The entryway offers guests their first impression of your home’s interior, and yet home entries are often treated as afterthoughts. Designer Sharon McCormick shows you how to create a space that not only reflects your style but also greets your guests like a warm embrace.

Top Spot

It’s the spot in your home where you and your guests make the introductions. However, your entryway has plenty to say as well--and quickly.

“The entryway is a place you’re only in for a few minutes, so it needs to have maximum visual impact,” says Sharon McCormick of Sharon McCormick Design, in Durham, Conn.

Ceilings, walls, flooring–each element should stir the senses, says McCormick. “Warm colors tend to work best,” she says, “yellows, beiges, peachy kinds of colors, because they are just very welcoming.” For flooring, McCormick likes the distinctive flair of metallic inset tiles, glass tiles, or a round mosaic stone inset to echo the shape of the chandelier— “something that adds a little light and sparkle to the area,” she says.

A Light Touch

Speaking of chandeliers, McCormick says they’re often under-scale for the space because people get intimidated by their size. Remember, she says, a four-foot chandelier hanging just above your head in a lighting store will look huge but, suspended from your foyer’s ceiling, it may be just right.

With sconces, says McCormick, avoid monotony and enhance eye appeal by having them complement rather than match the chandelier.

The Finer Points

One way to ground your entryway is with the addition of one exquisite piece, such as a painted demi-lune table or bombe chest. Fashion a tableau with a lamp, mirror, and personal accents or knick-knacks. The placement of lamp before mirror doubles the lighting through the mirror’s reflection.

Any artwork for this space should be large-scale. “No detailed architectural prints,” says McCormick, “because you won’t be able to absorb them walking through.”

Rugs should punctuate the space, with vibrant hues pulling together your color scheme.           

Make your entryway comfortable and functional with items such as umbrella stands, key holders, and boot trays. Provide a concealed space to hang coats and to store mittens and scarves.

And don’t overlook door hardware. Select a knob or handle that’s not only stunning but substantial, something that feels good in your hand. Says McCormick, “The door hardware is like the jewelry of the room.”

The Great Divide

What if your home features an open-plan foyer without a defined entryway? McCormick suggests installing molding, chair rails, or wainscoting. The space can also be demarcated with a flooring interruption such as a stencil around the space using a different-color stain or a painted black border. “It sets it off like a frame does for a picture,” she says.

Two Stories, One Theme

Finally, if you have a two-story foyer, be sure to dress the upper half with furniture, lighting, artwork, and a spectacular window treatment. “That whole big space needs to feel cohesive,” says McCormick. If your guests don’t notice the second floor when they arrive, they surely will upon departure. After all, the entryway isn’t just their first impression of your home’s interior. It’s also their last.