How to Make Your Home's Entryway Modern and Elegant

We often think of major home overhauls when discussing residential renovations. In truth, though, home improvement projects vary widely in scope and scale. You don’t necessarily need to paint your entire home inside and out, tear down a wall, or replace every piece of furniture to modernize your home. Several smaller projects can have a surprisingly large impact on your home’s overall appearance and atmosphere as well. Your home’s entryway, for instance, is typically the first area you and your guests will see when coming inside. As such, your foyer sets the tone for the rest of your home. If this receiving area is cluttered, outdated, or simply unfocused, it can send the wrong message to your guests and set you on the wrong foot as you come home to relax. Making some simple changes to this space can go a long way toward making your home more welcoming.

How to Modernize Your Home Entryway

Refresh Your Front Door

Though not technically a part of your foyer, your front door is the connective tissue that grants you access to this area. In a way, your front entry door creates the very first impression one acquires when entering your home, so it’s important to set the stage properly. Even if your entryway is in decent shape, a deteriorating door can dampen the entire experience. Updating and/or refinishing your front entry door (if necessary) is a solid first step to improving your entryway as a whole. You can go about this project in many ways. You might merely repaint or re-stain both sides of your front door to restore or alter its color; you might invest in necessary repairs if your door is worn down; you might replace its hardware for a more modern design; the list goes on. However you approach this project, try to keep the big picture in mind so your door updates nicely correspond with the rest of your entryway improvements.

Function, Meet Fashion

Modern entryways tend to ride a precise line between function and fashion, carefully balancing the area’s practical elements with its aesthetic components and sometimes combining them. For instance, an elegant entryway might feature a beautiful bench that acts as an art piece as well as a storage unit and surface to tie or untie one’s shoes. A hat or coat rack can be both eye-catching and practical, as can a key holder, mirror, and so on. The bottom line: keep both utility and beauty in mind when furnishing or re-furnishing your home’s entryway. If you lean too far one way, you might end up with a beautiful foyer that fails to store the objects it needs to or a practical space that doesn’t impress anyone or match the rest of your home.

Focus on Flooring

Speaking of the fusing function and fashion, your foyer’s flooring deserves attention as well. Your entryway should serve as a sort of buffer between the outside world and the inside of your home, where people can wipe and remove their shoes before coming further inside. Of course, standard mats and rugs might not make for a modern or elegant entryway. So, keep your foyer’s overall design in mind when selecting a rug and/or flooring type. Wooden and tiled floors are a safe, strong choice for modern entryways -- the former looks good in just about any setting, and the latter can come in a variety of colors, tile sizes/shapes, and textures to match any design scheme. It’s also worth considering whether you want your foyer’s flooring to be distinct from the rest of your home’s flooring or match it. Your choice here will depend on your personal preferences and the size of your entryway.

Liven Things Up with Plant Life

Personal, decorative touches aren’t just for living rooms. If you want to make a statement with your entryway, don’t be afraid to introduce some decor. Plantlife is always a nice, fresh touch to any entryway (as long as you take good care of it). Beyond some succulents, though, consider hanging some local artwork, placing a fashionable clock on an end table, installing a mirror to make the space appear larger and brighter, and so on.

Keep it Clean and Clear

No one wants to stumble their way into a home. So, the more organized, simplified, and well-maintained your entryway is, the better. Elegance is all about streamlining and making the most out of what you have. Stylish storage baskets are great additions to any entrance, as they can hold various items and be easily tucked underneath benches, tables, and chairs as needed. Mounted racks and holders make it easy to hang coats, hats, and other accessories while keeping them neatly to the side. Best of all, the more organized your foyer is, the easier it is to clean since you won’t need to shuffle everything around to access the floors, walls, and other surfaces.

Withdraw Your Wallpaper

If your entryway harbors old-school wallpaper, it’s probably time to let it go -- that is, if you wish to create a more modern and elegant space. Before looking up home remedies to remove wallpaper, though, note that your best bet is to hire a professional to tackle this project for you. Wallpaper removal can be messy, time-consuming, and harmful to your surfaces when performed improperly. Experts will help ensure that every inch of paper is peeled away with minimal damage to your walls. From there, you can make preparations for some residential interior painting.

Pick a Welcoming Color Palette

The paint color(s) you choose is a major factor in any attempt to make a space more modern and elegant. Simply put, some color schemes are more modern-looking than others. White shades, beiges, earth tones, blues, and muted colors are the latest trends for elegant, modern design. Of course, you can go with any palette you like -- if you’re unsure of where to begin, professionals can show you how to select interior paint colors in accordance with your personal preferences, current trends, and the border context of your home’s design. Ultimately, you want to go with colors that come off as welcoming and set the tone for the rest of your home. Likewise, choose colors that go well with your foyer’s decor. Depending on how you approach this project, you might choose decor based on your paint color choices or vice versa.

Establishing an Entrancing Entryway

Your home’s entryway should say something about you and your entire home while providing a welcoming transitional area for guests to comfortably come inside. With a clear vision and some help from interior painting services, design consultants, flooring experts, and other specialists, you can create a memorable, enticing entrance for all. Why not work with a full-service painting provider that can help you in many of these areas? At Nash Painting, we offer interior & exterior painting services, door refinishing, color consultations, wallpaper removal, and much more to our clients across Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin, TN. To learn more about us, our services, and our values, call us at 615-829-6858 today!