When you walk through your front door, try to visualize it as a guest coming through the door for the first time. What do you notice? A mistake we commonly see is that the foyer is disregarded, and it lacks artwork or interesting features. It is also important to see the view of other rooms upon entering your home.
Do you look right into a messy office or playroom? If so, you may want to add doors or look for ways to add hidden storage and organization to those spaces.
Is the entryway functional? Make sure that there is enough room for guests to enter and be able to take a few steps, and most importantly, find a place to sit down and take off their shoes. Here in the Midwest, we have to deal with a lot of sloppy weather … Make it easy for guests to sit and do so.
Is your area rug the correct size? Another mistake I see a lot is choosing too small of an area rug. If you go with a doormat-size 2x3 rug, it doesn’t allow anyone to step into the room … I would suggest a 3x5 rug at minimum.
What does the lighting look like? Many people don’t think about lighting. If you have too bright of an overhead light in the foyer, put a dimmer switch on it to allow for softer light. Another option is to put a table lamp on an entry console table for soft, ambient light.
Take the test: Walk through your front door and see if you would feel proud to welcome guests!
Amy Leferink is the owner and principal designer at Interior Impressions.
interiorimpressions.org
