How do I create an inviting entry room?
Good afternoon We have moved into a new home which has a front door entering straight into the combined living/dining room. I have two challenges - I am keen to create some sort of entrance as when guests enter the house it feels like they walk straight into the midst of our home/privacy of our lounge and secondly the living area is very open and not very relaxing / does not facilitate conversation. I have attached the pictures from the sale brochure. The walls are now competency white and white shutters replaced the curtains. The living/dining split are as per the picture. In the living area I have a 3 seater leather sofa against the long wall, under the window and a single chair against the far wall facing the door entry. The rolling tv unit is against the wall where the tv is in the picture and is rolled 90degrees out when needed - not ideal, in fact I am keen to get rid of this to set. I believe I still need 1-2 individual chairs, rug and coffee table however have not yet purchased. A few things I am considering : - a open set of shelves positioned parallel to the door and in line with the stairs, to create a divider into the room. If so, how high and would it destroy the open flow. - positioning of the 3 seater sofa with back to the door and console table at the back of the sofa . Concern that it would make the room far too large and even less cosy. I would appreciate any suggestions re furniture placement and additional items to help solve my dilemmas. My Pinterest board is below to help understand my style. Pinterest @martea01 Thanks in advance
Comments (15)
10 years agoRelated Discussions
How can I make my entrance more inviting?
Comments (15)As you are only looking for ideas perhaps a starting point would be a modern, square style of entrance that you could get ideas from. I couldn't find what I wanted exactly for a photo, but I think if you took points from this photo and adjust to your budget it might suit?? Eg. I think if you can get a nice wide door with a bit of glass on either side, it would really present well. Raising the height of the concrete at the front door with decking tiles or stone tiles depending on your style could really enhance. Concrete pavers you could even make yourself! They can be smaller or larger and if scaled right to the proportions of the house can make it a little more formal. As you have the driveway on the side, I would put a screen on the left and emphasise the left column making a feature of it as in the picture. The column on the right does not align with the entrance, I would not emphasise that column? But perhaps hard to gauge from one photo. If you went for wood this might be an idea....See MoreHELP - awkward spaces - Create entrance/ living room & dining area
Comments (6)Hi Kelly You have lovely colours and finishes in your home, makes for a great starting point. If your dining table fits in the lounge room with plenty of room then it might be an option. You could consider then making the front room a nice sitting area. If you are thinking of updating your main sofa to a corner type then maybe go for single chairs in the front room which you can anchor with a rug and round coffee table. See images below. Then to create a more formal entry way, separate the area with a bench seat that can (so it would sit opposite your built in at front door) then lay a hall runner between the two. A plant next to the bench would help screen between also. You could then replace the photograph with a mirror (possibly round to contrast with cabinets) and add catch all bowl for keys, sunnies, etc... Hope this helps and we'd love to see what you decide to do....See MoreHelp create an entry
Comments (7)My suggestion is a little outside the box but I'm thinking that's what you're really looking for through this post and it does successfully keep costs down while working effectively with your floorplan. Assuming the living room has a reasonable boundary setback at the left-hand side, create a path along this boundary to a new entry door behind the living room. You'd need to carefully plan your planting, paving and lighting to make it work, particularly at night, but with care, it could be an effective solution at minimal cost. The following link is to a recently sold property in Perth's inner suburbs with this same arrangement - I was looking for a photo showing it lit at night - so inviting - but unfortunately that image has been taken down. 24 St Vincents Ave https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.935112,115.82416,3a,28.116278y,80.22554h,-6.3166046t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s4OIOyx_m_OZpOVYCG8fbFw!2e0...See MoreHow do I create more bench space in this kitchen?
Comments (6)if you plan to demolish in 12 months i assume that a cheap cheerful fix is wanted so i would keep the kitchen wall cabinets and the base cabinets around the corner and the sink and relocate the long section of cabinets against the bedroom wall for a place to use a MW, electric frypan and toaster with some open wall shelving for crockery, glasses and serving dishes and for a little extra effort you could create a new bedroom door off the hallway and use the original bedroom door space to relocate the extra fridge and keep some of the kitchen traffic away from the sink and stove and then add an extra counter to extend the length of the short section of cabinets next to the stairs (keeping the original counter around the sink) ... the new counter can be placed on top of the original counter and/or supported by brackets attached to the side of the cabinets and the post and open underneath for a couple of stools or waste bins? ...the major hardware stores sell approx 2m lengths of solid wood counters that look like and can be oiled and used as chunky chopping boards and the timber counters would tone nicely with the architraves around your windows ... with care you should be able to recycle the cabinets and if necessary any obvious rough bits painted to be hidden...See More
10 years ago- 10 years ago
PRO- PRO10 years ago
Hi Martea,
I agree with Dohraime, an open bookcase would help create an entrance way and provide some storage that appears to be much needed from the floor plans. You asked about dimensions, I would personally make sure that the minimum clear space between the staircase and end of the book shelf is a minimum of 1200mm, but at the absolute minimum, 1000mm (1 metre) clear space is needed; thus it should be between 1200mm and 1500mm in length and the height should preferably match the head of your windows so approximately 2100mm.
Depending upon the dimensions of your existing 3-seater sofa, I agree that you could back this onto the open bookcase. However, to ensure the best look, the sofa should end when the bookshelf does.
As you can see from the diagram I have included, you could fit 2 arm-chairs and a coffee table in, however care will need to be taken to enure you have enough space to walk comfortably around the pieces of furniture. Try to search for a narrow coffee table. Given that you have replaced the curtains with shutters, you could place the television and console in front. This is not ideal in regards to lighting, but the space is constrained. I would also include a large rug (as depicted) for the living space so as to clearly define it. It could be approximately 3 x 1.8 m. This rug could be something bright and colourful given the muted colour scheme you have so far used. A bold pattern would also work.
In regards to the dining area, it is possible to also fit a buffet in the space, and would again provide more storage.
Something I noticed, and I am not sure it is within your budget, but the dividing wall around the staircase at the entrance is very dark and interrupts the clean lines you are going for. I would suggest if possible to remove it and replace with a glass balustrade. This would open up the space more and help to bring more light into this space.
I hope this has been of help. If you want further advice or information please do not hesitate to contact me at admin@gracedesign.com.au and we can go from there.
- 10 years ago
- 10 years ago
PRO10 years ago
10 years agoA screen dividing wall could be enough to separate the entry & keep air flow...
30's Glamour · More Info
Living Room · More InfoYou could perhaps have a half wall with plantation shutters to match the windows
The room seems to suit furnishing as a sitting room without the tv altogether especially since you also have a media room ;)
Beach Style Bedroom · More Info
10 years ago- 10 years ago
- 10 years ago
Sian Sampey