Love it! Thank you.

It is the ceiling and garden that are letting this picture down. The ceiling needs to be a colour that works with the colour of the bricks - currently it doesn't. The suggestion of the house numbers on the column is good - keep them big or you are wasting your time. But the garden is all wrong. The retaining wall is past its use-by-date and looks as tho it could be removed without the need to replace it. A garden of green would work without the need for any other colour as green against the colours in your home would work beautifully.

We did have a front door leading onto a small hallway. It was not used often. During the kitchen reno the wall between was knocked down, giving us extra space in the kitchen, and replacing the door with a window. Now however everyone uses sliding doors off various living areas, but there is no sense of "arrival", and yes nowhere to drop the keys, bags etc. Also, people who are not regulars are a bit bamboozled as to where they should "knock on the door". I am now trying to change an outdoor area off the driveway with pavers and plants to create an obvious and welcoming entrance.

Is it for yourself or guests? If it is for yourself, I'd store the shoes nearby (i.e. in the laundry if that's near the front door) as that entry is stunning and I think any furniture would take away from its beautiful simplicity. If it's for guests, then I'd consider getting a small stool and basket / box for when guests come over. Something really simple, but convenient for them to remove their shoes and pop them in the basket / box until they leave.