The Perfect Entryway: A Q&A with Brooklyn

The entryway to your home sets the tone for your entire house. 

How can you design a welcoming entryway? What factors should you take into account? 

This is the first landing spot yourself or your guests will experience - it’s going to set the tone for your entire home.  Keep it simple with hooks, out-of-the-way storage, and possibly a bench for sitting while taking shoes on and off. More than furniture, this is a spot homeowners often forget to spice up a little bit.  Adding a pop of color or fun print with wallpaper, a unique light fixture, or whimsical artwork will go a long way here.  Don’t save all the fun for the powder room, first impressions matter.

What are the common mistakes you see in entryways? 

Often people forget to give enough of a landing spot.  We forget how many different things will actually begin collecting at the entry from winter coats and hats, package deliveries, to shoes, mail, and even the dog’s leash and toys.  Give yourself enough space to keep these things on hand, and maybe even out of sight, so that when a visitor comes they can feel relaxed to step into your home and welcome to take off their coat and stay a while.

Are there any pieces of furniture you should avoid when designing an entryway? 

Less is always more when it comes to furniture or accessories in your entryway. Typically this is the place where jackets, shoes, umbrellas need to land, so give those items a place to belong, but not much more. 

Where should you position an entryway table? 

The trick here is to not crowd the door, and yet, keep the table close enough to grab your keys from the threshold if you need to come back for them. And try to avoid placing the table behind the door, it just makes for awkward gymnastics when grabbing items or dropping the mail.

What is the key to achieving a practical and beautiful entryway? 

Start with storage, then have fun with style.  Again, while we want the entryway to function, its primary purpose is to act as a special welcome to our home - keep that in mind as you look for styles, colors, and materials to incorporate in its design.

What storage solutions can you build into an entryway and where should they be positioned? 

Think through all the things you want to store there at various times of the year.  Create a place for everything, and then leave yourself even a bit more room where you can for those little pieces you’ll forget.  Stash your shoes inside a lift-up bench. Hats and gloves can hide in bins on an upper shelf, while coats can be in a nearby closet, leaving hooks clear for visitors to use.  Don’t forget an umbrella stand if your neck of the woods regularly gets a little rainy.