Welcome! Come on in, y’all and don’t mind the charging King Charles Spaniel. The worst Prince Darby will do is lick you to death. Other than the canine ankle biter, entrance in to my home and office has been choreographed to always be a warm one.
The entry way to your house is a prelude to the rest of your home. Like a classical overture it needs to have a little bit of everything people can expect through your décor as a little taster of what’s to come.
Like the outside, the first glimpse of your home needs to be enticing. It should create a romance that welcomes people to come in, not stuns them to the point of whiplash.
My own foyer has a gold wallcovering, which creates warmth, and also hints at all the notes in furnishings and decoration around the rest of the house: Blue, terracotta, cream and rust.
Must Haves
As with every other room, it’s important to consider your own, and your guests needs when planning your foyer.
A mirror is the first “must”, so that you can check your appearance before you open the door (Spinach in your teeth? No? Good to go!), and so your guests can check their appearance if they’ve come in from inclement weather.
The second must is a lamp. A soft lamp helps create the warm welcome you are seeking. It also acts as a night light and security lamp, as well as being a metaphor for the beacon you want your home to be.
It is traditional to have some sort of seating – be it a chair or a bench – in the entry way. In more genteel times this was so the guest could wait while they were being announced by the butler or housekeeper. These days it’s an ideal spot for lady to place her purse while she takes off her coat, much better than on a decorated chest or table.
Rugs
For the love of all things Faudrée, please don’t shove your rug right up against the threshold! A small space between the doorstep and a rug is like a breath into your home, and encourages those entering to step forward. Instead, center the rug within the given space, and, for heaven’s sake NOTHING with a rubber back in the foyer. Nothing. They are for back doors and mudrooms!
Don’t freak out about putting a fine pursian rug inside your front door. As I said in my blog about rugs, these things have been around for over 100 years on dirt floors in the far east – they can take the wear and tear! And if your worried about guests wiping their feet – Spend $60 on a high quality doormat OUTSIDE the door.
When putting all these things together you see that the #1 rule for the entry way to your home is to make the guest feel comfortable. You are extending your personal welcome to your décor both physically and emotionally.
And that, y’all, is brought to you by moi and a little thing I like to call #RedemptiveDesign.