The Cure for Houzz Envy: Entryway Touches Anyone Can Do
Make a smashing first impression with just one or two affordable design moves
In case the diagnosis of Acute Houzz Envy is new to you, here’s the deal. Looking at gorgeous rooms for so many hours can lead to feeling forlorn about one’s own home — that it will never look as lovely as the photos online without piles of money. In this series we’re curing Houzz envy by showing you how to borrow ideas from any room you see and apply them to your own rooms, for little to no money.
Today we’ll tackle an easy one, the entryway. This is where the interior of your home makes its first impression, so you want it to represent your personal style. Here are some of the most beautiful entryways around, with ideas you can tailor to your own house.
More Houzz envy cures: In the kitchen | In the dining room | In the guest room | In the living room
Today we’ll tackle an easy one, the entryway. This is where the interior of your home makes its first impression, so you want it to represent your personal style. Here are some of the most beautiful entryways around, with ideas you can tailor to your own house.
More Houzz envy cures: In the kitchen | In the dining room | In the guest room | In the living room
Make a statement with one unique piece. This part from an antique French scale was transformed into a stunning piece of furniture with a simple board across the top. An antique or reclaimed piece like this will show guests your creativity right off the bat.
Try a dresser. If you have the room, a dresser like this can be a dream for storing things in the hallway, helping to keep everything neat while fitting the scale of the space. In addition to keys, mail and coins, it can hold all that winter gear like gloves and hats, extra dining room linens and fun stuff like playing cards.
Pull up a bench. If your front entry is the one you use most often, a spot where you can pull up and take off your shoes is very handy. A bench — even a backless one that can double as a coffee table sometimes — is a great option.
A simple coatrack holding totes, a scarf and a hat adds interest at eye level here.
A simple coatrack holding totes, a scarf and a hat adds interest at eye level here.
Pews also make good benches for long entryways. There are many available free.
See more ways to resurrect church pews
See more ways to resurrect church pews
Two side dining chairs work well as a bench substitute. I love this entry’s simple appeal.
Add style with throw pillows. These are easy to change out for the holidays, seasonally or whenever you get the itch to shake up your color scheme.
Some entries are awkward not-quite-rooms — this often happens after wacky renovations. For instance, in my neighborhood, a lot of the Arts and Crafts bungalows have weird vestibules where smallish outdoor entry porches used to be, and their proportions are odd. Filling one with furniture like a normal room would make it look too cluttered, but a console table by itself is not really enough.
If you know what I’m talking about, you’ll delight in this settee solution as much as I did. Now, most of us don’t have an extra settee around, but it’s something to think about. A funky and inexpensive outdoor settee in wicker or metal could be cleaned up and painted to look great in one of these not-quite-a-room entryways.
If you know what I’m talking about, you’ll delight in this settee solution as much as I did. Now, most of us don’t have an extra settee around, but it’s something to think about. A funky and inexpensive outdoor settee in wicker or metal could be cleaned up and painted to look great in one of these not-quite-a-room entryways.
Don’t feel the need to fill it up. Unless you have some huge gallery-like foyer, entry hall furnishings do not have to be elaborate. One piece of furniture, a light overhead and a few vases give this foyer a spartan, modern farmhouse look.
Have a place to stash things in. The key to a successful entryway is to have somewhere to dump the stuff that’s in your hands when you enter, even in a small space. A simple floating console doesn’t take up any floor space, and a large round mirror makes the space seem bigger.
Outfit a console table. Again, this serves as a place for keys and mail. I love the light provided by the table lamp, the mirror for checking on lipstick or cowlicks before heading out the door, room for a plant or sculptural objects, and the basket underneath, where you can stash anything from scarves to flip-flops. It’s all tucked nicely and unobtrusively to the side.
If your entry has high ceilings, try a vertical stack of artwork. It’s easy to create a grouping of artwork from an old atlas, a book with botanical or wildlife plates, or a calendar.
Create your own sign. This family has a business creating furniture from reclaimed wood, much of which comes from pallets (no longer treated with chemicals), and a friend painted the sign for them.
Have Your Say With a DIY Decorative Sign
Have Your Say With a DIY Decorative Sign
Create a sculptural wall. Alright, I’ve never been able to figure out what these things are. Wood? Sponges? Paper? Please tell me! Whatever they are, they are beautiful, and as Houzz contributor Charmean Neithart hilariously pointed out, the dog matches.
I digress. The point is, you can hang a collection of many types of things: hats, purses, African baskets …
I digress. The point is, you can hang a collection of many types of things: hats, purses, African baskets …
… or plates … (wink wink to those of you who read this series regularly).
Clean up the coatrack. OK, this goes against everything I usually say about functionality, but avoid loading it up with your everyday coats. First impressions, remember? A well-placed hat, umbrella and scarf make a nice vignette here. When you have guests, they’ll admire the look, and you’ll have a place for their coats. Stash your own puffy down coats, polar fleeces and other outerwear in a closet or near the back entry.
Add a welcoming rug. This is an area that gets a lot of traffic, so an inexpensive outdoor rug can be a good choice. A lot of these rugs stand up to dirt and literally can be hosed down.
Another detail I love in this hallway is the porcelain umbrella stand full of walking canes. You can substitute walking sticks you find on hikes for the canes. You may already have a cute cylindrical wastepaper basket around that can fill in as an umbrella stand.
Another detail I love in this hallway is the porcelain umbrella stand full of walking canes. You can substitute walking sticks you find on hikes for the canes. You may already have a cute cylindrical wastepaper basket around that can fill in as an umbrella stand.
Go supersimple. Lots of entryways are practically empty and look fantastic. I love the farmhouse style of this spare entryway, marked by a row of basic coat hooks, a runner and a bench. The schoolhouse light also helps set the tone.
Paint the back of the front door with a glossy paint. I don’t have an entryway, not even a good spot for an umbrella stand. My front door swings right into my living room.
But I painted my boring matches-the-off-white-trim door with black glossy paint, and I love the way it stands out now.
But I painted my boring matches-the-off-white-trim door with black glossy paint, and I love the way it stands out now.
Do you have any suggestions for how to spruce up an entryway on the cheap? Please share them with everyone in the Comments section.
I know this is not one of our usual cheap and easy fixes. However, this is one spot where you should spend a good chunk of time. There are many options — scout a vintage bargain light and give it a spruce-up and rewiring. Hit ReStore on a regular basis to see what comes in. Spray paint a tired builder’s-grade lantern a snazzy color you love. Or repurpose something else into a fab light — perhaps a birdcage or a basket. Here are 12 ideas for making lights from found objects to help get your creative juices flowing.