Paint your ceiling a color. You could look at our glacé projects for ideas

Love that idea but my first floor has a very open floor plan and I'm not sure how I would be able to contain that area. Here's a pic

Call a very good interior designer to help you with this area.

I would definitely paint everything white to match your current doors. The white background will immediately neutralize, brighten & enlarge. A great alternative to painting the ceiling would be to paint a stripe on your crown (I'm attaching a photo for some ideas) then adding a fabulous semi-flush mount fixture that you absolutely love . Might I also recommend a rug w/a large, centrally-located pattern & some great color(s)? These details will keep your eye moving from top to bottom rather than short changing the space & stopping @ the door as they do now.

Change out the stair railings, different color on walls, plants and pictures, re paint door white?! :-)

Wow thanks guys for these awesome ideas. I think I will be painting the entry door white to act as a neutral for some other fun elements. Thanks for your advice!!!

Btw... I havent yet painted any of the millwork you see in the photos.

Get a colorful rug to greet guests. Painting the door is good from the inside but you'd have to use the same color on the outside. How would that look with your home exterior? Add a chandelier along with the rug. You entry is narrow so the only other option is to add some colorful paintings to go with the rug.

Painting. It's only letting me add one at a time.

Another

Just got that Dash and Albert rug. Also I would only paint the inside of the door white I've seen that done.

one more

Chandelier...

The ceiling is high but not high enough for a chandelier like that. Thank you for your suggestions

How high is your ceiling?

9'

We had the same desire to make our entryway better and more inviting. I think I read also that you have an open floor plan there as well-- we have the same. What we did was paint the doors a gray color and all trim white, and added window treatments to our doors (the front and back doors are both double doors for some reason); then picked an entryway bench out and a pendant light. I also think the different door color helped to sort of separate the open layout but we plan to build a low wall that juts out slightly a few feet from the entry way to define the space. Here's a pic of our before and after.

I wanted to edit but don't know how -- I found a bunch of chandeliers at both the big box stores and our local habitat ReStore locations and the demolition warehouses-- don't know if you have those you but those places are GREAT for funding quality items at inexpensive prices but you do have to visit multiple times or stores. I especially like the demolition stores as those have all or most of the items left in houses that were being demolished and most of the demolitions (I get weekly emails of all listings including pics of the items for sale) are in upscale towns and every piece of the home and outside are for sale. Also wanted to add a pic to show a better view of the updated door. If you live anywhere near the Chicagoland area, I can gladly pass on the websites for the demolition info as well as great salvage shops and I believe the habitat for humanity ReStore locations are all throughout the US.

@ maxtikijake, you have a beautiful place and a lot of room but please remove those curtains from the doors for they take the door 's beauty away from them. If you need privacy get a film for the glass or install another track to the bottom part of the glass and have a rod packet sheer instead. Now for the question I would paint the door let me see if I find an inspiration idea .

Here is an idea for your foyer front door also note the light fixture :)

Yes! Love! Very much my style. Thank you!

There are chandeliers that are flush with the ceiling. Your ceiling looks higher--this is from ebay for $99.

Thanks Leelee. I am a bit less traditional and more on the new traditional/contemporary side. Thanks for all your help!

Those two closet doors are so tall, they require a semi flush mount light I think.
UNLESS, you leave the existing one (play it down), and add a highly ornamental light, chandelier if you like, a little further into the house, beyond the doors. That would tie it into the stairway landing.

I'd also get a longer rug and orient it longways down the hall toward the new light. I think a rug which lies CROSSWAYS (longer dimension across the doorway) does not welcome people, but instead gives them a NEGATIVE sign. Like feng shui says that entering a bedroom where the bed side and not footboard is first thing encountered, it blocks your joy. Feng shui also uses crystals to deflect negative energy, which is a really good reason to put some crystal near the entry.

Make those closet doors work for you too. Pick out a geometric design in black to go with the white, because those doors are a great architectural feature. Perhaps a mirror mosaic added in this area too. When you paint the interior of the front door white, you'll have an opportunity to pick out geometric design on it,....maybe add a black and white geometric entry rug, which has some drama going on.

Lovely entry hall. Just not easy to reveal its personality.

I definitely agree with painting the doors white!

And maybe a long rug running longways- would make the entry seem bigger!

We work with Erica Evensen out of Austin. She used our bright red vintage Oushak runner in her client's entry way and paired it with a lantern style lamp (if you're going for a modern look). It looks like you're off to a great start with a lot of great suggestions!

Here are some of our traditional entry ways with runners too:

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Esmaili Rugs and Antiques, Inc.
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