Inside: 5 Secrets to Create a Welcoming Entryway. Collaborative post.
At the end of the day, you want a nice home to get back to. Walking through the door should feel warm and inviting, but it often never is. So, from lighting to greenery, here are some quick and easy ways you can create a welcoming entryway that you can’t wait to get back to each day.
Photo by Satvinder Ghotra
Make It Functional
After a long day at work, a family hike or a walk with the dog, you just want to get comfy and back inside the house. Because of this, an entryway must be functional and practical as well as cosy. Perhaps you need an umbrella stand, a coat rack or a shoe cupboard for filthy boots. These add an extra layer of usefulness to your entryway. But something like a glass hall table by CFS also adds a touch of class while defeating gravity to hold a key bowl and unwanted mail!
Add Cosy Lighting
You want to feel like you are home as soon as you walk through the front door. With the sun long gone when you get home from work after a busy day, there is only one thing left. A hopeful light at the end of the working day tunnel, like a beckoning beacon calling you home. Cosy lighting is a magical way to create an inviting hallway that instantly makes you feel like you are home. From lamps to chandeliers, install whatever will put a smile on your face when arriving.
Create a Welcoming Entryway with Photos
A home is just an empty box without the reminders of the people who live there. And what better way than with family photos? 95 million photos are shared to Instagram every day, so someone’s definitely a bit of a shutterbug! With so many smartphones, there are bound to be some great images on your phone, even if you aren’t the best photographer. It’s easier than ever to have these “developed” with sites such as VistaPrint and MyPicture just clicks away.
Add a Bit of Greenery
Plants can brighten any room, and they have an immediate impact on how you feel. There are tons of scientific studies that have proven plants such as flowers and greenery instantly change how you feel. So, even after a long day at work, coming back to your favourite plants can help turn a frown upside down. They also help purify the air in the hallway, so you are also more likely to come home and breathe easy with your favourite scents lingering in the air.
Hang Some Large Mirrors
Entryways are generally positioned so the sun does come in through the windows. But not all hallways have large windows or get a lot of sun. However, there are some tricks that interior designers use to fool you into thinking a room is brighter than it really is. One of the simplest is with mirrors. Mirrors can bounce light in any direction. So even the darkest entryway comes alive with natural sunlight, making it more pleasing to come home to and a little warmer.
Summary
Functional additions, such as coat stands, help create a welcoming entryway you can use when you get home. Family photos are enough to put a smile on your face as you feel you are home. And mirrors can liven up the dimmest of entryways by bouncing sunlight in all directions.