A couple of weeks ago I shared a look at our current entryway and the design ideas I have planned for it. I also shared my ideas for a custom built-in to replace our current coat closet to make this area more functional. Today, I’m sharing some of the entryway design inspiration I’ve been gathering for the space.
Nothing is final yet but I wanted to share a bit of my process and thoughts behind the design. Also, some of the things I need to consider when it comes to the design of this space.
ENTRYWAY DESIGN INSPIRATION: DEFINING THE PURPOSE AND THINGS TO CONSIDER
Before I share the design inspiration I have for our entryway I want to share the purpose and intentions I have set for the space. As well as some of the things I need to consider with my design.
DEFINING THE PURPOSE AND INTENTIONS FOR THE SPACE
First and foremost it is important to me that the space be functional. It’s small and we are limited in the amount of storage we can add. Every bit of space we have is important. I’ve mention previously that our current coat closet is like a black hole and doesn’t serve us well. Utilizing every inch we do have with smart storage solutions is top of mind for me.
Along with storage, I want our entryway to be welcoming and inviting to our guests. I also want to give them a taste and sense of our style. I’d also like a little bit of a wow factor but will need to get creative in achieving this.
Things to consider with the design of our entryway
Living room
As previously mentioned in my first post, our current entryway is quite small and tight. Our hope is that we can open it up by removing the wall that separates the hall from the living room. If this is possible, our entryway will become an extension of the living room and the design will be heavily influenced by what’s going on in that space.
We’ve already carried the base and crown mouldings from the living room into our entryway and painted them Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore to match. Something to consider with the design of the entryway will be whether to continue the picture moulding detail of the living room into this space as well.
Something else to consider is the tile in our entryway. Currently, there is hardwood flooring in our living room. If we remove the wall, it would probably make sense to continue the hardwoods into this space. This would help to unify the two areas. I also think it may look a little weird to have tile in this area without the separation of the wall since it’s such a small space.
The tile continues down the hall and into our kitchen though. Removing and updating it will be a bigger project and another room to consider in the mix.
Stairway
Another thing to consider with the design of our entryway is the stairs that lead to our second floor and the large blank wall that connects the three spaces together. The entryway, stairway, and second-floor hall.
In our entryway, there is a section of wall that is approximately 36″ wide and runs from the edge of the closet to the base of the stairs. It’s this bit of wall that really makes up the whole of the entryway. Whatever treatment we decide to apply to this little bit of wall would most likely continue up the stairs as there is no real division between the two. One flows into the other.
Once we get to the top of the stairs though, we have more of a natural break. Here we could do something different, but coordinated, with the other spaces if we wanted too.
I’ve been considering adding wallpaper, moulding, or a combo of the two to our entryway. I would need to determine though where it would make sense for them to start and stop.
Upstairs Hallway
Lastly, one of the other areas to consider is the upstairs hallway. As mentioned above, it is connected to the entryway via the stairs. So, whatever treatment we end up applying to the entryway and stairs will influence what we do up here.
My first idea was to treat all three spaces the same but I’m kinda changing my mind now as I start to pull samples and ideas together.
Entryway design inspiration
Ok, so here’s what I’m thinking so far.
I’m leaning towards this style of cabinets for the custom built-in in our entryway. I like the simple shaker doors mixed with the plain drawer fronts. It would be painted in Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy to match the trim and living room mouldings. The exact layout of the cabinet is still TBD.
For wallpaper, the below prints are what have caught my eye so far.
I love the Featherton Flower Damask wallpaper shown in the upper left-hand corner and surprisingly Mike likes that one too! I especially love the way it looks paired with our Hale Navy wainscoting in the living room.
Farrow and Ball’s Lotus print wallpaper in the middle top row has had my heart for years. I pulled it in as an option but I’m not sure I’m loving it for this room. It’s also Mike’s least favorite. *sigh*
From the beginning, I’ve had my heart set on a stripe of some sort. I love the look of a blue ticking stripe with gold mirrors and thought this could work in all three spaces. The entryway, stairway, and second-floor hall. Farrow and Ball’s Closet Stripe is a fav as well as some of the other wallpapers I found at Home Depot.
Farrow and Ball’s Broad Stripe wallpaper calls to my moody loving heart. It is just so striking and classic and a bit masculine which I love. I’m dying to use it but not sure if this is the right space for it.
I’ve also considered adding mouldings to the walls in the entryway and up the stairs and into the second-floor hall. Board and batten like you see here in this pin on Pinterest is an option. As well as the picture moulding we have in our living room shown above.
And lastly, a combo of the two. Mouldings and wallpaper. I like the idea of highlighting the little bit of wall in the entryway, between the closet and the base of the stairs, with a bold wallpaper. I would need to create some sort of transition though between the wallpaper and the rest of the wall running up the stairs. Adding mouldings up the stairs and into the second-floor hall on the bottom half with the ticking stripe above.
It sounds like a lot but I think it could be really pretty. There is enough separation between upstairs and downstairs to make it work. Utilizing the same navy with just one or two other colors throughout will help the spaces flow together. Preventing them from looking too busy.
Additional thoughts
To add a little bit of extra storage I would like to add a commode by the front door. Something with drawers that we can hide things away in like Moose’s leash.
I miss having a spot by the door where we could drop our keys and extra change. Keeping things at hand and ready for the next time we jet out the door.
And with the removal of the wall, our living room TV will need to be relocated to the stairway wall.
We would need a console of some sort below the TV to hold a couple of necessary components.
The opening to the kitchen is here though so anything we get will need to be thin. Allowing us to pass easily between the two rooms.
I would also like to add a mirror back into this space. In a couple of our previous iterations of this space, we had a few different mirrors. They came in handy as we headed out for the day. One last look to make sure all is in order before heading out. But also a way to add the illusion of space to this small area.
A little bit of art too would be very welcome and would bring some much needed personality.
We still don’t have a timeline for completing this space so for now I’ll continue to work on the design. My hope is to get this nailed down so when we’re ready to begin, the process is a bit easier. We may even be able to break this up into stages and make progress that way!
What are your thoughts on creating cohesion between all the spaces?
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