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How to Dramatically Improve Your Home’s Entry Way

The entrance to your home reflects your home’s soul, much like the old proverb ‘the eyes are a window to the soul’.

A few stylish touches will make everyone feel more welcome in your home. The Entry way often makes not only the first impression, but the biggest. It gives your visitors an initial sense of what the rest of the home’s style and personality might be like. Whether your home is modern, traditional or contemporary, you’ll want to select an entrance style that is harmonious with the rest of your décor.

Most entry ways serve a multitude of purposes, such as a daily accumulation of mail, backpacks, umbrellas, boots and shoes. Utilizing the space to neatly organize these items using furniture with drawers and baskets will nicely compliment your home’s style.

For those of you in the process of updating your home’s entrance, here are a few things to keep in mind when picking out a new front door:

Complimentary Style: Pick a style that matches your exterior & interior style. Traditional, Modern, Contemporary, Vintage, etc… Think about how it will reflect and fit in with the rest of your home.

Materials: When deciding between traditional wood or fiberglass, take into account how the door will be exposed to the elements.

While the beauty of wood, along with the countless options (side lights, decorative glass, transoms, rich wood finishes) make wood the easiest option when installing a customized door, overtime exposure to the elements can cause warping.

Fiberglass doors are more durable and can be stained to create the more traditional look of wood. While this option can be more expensive, it’s long term energy savings often off-set the initial cost.

Increase Natural Light: Pick a door style that lets in more natural light than your previous model did. If your previous model maximized natural light, then look for a door that has a similar glass to solid material ratio.

Matching Hardware: Consciously select the hardware that matches the style of the door, and use it as an introduction to what to expect from your interior style. Does your hardware on your front door (I.e., doorknob, metal detail, etc.) match the hardware that’s dominant in your interior design? Do you want it to match?

Complimentary Lighting: Be sure to match your entry way light fixtures style to your new door and entry way and keep in mind that the type of lighting you chose can make all the difference; opt for adequate bulb strength and light that matches the effect that you want. Incandescent and halogen lights enhance reds and yellows and mute blues and greens. Fluorescent lights enhance blues and greens and mute reds and yellows.

Flooring: Consider installing an attractive tile or stone flooring that will hold up to traffic. If that’s more than your looking to spend,select a nice shaped area rug or mat to add accent.

Color: Picking a unique color for your entry way is another great way to make it stand out. Keep in mind that you’ll want something that works with the rest of your home.

Check Out what these designers have to say about color choices:

“In a small entrance hall I like to use deep strong colors to help define the space. Otherwise you lose it.” -JOHN BARMAN

“Imagine going down a leafy path and opening the door to a lovely green foyer. This is not the usual dark bottle green. It’s paler and softer, a really good, goes-anywhere green that feels so very peaceful.” -JENNIFER GARRIGUES

“Those great 18th-century British architects kept the front hallway somber to recall the color of the stone outside, on the facade. I like that idea of bringing the outside in, but stone doesn’t necessarily work for me. I tend to use a sky-bluish color that has a pretty heavy dose of gray and green.” -STEVEN GAMBREL

Click Here for some more great color suggestions!

Organize: Clear your front step and immediately inside your front door of clutter. Don’t distract from your amazing improvements!

Use a little creativity to reign in the clutter and utilize the space you have available. This Pebble-Filled Boot Tray Idea on Martha Stewart’s website is a great way to deal with the mess of melting ice and snow. While the use of shelf and mirrors to mimic a window can be a great way to make a small entry way appear larger.

Ferris Home Improvement of Delaware can help with all your entry way renovations and replacements. We are a local family owned renovation contractor with a stellar reputation.