls would be nice, but lived in split foyer homes and know they are not fun to paint.
Personally, I don't see the shelf itself being a problem. It's what's on it. Too many colors and sizes in an area of the home first seen by guests. If it's used for storage, I suggest finding some (3) lidded baskets or bins all in one color to hide the goodies (hats, gloves, scarves and such) inside to set in a row on top. Possibly a slightly larger one in the middle if you like. Since you like color, you could always paint the baskets all one color instead of natural, but I'd still go with all one color to keep the visual "clutter" down. Meaning too much for the eye to rest when too many colors are used. Unless of course that's what you like. I actually like lots of color but thrive on earth tones for most of our home.

Wow, thank you for the suggestions, everyone!

Annie Deighnaugh - I saw that Apartment Therapy foyer in my search for ideas yesterday and loved it. So fun that you chose it as an example for me! How could I make that wall that the door opens to (the one that has the artwork on it in the example) work with the coat rack there? When we first moved here, I looked for that exact same striped rug (it's an Ikea rug) for the entryway and sadly, it had been phased out by Ikea by that point. Will look for another, low budget solution. We really need the coat rack for the 2 kids and their things as well as for guests. We've had to repurpose the coat closet at the top of the stairs as our pantry! So little storage space in our house, but we have to make it work somehow. I also recognize the need to pare things down as well. Will keep trying.

justgotabme - yes! Love those bins. Will try to find some that will work for the shelf.

deeinohio - you are right - it looks like the other walls need something because there is too much going on elsewhere. I like the sign letters though - I need to find another way to make them work. I kinda like how when I open the door, you can see, "HELLO" or "HELL" lol. Twisted, I know.

missymoo12 - What kind of large things should I put on that ledge? It's not very deep so I'm limited to large skinny things. I've been wanting to paint that light for a couple of years now, but The Husband says we should just buy a new one. Well, the latter hasn't happened yet so we might as well just paint it. Maybe I should just tell him I'm going to paint it and need to have him take it down and then he'll take me light shopping for our anniversary next week, lol! Hah! It worked - I just told him I was going to paint it and he said "JUST CHOOSE A LIGHT FIXTURE AND I WILL BUY IT FOR YOU!" Heh.

auntjen - putting the letters elsewhere never occurred to me (stuck in a rut) and so if I can make those letters work in that space by moving them, then I will! I love those letters.

lisad82 - the problem with painting the inside of the door is that the outside of the door is actually painted a yellow-orange (BM Citrus Blast). Will try the letters elsewhere!

tibbrix - I moved the lucky bamboo upon your suggestion to the corner behind the door. I guess it looks better there than just hanging out in the middle of nowhere! I believe that is still in keeping with good feng shui (!!). I know, silly, but it doesn't hurt? No one can see it there when the door is open anyway.

Thank you all again for the suggestions. Now I'm off to look for a new light fixture. :D

Welcome to hell...o! This photo was from a few years ago so the downstairs doesn't look like that anymore. I cleaned it up with just a single piece of artwork on that wall where you see the dry erase board. The ledge has also been decluttered. :D

Lol.

Why not put the "HELLO" on the middle stair riser?

I completely understand your frustration over the small entry, as I too, currently live in a split foyer. I'm not sure what your budget is, but maybe look at taking the uneven ledge wall and making it flat to the ceiling, so you could put the coat rack and baskets on that wall instead? Similar to how Robin (Keep Home Simple Blog) decorated her split foyer.

http://keephomesimple.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-new-stair-rail-and-other-simple.html

Not sure on the height or length you have for your straight railing section, or how much living room space you have on the other side of the railing, but another idea might be to take out the straight railing, and replace it with built in cabinets or shelving. This is actually what I'm doing right now for my entry (DIY), as a way to add much needed storage without cluttering up my entry. I plan on having a simple coat rack on the wall behind the door for guests, and then have the cabinets and shelving for storage (hats, gloves, shoes etc.), and my coat closet at the top of the stairs (like yours) for our own coats.

Also agree with others that suggested getting a different light fixture. I'm not sure about the letters on the wall, I wonder if doing something simple, but fun on the risers of the steps would be better?

Ha! Love your Hell.....with the hidden O. Too funny.
If you have a Hobby Lobby near you, they often have covered baskets on sale for half off.

I also have a split foyer, so I can relate to your situation. I recently went from colored walls to nearly white, and I don't find the lack of wall color boring at all, but now that everything is lighter, I really want to paint the door to give the area some contrast. I like your Marimekko colors a lot and it would be fun to use one of them.

Because of the small space, I've avoided storing coats or anything else near the door. Kids take coats to their rooms and adults hang theirs in the coat closet upstairs.

I wish I had your sidelights as our foyer is too dark and I could not keep a plant alive there. For yours, I would remove the curtain rod and panels and as others have suggested. I like both of Tibbrix's suggestions there.

For me the constant struggle is finding rugs that work with the small size of the foyer without looking like doormats.

I would think about mounting hooks below the shelf as in justgotabme's example above. Coat racks to me need some space and are in danger of tipping in a narrow area where people are going by...a row of hooks makes it easier to find what you're looking for, won't tip and will be flatter to the wall.

Coat rack was meant as in coat hooks on the wall, not the free standing rack, there isn't room for that.

On the other hand, "HELL" above stairs leading DOWN...hmmmm...makes some sense!

Lol.

If it's in your budget, consider doing a continual runner down both stairs and the foyer floor, so all one piece; a runner, not wall-to-wall, maybe leaving 5 inches or so between the carpet and the walls in the foyer area. Use a heavy-traffic carpet. This will also protect those beautiful hardwood floors in a high-traffic area.

(Re HELL leading downstairs ... ) Let's just hope that's not where the kitchen is. Wouldn't say much about your cooking, now would it?

;-D

The problem with putting a nice rug/carpet in that space is that people will invariably wipe their shoes on it, even with a welcome mat/rug outside. The wheels are turning. Got some great ideas from all of you - though I do have to say, I have a young-ish family and we are not high-end design or budget by any means. I have to work with what we've got! Been looking for lighting in the foyer and there are just too many choices in this world for someone to choose just one! Argh.

I have found that a wool rug holds up nicely against dirty shoes. I had one at the front door of my previous home that withstood a decade of people going in and out in all sorts of weather. Vacuuming and occasional spot cleaning was all that was required to keep it looking nice. What finally "killed it" was cat pee though. You just can't win against that nasty stuff it seems.

I've just bought a new wool rug (shown below) to go in front of the door of our new home and I love it. O.co has some nice selections that are not terribly expensive. I think I paid less than $50 for this 2' x 3'. Its actual colors are little "muddier" than they appear in the photo, but I figure, hey - already "mudded" up so I'm not going to fret about what our feet do to it.

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Better a rug than those floors. That's why I suggested getting carpeting that is for high-traffic areas. My father has a rental property, three apartments, with a staircase going up to the second-floor unit. We put high-traffic carpeting inside the front door (although his is wall-to-wall), entire front hall and up the stairs. Got it at Home Depot and in a pattern that hides everything. This was about 20 years ago, and it has held up unbelievably well.

But yet, If that's not in your budget now, find a good mat for people to wipe their feet on.

I do have a rug on the floor right now - it's one of those round black ones from Ikea at this link: http://bit.ly/1GiC51L

I would like to find a new one to go in that space, something that won't compete so much with the Marimekko on the wall, but isn't too blah and won't show so much dirt if people wipe their shoes on it. I do have a doormat outside, but people don't wipe their feet on that and choose to wipe it on the indoor rug instead.

It won't compete so much colour-wise with the large Marimekko panel that's there right now.

OK, so if I swap out the coat rack/shelf that's there now with a coat rack tree with a small footprint and tucked it behind the door rather than have the door open up to the coat rack, then would that work? Would the Marimekko look fine where it is now in that case or should I then move it to the wall that the coat rack/shelf is on right now?

I don't think you should put a floor rack behind the door. They always look cool with nothing on them, but the minute you hang three coats and a purse on...not tidy or cool.

See my post above. I like that Marimekko where it is. Just clean up the shelf rack you have there now and limit how much stuff you have on top. Add those other prints to the HELLO sign wall.

I love that IKEA rug. Keep it.

ok, missymoo12! I'll try those suggestions first because they are working with what I've got. Will post an update.

I would paint the inside of the door a dark gray or black for a little definition and contrast without clashing with the citrus color on the other side.