Smart Solutions for Nonexistent Entryways

Becky Harris That I don't have one! These are some great ideas; as I am drawn to small bungalows and cottages, my homes tend to have a front door that opens right smack dab into the living room. Thanks!

sfnest These are such great ideas! Thank you for putting this together. I can't remember another article where I saved so many things to my ideabook. We have no real entry way to any of the floors of our vertically stacked home, so I'll be trying to put some of these ideas to good use after we move in.

Design Inside - Chicago We see this all the time when dealing with condos in Chicago. One trick we use (that the author pointed out) is leaning a large full-length mirror against the wall (don't forget to anchor it appropriately) or a large mirror that makes a statement. Not only does it give you a place to check your outfit before you leave the house, but it also can make the space feel larger by reflecting light and brightening the space.

If you are not one for mirrors, a large piece of artwork can also do the trick. We love printed canvasses because they are typically pretty large and durable. Both requirements for a high traffic area like a narrow hallway.

Bringing a large piece into a small space is seen by many as a "daring move", but when executed properly your friends will think you are extra cool. :-)

PS: Here are a few foyer entries from some of our past projects that may be helpful to anyone reading this great article. http://designinsidechicago.com/portfolio/foyer-entries/

denton14 I love that coat tree!

kennedytarheel Lot of excellent ideas for what I call "No man's land" when the door opens directly into a room. In our last home, I hung an over-the-top chandelier just inside the door (which opened into two walls and a staircase) so that there was something to help make it feel like a room. My current home's entrance foyer is so tiny that a demilune console barely fits. I painted the walls reddish terracotta and hung dramatic pictures over the table so that you feel like you are in a womb. It's definitely a relief to get out of there! LOL Thanks! :)

ikwewe I like these suggestions, and I think I have used a few of them in my entry area. The front door opens facing down a hallway. On the left is a wide opening into the living room. There isn'r really room in the hallway for anything.

I put a small console table with a colorful poster over it on the living room wall right next to the door. On the hall wall opposite, I hung a large colorful weaving from South Africa. I had just enough room for a coat tree opposite the console table. It provides the basics, a spot for the dog walking essentials, a spot to put things that need to go, and a spot for mail.

kellystevens It took me a while to find the perfect piece of furniture to fit my tiny entry wall.

mhps5634 I have just purchased a small ranch style home. My front door currently leads into the kitchen to the left and the living room to the right. While that's a bit of a problem, the bigger issue is that the previous owner turned the living room into a bedroom! I plan on taking down the door, part of the wall, and a closet. Any suggestions?

Indrajith Indraprastham These picks are just awesome... Floor sanding Perth WA http://floorsandingperthwa.com.au/

olldbobbi My biggest challenge? Well, it's a "one-butt" entryway, very small, and ugly floor tile!

Laura Gaskill Bobbi P - You are cracking me up! :D

einportlandor Had this problem in two different homes I've owned. In both cases I replaced the flooring inside the door to create a visual separation from the adjacent spaces. My last house opened directly into a narrow hallway that went past a coat closet and a powder room to the main living area (typical townhouse set-up). There was no place for visitors to stand when they arrived -- very awkward. I tiled the floor from the front door to just before the bathroom door. I put a NARROW (8"?) Chinese bench along one wall, which provided a place for my purse and a decorative box. I put a mirror behind the front door and artwork over the bench. I also put a sheer curtain at the end of the tiled portion of the hallway, which I kept pulled to one side. It really created the illusion of an entryway (albeit a narrow one). Because the space was small, it cost very little but had a big impact.

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel I have a 5' x 6' entry and put two of my book cases in it and as many paintings as the walls will hold. I have a tall exotic brass candle stand, where I throw keys.
Friends use the backs of book cases to block the view straight into their living room and wall off a little foyer.
Also, there are always folding screens, or it's possible to hang a tapestry or curtain from a ceiling-mounted rod.

rachelbarker I have a 1925 colonial house. The front door opens in to the center of the front living room so I have to divide the space into two separate living areas with a runner down the center for a walkway...sort of annoying! No entryway whatsoever!

ramossa17 I need help with my small entry way. It opens up to a coat closet and my living from is directly adjacent. The coat closet bores me! Any ideas to jazz up the door?

The Impatient Gardener Unfortunately my situation is most like that shown in the third picture. Door is far against one wall and opens into the living room. I love the look of what's been done in that photo but it seems all for show as there's no way that door can open with all that stuff in the way. The way I see it, my only option is a coat tree.

olldroo My thought too, Sailorgirl. Back in the 60s it was very common to have open shelving on the other side of the door to create some privacy between the front door and the room. In those days it was usually cluttered with ornaments but could be used more in a more practical way now, the depth depending on how much space could be spared.

tsudhonimh No usable entry ... double doors open onto an elevated entry area with no clearance for putting much of anything on the walls or even on the platform.

It's one reason I dislike those meaningless changes of elevation: step up and down into rooms, conversation "pits", etc. just make it harder to use the space.

ZZZZ Hi Everybody,

I'm new to Houzz. What a great site, wish I had found it years ago. :-)

This topic is right up my alley. The house I am remodeling currently has an open floorplan and the front door opens directly into the space between the kitchen and the dining area. Not ideal. We don't want to erect a wall or half-wall there to create a foyer, in order to keep the open concept of the house.

We are considering moving the front door entry to the only other feasible location, in the far corner of the kitchen. There is enough space so that we could wall off an area and create a good-sized foyer/mud room, with a coat closet, a bench and a console-type table.

But from there, the foyer would lead directly into the rear of the kitchen. Visitors and guests would need to proceed along the side of the kitchen to access the rest of house. (The dining area would be at the other end of the kitchen.)

What would you see as any other cons (or possible pros) of the foyer leading directly into the kitchen?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

leharris5 love this! I think there should be more articles about "functional entryways". For example, when my family and I come from, we take our coats off, put our purse/bags down, take our shoes off, put our keys/wallets and mail down. Examples how we can do all this in the entryway and STILL make it look nice (not cluttered) would be very helpful. .

olldbobbi leharris5, very simple! A horizontal coat rack with one peg for each person. Purses/bags get hung first, coats second. A shoe rack underneath for shoes, keys in coat pockets, mail in the recycle bin! Yep! Even the bills!

cwendler My entry way is only a couple inches wider than the door itself and on the right is a railing for the steps leading downstairs. On the left is an entry closet and a sliver of wall space. I've left it alone because nothing I try looks right!

sdonalson We have a house built in 1922. There is no entry way. The large front door opens into the center of the living room, flanked on each side with bay windows, each with heat radiators under them. A fireplace on the other side of the room positioned exactly in the middle of the wall. A closet door on one side of it. The opening to the dining room on the other side. French doors on one end opening to the side porch. A stairway on the other end of the room. All doors, windows, and fireplace. Lovely features, but very hard to arrange furniture.

leggz @ramossa17 - sounds like my house. You open the front door and to the right is the coat closet and the living to the right.

I'm looking for a sofa table or low bookcase similar to the 1st picture to add some separation

achess1 I live in a split-entry home. The only thing I don't like about it, is the entry! There's no room to greet guests. I usually tell them to come in from upstairs. I've been on the lookout for a slim bench and small hooks to utilize our very small space in the best way possible. It's a challenge.

Anyone have any suggestions for making split entry foyers more functional?

Ankita Bandi Great Suggestions!!, not sure if it applies to my condo... I just bought a condo in SF and the door opens in my kitchen on one side and utility room and coat closet on other side. its a one long room with dinning and living space after kitchen. Can somebody help me what I can do. Woudl it make sense to put a glass at the utility closet door?? and face the kitchen??

Engineer Your Space Studio apartments often have this problem - I created an entryway in my studio apartment using bookcases that also serve to create a bedroom area. I love having a place to hang my coat and put my shoes! Here's a video that shows in detail how I did it: http://bit.ly/RhgznH

ploefff I put 3 hooks behind the front door for jackets and mounted a book case on the wall. The top catches keys and glass and batteries for recycling. Top compartment for paper recycling and the rest for storage of gloves/hats/scarves and a catch-all. I hung it on the wall so shoes fit underneath and painted it the same colour as the wall to make it seem smaller. The red dog is a piggy bank for pocket coins.

olldroo ZZZZ - ask yourself some questions, is your kitchen clean and tidy ALL day and ready to receive guests at any time? Do you cook a lot? Would you be prepared to create a bench area at the front door end of your kitchen where you could have people come and sit and chat or drink coffee while you work? Your really have to look at your lifestyle and the visitors you have to know just what will work for you.

Our lifestyle is very different to other parts of the world and of course our weather is totally different too but we generally do not tend to have coat hooks and such at the front door. Our entrance ways are just that - an entrance to the house. If there is space to furnish you do, if not it doesn't matter, it is just the gateway to the rest of the house and just a rug and some artwork suffice. When we come in we go straight to the bedooms to remove clothing, hang things away, change shoes, and put bags away and keys away. Maybe, do you really need all this clutter at your front door? Sadly we are all so conditioned with the way we live, following in parents footsteps or just following trends that we don't always stop to think of other ways to do things to solve problems.

goosefairy @ploefff - I love what you've done here. It's a stroke of brilliance to have the piggy (doggy?) bank to collect coins right when you come in. Also love the colors you've used!

s098 my entryway with a red chair to sit while wearing shoes and a red umbrella stand

olldbobbi s098, that is bold! I like it!

The Old Painted Cottage Laura, fun ideabook! Thanks for including our entryway photo!

marsmannix My 1951 "back split" house, the door opens into the LR (12 ft saltbox ceiling) and a little space in front of the 4 stairs that go up to the upper level of the house. Directly right of the door is a coat closet. I've thought about replacing the HW in that tiny space w/ slate, but i don't want to break up the HW floor, since my house is so small. I do have about 3ft of flat LR wall space on the same wall as the FD. Such a challenge

olldbobbi marsmannix, I watched a Sarah Richardson show where she remodeled a back-split and I still don't understand exactly what that is. Can you describe or explain it to me? Thanks!

Mackenzie Austin Design Hey ZZZZ, welcome to Houzz...you're going to love it. Since you're new, you might not yet know that you can post any of your design dilemmas in Discussions. The more info (and pics) of your space, the better. You're sure to get lots of great ideas and suggestions! Have fun!

jkristamagee We just bought a new home- THREE front doors open up directly into the 20 ft cathedral ceiling living room- I absolutely HATED this when we first moved in - it was so informal and seemed as though it was going to be impossible to live with coming from a home with a huge formal front and back foyer but to my amazement it has become one of my most favorite things about this home- what is more formal than walking directly into 20 ft ceilings with a huge elegant stone fireplace being the focal point- everyone who walks in has a WOW look on their face- I simply placed an elegant sofa table behind my sofa and decorate with my moods/seasons - some things are made a big deal when really it's so easy to be thankful for what we DO have- its elegant - it's non traditional - and makes a great statement without the boxy, cluttered, or smothered feelings- plus my husband has NO WHERE TO THROW everything in his pockets when entering - this is great for me because in my life EVERYTHING has a place- I highly dislike the person who invented the "junk drawer"

jkristamagee We just bought a new home- THREE front doors open up directly into the 20 ft cathedral ceiling living room- I absolutely HATED this when we first moved in - it was so informal and seemed as though it was going to be impossible to live with coming from a home with a huge formal front and back foyer but to my amazement it has become one of my most favorite things about this home- what is more formal than walking directly into 20 ft ceilings with a huge elegant stone fireplace being the focal point- everyone who walks in has a WOW look on their face- I simply placed an elegant sofa table behind my sofa and decorate with my moods/seasons - some things are made a big deal when really it's so easy to be thankful for what we DO have- its elegant - it's non traditional - and makes a great statement without the boxy, cluttered, or smothered feelings- plus my husband has NO WHERE TO THROW everything in his pockets when entering - this is great for me because in my life EVERYTHING has a place- I highly dislike the person who invented the "junk drawer"

konstadina Just 2 moodmoards...

Tiy Goddard Nice article. Our front door opens directly to the living room, which itself opens to an office, family room, bathroom, and is adjacent to a stairwell. There are no closets on the first floor. I had a mail/phone/key/purse catcher made on etsy, and put a bench nearby and small demilune table under the catcher with a cute sorter for papers and art that come home from daycare. I made a separate area for shoes not far off.

These were both great functional changes, but the biggest change I made was shifting from thinking the front room had to be a living room. Instead, I'm approaching it more like a lobby. As a result, I've scaled down the size and composition of furniture in that room, simplified its functions to integrate it with the entry, and accepted it as lobby--a hub, a waiting and break space, a preview to the home--more than its own traditional living room. We and our guests spend more time there now, and the mini-entryway keeps the doorway business from leaking over onto the coffee table.

kellystevens I think for all the folks with no real entry at all, a good idea is a beautiful little rug and if you have a little wall space, a mirror or picture that matches the rug. You can even add a narrow little shelf if you have space, and paint that in your accent color too. Just a distinct area of accent color at the door will give you an entry "moment".

roxrae My entry opens to two stairwells, one up and the other down. We use the back door a lot which opens directly into the kitchen with the side of the fridge right there. I have no design in either entryway.... does anyone have any suggestions?

lilion Roxrae, I have the same problem! Split foyer houses have no "foyer" at all. In fact, my front entry has double doors, and the one you usually don't open is at right angles with a coat closet, so you can't set anything in front of it even. You walk in with the upstairs about sholder height, so no wall space and you can't imagine the number of times I've sat on the stairs to talk to folks who were lingering with the good-byes. My back door opens directly into the dining room and no one uses it anyway unless we're going to the back yard. The downstairs entrance off the garage isn't any better, it opens to the family room with - to the left - a closet then stairwell and - to the right - the utility room door. Again, no place to even set your keys. :( It's really annoying and everything gets carried to the kitchen where it clutters up the kitchen cabinets instead of having a "home". As others have said here, I really wish they'd do some article on decorating a 70's split foyer home!

frenchdecor My entrance door is directly in living room. To hide all staff I need nice looking furniture. I saw in Europe in every furniture store very nice entryway free standing furniture units, but have never seen in North America. Finally found link and decided share with you. http://www.eurofurniturenj.com/catalog/Collections/Linea-Hall-Units-Italy/#caption

seattlegirl2 My entry way is not grant but not small either. I have hard time to figure what to do with it. It is 6'x19' rectangular space. The double entry doors are facing 19' long living room, living room is a step down from entry way with 6' arch opening, not door. there are 2 windows symmetrically located on side of entry doors. the entry hall lead to family room/kitchen on one side and bed rooms on other side. this space is not big enough for table or chair due to the flow between rooms. not sure what I can do. I really double anyone would put hang hooks and cubicles at main entry, mostly at the back entry or from garage/ mud room. I am thinking to hang some paintings if I can found some I like

olldroo Seattlegirl, that is a lot of space but doesn't sound like you have a lot of wall space?? Don't try to rush out and buy paintings - artwork is something you acquire over time. In the meantime you could use photos, mirrors or other items but put them en masse for a grand effect. Check out photos on Houzz there are thousands. Here are a couple to give you an idea of variety.

[houzz=Philadelphia Penthouse]

[houzz=DUMICAN MOSEY Architects - Fillmore Street]


[houzz=Upper West Side Residence]

seattlegirl2 Thank you for your comments Olldroo. Funny I have been reading OLLD blog for a while and always impressed with the talent your ladies have. I do like very good paintings but they are so expensive. I have 2 prints I bought long time ago from an art faire back in Columbus, OH. I need to get them framed in order to put it up. I have been live in this house for 6 years, still no furniture in the living room, nit sure what to do to it, seems very big with all empty floor spaces. It is 19’x16’ and with 2 huge windows looking out to the back yard, I call that my mini forest . There are 2 arches recessed in to the wall that facing entry door, I am think to put prints up over there. Hall way towards bedrooms and family room has small corners, I may be able to put some kind of corner chairs if I can find any. Still trying to find out what living room furniture I like. I am using this room as my yoga room right now. This house in the small side as I can tell in this neighborhood, only 2000SF, not sure why living room is so big. But I like the layout of the house. Just finished hall bathroom reno and started master bath planning. Living room will be on the bake of my list, but if I can find something I like,

olldroo Seattlegirl - thank you, you are always welcome to comment on the OLLD blog at any time. Good paintings are lovely to have, but they are not the be all and end all. I am very into photography and at the moment are loving photos for artwork and they are so much cheaper. Just recently I found a great canvas print in a $2 shop that that I love, it fitted a space I wanted to fill and the colours were perfect for the effect I wanted. Cost me $8. Try Charity Stores too, you never know what you will find. Price doesn't equal good design.

I notice you have started an ideas book of your own on Houzz and have saved some lovely ideas. I do suggest you create a separate ideas book for each room for easier reference. This does take a lot of time, but go through living room photos and save anything that takes you eye and you will find over time certain styles of rooms will predominate till you find a style that constantly draws you back. I am currently totally renovating my home and have spent absolute months pouring over photos till I have found the style and colours that "talk" to me and so far I have been really happy with the results. I have found ideas I would never have thought of and saved myself a few disasters in the process too.

Just remember to decorate for you and for your lifestyle - where your living area is concerned if you don't need a lot of sitting space, you could probably incorporate a yoga area into it - sounds perfect with your mini forest.

aiga Love the coat tree.

We have a very small entry and a long winter. So a closet for coats / boots / bags is a must.

Previous owners had a mirrowed doors of both closets, which I hated, as it meant walking directly into huge mirrow from the front door and from the garage. We replaced closet doors (with oak panelled sliding doors), added a seat and a painting. The whole remodel cost about USD 2'300. The place feels very different now and frequently used by our son and cat just for sitting / playing / investigating contents of scarves & gloves drawer.

aiga Here goes the picture.

rosiebruntz Our biggest problem with the door opening up right to main dining room and living room is where to put shoes. We live in the mountains and guest come over with snowy boots they want to remove and shoes pile up at the door.