How to Redesign the Entrance to a Home

You may think a major renovation is necessary to redesign the entrance to your home. However, there's no need to spend thousands of dollars and live in a partly demolished house for weeks. You can redesign the foyer of a home quickly, easily and inexpensively. Try one or two of these creative techniques to make design changes in the entrance that cost relatively little but create major impact.

Lighting
Paint
Furniture
Stair runner

Instructions

- 1
  
  Install a front door with a window.
  
  Bring in or add to the lighting. The entrance to a home is the first area guests see; make it well lit and welcoming instead of dark and uninviting. Switch out any old or low-watt fixtures for modern, high-watt lights. If the entrance has no natural light, one solution is replacing the solid front door with one that has glass panels. Another is installing a skylight or cutting a window into the wall. If the entrance already has windows, replace heavy drapes or curtains with sheers or blinds you can raise to let in light and lower for privacy.
- 2
  Give the walls a new look. Painting is always an easy and cost-effective way to change the look of any space. Paint the walls of the entrance whatever shade you please. Make sure the colors complement those of adjacent rooms. Also remember that dark colors make spaces feel closed in and lighter colors make them feel open. So if your entrance is small, avoid dark colors, and if there's any dark paneling, paint over it with a light color.
- 3
  Choose furniture selectively. Don't use pieces that are too big or too distracting for the entrance, such as a large buffet or huge fish tank, especially in a smaller entrance. Try a small foyer table, sofa table or similar piece. Another good option is a large floor mirror. Lean it against a wall not only to reflect light but also to add a sense of spaciousness. In a very small entrance, use only a few decorative touches in the redesign: put up floating shelves with a few ornamental accents, place a tall canister of spray-painted branches in the corner or hang art.
- 4
  
  Dress up the stairs with a runner.
  
  Include the staircase in the redesign. If the entrance to your home contains a staircase, liven it up with a runner. You can find stair runners in a wide array of colors and patterns to match any home's décor. Or you can create a faux runner by painting the stairs one color, then painting on a wide center stripe in a different color. Another technique for dressing up a staircase is placing decorative items on the stairs. Place books, potted plants, baskets, figurines or dolls on a few stairs, far to the side so as not to cause a tripping hazard.

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