28 Small Entryway Ideas That Make a Big First Impression

Transform the entrance of your home into a welcoming and functional area with these expert tips and creative ideas.

It’s easy to overlook the entryway, since you don’t spend a lot of time in the space, compared to a bedroom or living room. But this transitional area is where you walk in and out of the home each day, and where you drop purses, shoes, jackets, and mail. The best small entryway ideas combine storage and style. Done well, an entryway can help you stay organized and make a good first impression on all who enter.

Your entryway is also where you introduce the personality of your home, so it’s worth putting some thought into the design. Create a strategic, stylish space that’s hardworking as well as beautiful by choosing furniture with built-in storage, bold paint and wallpaper, and functional decorative elements. We’re sharing our best small entryway ideas to inspire your next home refresh.

Related: 24 Entryway Table Decor Ideas That Create the Perfect Welcome

Small Entryway with Statement Artwork

Draw the eyes upward in a small entryway to create the impression the space is larger. You can do that by hanging a big, bold piece of art on the wall to act as the star of the space.

Related: 27 Hallway Decor Ideas That Show Off Your Style in Every Room

Houseplants for a Small Entryway

Place an oversized tropical houseplant on the floor in a pretty planter to warm up a small entryway and make it more welcoming. This works especially well in entryways that get natural light, like this one with lots of glass in the door and a side window.

Related: 6 Expert Tips for Decorating with Houseplants in Every Room of Your Home

Small Entryway with an Area Rug

An area rug will protect the floor from the foot traffic and dirt that comes through an entryway. A rug will warm the room and pull the space together, giving a small entryway a unified look.

Mix Bold Patterns

A tiny entryway doesn’t have to be tiny in style. Big, bold patterns can liven up the space if done the right way. Mix patterns but stick to a limited color palette, like this wallpaper, area rug, stair runner, paint, and accessories in black and white. Even the black wall hooks against the white wall keep to the black-and-white scheme.

Related: How to Mix Patterns: 4 Things Interior Designers Want You to Know

Small Entryway Bench

Tuck a narrow bench into an entryway too small for a table or hall tree. You’ll provide a place to sit while take off your shoes and to display pillows, art, and plants.

Related: 21 Ways to Use a Storage Bench for All Your Organization Needs

Add Multiple Storage Options

Place built-in cabinets along the wall of a small entryway to provide a place to stash coats, books, and other clutter at the doorway. Install wall hooks in between and a counter on top so you’ve got a spot for every item, from art to book bags, without a square inch of wasted space.

Choose a Front Door with Windows

A front door with windows will let in natural light that can brighten a small entryway and make it look larger. This entryway also has a transom window and a sidelight that will wash the small space in sun.

Small Entryway Hall Tree

Hall trees tend to be gigantic pieces of furniture that won’t fit in a small entryway. Look for a small one with an open design, like this one made of bamboo, to hang hats, satchels, and purses. Put a dish on the hall tree shelf to hold keys, change, and sunglasses.

Small Entryway with Repurposed Furniture

Use a chest of drawers instead of a hall tree to provide lots of storage in a small entryway with limited wall space. Style it like an entry table and use its drawers to store the items you need to keep by the door, from jackets to shoes.

Related: 7 Tips for Decorating with Wood Furniture to Avoid a Dated Look

Small Entryway with Statement Mirror

Hang a statement mirror on the wall to make a small entryway feel larger. You can also use it to check your look on the way out the door. This one is in a dramatic gold frame so it has the heft of a piece of wall art.

Related: How to Hang a Heavy Mirror for a Statement Piece That Won’t Budge

Small Entryway Ideas for Stairs

A pint-sized daybed tucked against a wall by entryway stairs provides a pop of bold pattern thanks to its black-and-white upholstery, as well as a place to sit down and take off your shoes when you come home. Hanging a gallery wall full of art along the stairs up the space’s design power.

Related: 20 Entryway Bench Ideas to Create a Warm Welcome

Mount a Wall Shelf

Use a wall shelf like a table in a small entryway. Suspend it from the wall in the middle of the wall and place art, a vase of flowers, and a bowl or two for catching car keys, sunglasses, and mail. Tuck a coat rack in the corner and your small space does big work.

Set up a Desk

Who says your desk must stay in a home office? Put a writing desk in a small entryway along with a pair of stools so the piece can be a desk or a foyer table. Add dramatic art and accessories to create a stylish space for doing tasks by the door.

Small Entryway Nook

Most entryways are set up for maximum efficiency in getting through the room. Flip the script and set up an entryway for staying put by placing a comfy daybed by the door. Baskets under the daybed do the heavy lifting of storing shoes, dog leashes, and other items that need to be ready to grab on the go.

Small Entryway Wallpaper Ideas

Hang bold wallpaper in the alcove of a small entryway to define the space and add a jolt of style. Black paint on doors, baseboards, and black frames on the art echoes the black in the wallpaper print and ties the elements together visually.

Related: The 8 Best Wallpapers of 2024 to Add Visual Flair to Any Room, According to Our Testing

Japandi Style Entryway

The Japandi design style—a hybrid of Japanese and Scandinavian styles—has clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic that’s ideal for small entryways where larger or more ornate style would overpower the space. A slat wall, simple wooden bench and single vase of greenery add style and storage by the doorway.

Related: 16 Stunning Japandi-Style Paint Colors for a Calming Home

Add Playful Wall Storage

Bring a touch of playful cottage style with a wall shelf painted a bright color and equipped with pegs for hanging everything from art to hats. Suspend houseplants from the ceiling in macrame planters and add a nubby rug to pull the look together.

Related: 14 Charming Ways to Decorate with Pastel Colors

Small Entryway Furniture Ideas

Put unexpected pieces of furniture together in a small entryway so they work as a team to provide storage and seating. The black, white and cream palette brings elegance to the first space you see when you walk in the door.

Related: 26 Expert Tips to Help You Arrange Furniture in Every Room

Make a Small Entryway a Living Space

Turn a small entryway into a functional living area by adding a bench for sitting, a side table, and a chest of drawers for drop zone storage by the door. An area rug puts the finishing touch on the decor and invites guests to have a seat.

Related: 15 Small Living Room Layout Ideas That Maximize Space

Small Entryway with Furniture

Place a loveseat in a small entryway that can double as a place to drape a jacket, put down a purse, or sit down and take off your shoes. Add a floor lamp and it can double as a reading nook.

Repurpose Furniture

Dropleaf tables are usually put in breakfast nooks, but their space-saving abilities can also be advantageous when used in a small entryway. Add a bowl for keeping keys, sunglasses, and change, a mirror to open up the space, and an area rug.

Related: 31 Small-Space Solutions for Every Room in Your Home

Small Entryway Color Ideas

Don’t be afraid to add deep color to a small entryway. This alcove is drenched in a rich shade of deep blue paint that imparts a sense of calm without feeling heavy or dark. Brightly colored accessories, furniture, and wall art liven up the space and provide storage.

Small Entryway Storage

Hang wooden bins on the wall beside the door in a small entryway where floor space is at a premium. Maximizing vertical space makes a small entryway work harder. You can put shoes, mail, plants, keys, and other odds and ends in the. Put wall hooks in between the bin for hanging jackets and satchels.

Related: 9 Entryway Storage Ideas for a Clutter-Free Home

Front Door Color for Small Entryway

Liven up a small entryway by painting the door a bold color that will be the star of the space. Add a chair, a plant, a mirror, and an area rug in neutral colors to pull the look together.

Related: How to Paint a Front Door for Quick Curb Appeal

Small Entryway with Grandmillennial Style

Just because your entryway isn’t grand in size doesn’t mean its style can’t be grand. Mix bold patterns, colors, and textures for a maximalist effect. The key to not overpowering the small space is to stick to a limited palette while you mix those patterns. Here, orange is the primary color with accents of blue and pale green. There’s a lot of storage incorporated into this bold space with baskets, an umbrella holder, and a marble table.

Related: 28 Bright, Bold Colors That Go with Orange

Maximalist Small Entryway Ideas

A repurposed church pew, colorful rug, bold accent wall, and gallery wall bring a warm, collected look to a small entry while making maximum use of the space. A basket placed on the floor can catch shoes, purses, and other items in the drop zone by the door and a side table with a lamp adds a layer of light in addition to the pendant overhead.

Add Storage for Kids

Turn your entryway into a hard-working drop zone by hanging a wall shelf at kid level that has bins and wall hooks where they can put their book bags and take off their shoes. A pair of bins on the floor provide places to stash toys, books, dog leashes and any other items shed as your family enters or grabbed as they leave.

Related: 25 Toy Storage Ideas to Help You Tidy Up

Small Entryway with Bold Color

A bright accent wall makes a small entry look larger and creates a striking first impression.  Painting wide, horizontal stripes on the wall opens the space and makes a bold contrast with a brightly-painted front door.

Related: 11 Stylish Front Door Paint Colors to Upgrade Your Curb Appeal

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