So, tempting as it is (especially if you have a small house or are a lover of furniture design, like me) to cram as many pieces of furniture into your home as possible, use restraint. Instead, keep the area inviting by keeping it open. To give your home flow, start at the beginning- that is, right in the entry- way. The entryway often gets taken for granted and becomes just a place to toss keys and let mail pile up when it’s thought of at all.
I, on the other hand, think the entryway is the perfect place to introduce the overall style of your house and, more importantly, yourself.
Here’s a great opportunity to reveal a little bit about you to the people coming through the door. For instance, the first thing you see when you walk into my house is an alcove painted ocean blue (a nod to the Pacific Ocean, which is just a few blocks away), a shelf tiled in earthy colors, and, hang- ing above it, a big sunburst that I crafted out of piano keys. The tile is a preview of things to come-I pick it up again on the living room fireplace-and the sunburst is a preview of, well, me.
If you don’t already know me and you walked in and saw that sunburst, you might be able to perceive that: a) I like to make artwork out of old and found objects, b) I am “bursting” with energy, and c) I play the piano (actually, I don’t play the piano very well but music is central to my life). What you use to adorn your foyer doesn’t have to be a metaphor for your life, but do put some- thing meaningful there. It could be a family photo, or a painting of sunflowers, or a picture of Queen Elizabeth.
Anything, as long as you love it. For one family of seven kids who had recently lost their dad, I took pictures of everyone and created a photo family tree that hung in the foyer. Beneath it is a candelabra I call the Tree of Light, which has a candle for both parents at the top and one for each child below. When you walk in the door of this family’s home, you immediately get the importance of their family ties.