The pencil thin stacked stone cladding the entry wall extends to the outdoors. A spectacular LED modern chandelier by Avenue Lighting creates a dramatic focal point.

Hickory Hill - Cozy Lake Cottage

Visbeen Architects

This cozy lake cottage skillfully incorporates a number of features that would normally be restricted to a larger home design. A glance of the exterior reveals a simple story and a half gable running the length of the home, enveloping the majority of the interior spaces. To the rear, a pair of gables with copper roofing flanks a covered dining area that connects to a screened porch. Inside, a linear foyer reveals a generous staircase with cascading landing. Further back, a centrally placed kitchen is connected to all of the other main level entertaining spaces through expansive cased openings. A private study serves as the perfect buffer between the homes master suite and living room. Despite its small footprint, the master suite manages to incorporate several closets, built-ins, and adjacent master bath complete with a soaker tub flanked by separate enclosures for shower and water closet. Upstairs, a generous double vanity bathroom is shared by a bunkroom, exercise space, and private bedroom. The bunkroom is configured to provide sleeping accommodations for up to 4 people. The rear facing exercise has great views of the rear yard through a set of windows that overlook the copper roof of the screened porch below. Builder: DeVries & Onderlinde Builders Interior Designer: Vision Interiors by Visbeen Photographer: Ashley Avila Photography

Military Road Residence

Safferstone Interiors

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Modular Home Colonial- Rye Brook, NY

Westchester Modular Homes, Inc

Expansive traditional foyer in New York with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door and a white front door.

Chapman House

Rachel Reider Interiors

Rarebrick
Inspiration for an eclectic entryway in Boston with medium hardwood floors, a single front door, a black front door and multi-coloured walls.

Picturesque Lake Estate

Knight Architects LLC

Expansive 2-story entry way and staircase opens into a formal living room with fireplace and two separate seating areas. Large windows across the room let in light and take one's eye toward the lake. Tom Grimes Photography

Avenue G

Garwood Architecture

Inspiration for a contemporary entryway in Austin with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door and a white front door.

Mudroom

MSiegel Design

Photography by: Mark Lohman Styled by: Sunday Hendrickson
Design ideas for a mid-sized country mudroom in Little Rock with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Mudroom

JWH Design and Cabinetry LLC

Not too pretty to be the hardworking Mudroom!
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional mudroom in New York with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door and a white front door.

Milwaukee Bay

Northworks Architects + Planners

This is an example of a contemporary foyer in Chicago with multi-coloured walls and medium hardwood floors.

Stamford, CT

Morrissey Saypol Interiors, LLC

Front Entry
Photo of a small traditional front door in New York with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door and brown floor.

Hillcrest Residence

Meghan Carter Design Inc.

Stephani Buchman Photography
This is an example of a small eclectic vestibule in Toronto with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door, a white front door and brown floor.

Midland South Luxury Townhome

Everything Home

Explore urban luxury living in this new build along the scenic Midland Trace Trail, featuring modern industrial design, high-end finishes, and breathtaking views. The entryway features a black and white patterned carpet, complementing the sleek staircase and elegant artwork, creating a sophisticated ambience. Project completed by Wendy Langston's Everything Home interior design firm, which serves Carmel, Zionsville, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, and Indianapolis. For more about Everything Home, see here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/ To learn more about this project, see here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/portfolio/midland-south-luxury-townhome-westfield/

Traditional Entry

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional foyer in Phoenix with medium hardwood floors, a single front door, a medium wood front door, brown floor, multi-coloured walls and wallpaper.

Larchmont Residence

Lorla Studio

Small eclectic foyer in New York with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Holland

Signature Innovations LLC

Comforting yet beautifully curated, soft colors and gently distressed wood work craft a welcoming kitchen. The coffered beadboard ceiling and gentle blue walls in the family room are just the right balance for the quarry stone fireplace, replete with surrounding built-in bookcases. 7” wide-plank Vintage French Oak Rustic Character Victorian Collection Tuscany edge hand scraped medium distressed in Stone Grey Satin Hardwax Oil. For more information please email us at: sales@signaturehardwoods.com

Glamourous & worldly living room

Cat Dal Interiors

Starting with a blank canvass, our brief was to turn an unloved sitting room and entrance into a dazzling, eclectic space, for both entertaining and the everyday. Working closely with our client, we proposed a scheme that would mix vintage and modern elements to create an air of worldly elegance with lavish details. From our voluptuous bespoke velvet banquette to the vintage Hollywood regency coffee table, each piece was carefully selected to create a rich, layered and harmonious design.

Entry Hall

Claire Taylor Design

Transitional mudroom in San Francisco with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door and a dark wood front door.

PROJET D'OSLO, Architectes d'intérieur: Carla Lopez et Margaux Meza

Transition Interior Design

Shoootin
Design ideas for a contemporary entryway in Paris with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door, a blue front door and beige floor.

Castro St. Residence: San Francisco, CA

Bakamis Design Group

David Duncan Livingston
Photo of a transitional foyer in San Francisco with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a single front door and a white front door.

Entryway Design Ideas with Multi-coloured Walls and Medium Hardwood Floors

Make coming home a pleasure by making sure your entryway – also known as a foyer or vestibule – is the perfect transition from the public world to the private world. Your choice of front door, the organisation and general flow of the entryway should be practical and reflect the style of your home. Your entryway, foyer or vestibule is the first impression guests will have of your home. Does it reflect you and your household? Here are a few ways to make your entryway better - and if all else fails, there's always hiring an interior designer to help.

How can you make your front door stand out?

Front doors can make or break a home’s appeal. An outdated or ill-fitting front door will imply what lies beyond is just as overdue for a makeover. No one wants a front door that stands out for all the wrong reasons, so choose one that suits the style of your home. Aluminium doors, for example, are more suited to contemporary-style homes, whereas ornate timber doors suit period homes. That doesn’t mean you can’t inject some of your own personality, though. While the architectural style should remain the same, you can shake things up with paint colours and quirky door handles. If you’re planning a new home, play around with the size and shape of your entrance door, too, and if you want to include a screen door, look for one that architecturally complements the existing front door.

How can you create an organised entryway or foyer?

An organised foyer requires smart storage solutions – otherwise it’s at risk of becoming a dumping zone. Think about what you do when you first walk into your home. Most people will put their keys down, store a bag or coat, then take their shoes off. If this sounds like you, and your entryway is relatively sizeable, consider including some built-in joinery or a slimline console or hall table. Otherwise, hooks for keys, a coat stand and shoe rack will suffice. If you have a large family, allocate one drawer or shelf to each member of the clan. And finally, don’t overcrowd this area with belongings that can’t be stored in a bedroom. When guests arrive, you want to be able to offer them somewhere to put down their belongings.

Could a dirt room save your floors and entry?

Having a mudroom isn’t commonplace in Australia and New Zealand, but it is becoming increasingly popular as a means to keep mess at bay. In coastal areas, it is sometimes referred to as a sand room, while in rural areas, it can be known as a dirt room. A mudroom is usually a secondary entrance or located at the back entrance, and is ideal for storing shoes, school backpacks, sports equipment and pet essentials. You don’t have to dedicate an entire room to a mudroom. A narrow hall or partial wall will do the trick just fine – just add built-ins, some cubbies for individual family members and a bench. If you have a laundry that has direct access to the outdoors, it’s an ideal opportunity to convert it into a multi-purpose space. Combining a laundry and mudroom is a logical and effective use of space. If there’s no room inside, take a look outside. If you have a verandah, cordon off an area for the likes of dirty soccer boots and surfboards.