By Blake Herzog
When it’s time to rejuvenate your home most people look toward kitchen and bathroom remodels, but if you want to improve your place quickly, and relatively inexpensively, you can’t go wrong with brightening up your entrances.
It can get a little complicated if you tend to come in from the garage into a cramped mudroom or utility room while visitors get the benefit of a more formal entryway, but you can improve the look and feel of both without breaking your budget.
Mirror mirror
Whichever kind of entry you’re talking about, a mirror is almost required to make it work. Using at least one will make the space appear larger and offer a valuable last-minute glance for everyone to check their look before they go back out into the world.
A front-door entrance can look ravishing with a statement mirror, especially if it draws inspiration from the front door. A mudroom mirror may have to be smaller but still allow everyone a comprehensive self-check.
Sitting room
A bench is a considerate inclusion for any entryway for people who need to remove or put on boots or shoes or just wants to relax for a moment before heading outside.
It can be padded with cushions and throw pillows for a softer look or left bare for an industrial and accessible vibe. A few cubbies can be created underneath and hooks hung on the wall for storing footwear and outerwear.
Light the way
The smaller and darker the entry space is, the more it needs effective lighting.
This means a pendant fixture over the middle of the room might work better to make sure your family can find their way in and out. Wall sconces, eye-catching table or floor lamps and recessed lighting can all be deployed to brighten up the way.
Seasonal flourishes
If you love to switch up your décor according to the time of year, your foyer and back entrance are the best places to get started. When you go all-out in front it gets everyone into the mood and means you don’t have to go as heavy on it in the interior.
So hang your wreaths, throw your throws and pillows and get everyone into the seasonal groove.
Plant your welcome
If you have room you can consider adding a plant as a bridge from the outdoors to your interior, either on the floor or in a hanging basket. Make it “real” if the conditions allow for one to thrive, but if not a faux plant can still enliven the space for everyone passing through.
Fiddle leaf figs, money trees, rubber trees and pygmy date palms are among the taller plants that can add height and depth to any entryway.
