6 Things You'll Never Find in the Entryway of an Elegant Home

The entryway welcomes you home after a long day, makes a first impression on guests, and sets the tone for the rest of the home. Whether your area is a small space in the living room or a grand foyer with tall ceilings, you should avoid placing certain items in the entryway if you want it to look elegant. The trick is striking the right balance between style and practicality, since this hard-working space receives a lot of foot traffic and serves as a transitional area between the indoors and outdoors.

While you need space to store shoes and jackets, you don’t want the entryway to look like a messy closet—and even though you need to be able to see when you enter your home, you don’t need to be blinded by a tacky fluorescent overhead light. To give your entryway a stylish overhaul, here are six things you should edit out.

1. Insufficient Lighting

Lighting plays a huge role in the overall look and feel of a room. Not only does a light fixture’s design influence the room’s appearance, but the type and amount of light it emits greatly affect the ambience. Lighting is especially important in an entryway. For safety purposes, you need to be able to turn a light on as soon as you enter the space and not have to walk too far to reach a switch. What you want to avoid in an entryway is insufficient lighting or a ceiling light that’s way too cool and bright.

The entryway should be brightly lit, but have a warm light that feels welcoming. The ideal scenario is to have multiple sources of light in an entryway, which will vary depending on the room’s size and the amount of natural light it receives. Consider installing a ceiling fixture with a light switch by the door for general lighting and add a small table lamp to an entryway console or a pair of wall sconces for ambient evening light.

2. Rugs that Shift or Have Curled Corners

An area rug or runner is a great way to cozy up an entryway. It adds a pop of color, pattern, and texture while also protecting the flooring. As much as the right rug can enhance your entryway, the wrong one can ruin the entire space. Avoid rugs that easily show dirt and cannot be washed, as they’ll make your entryway appear permanently dirty.

Additionally, don’t use a rug that’s too thick, as it may prevent the front door from fully opening. Safety is also a consideration when selecting a rug for the entryway. Not only does a rug that constantly shifts and has curled corners look messy, but it can also be a serious tripping hazard. If you plan to use a rug in the entryway, invest in a high-quality rug that stays in place.

3. Bulky Furniture

While an entryway needs to provide functional storage space, resist bringing in bulky furniture pieces that offer tons of hidden storage but visually overwhelm the space. This is especially important if you’re working with limited square footage or an entryway that’s dark and receives little natural light. Avoid large pieces that clutter the space and block pathways to other rooms or the front door, as these can make the room feel cramped and less inviting.

4. Sports Equipment and Shoe Piles

An entryway often becomes a drop zone for everything from sports equipment to piles of shoes and backpacks. If you don’t have a garage and the entryway is the only spot to store these items, organizing them in a clever and visually appealing way is key to maintaining an elegant space. Invest in attractive wicker baskets to store items like balls and pickleball paddles, and organize shoes on racks with doors to conceal them. Small changes like this make an entryway look pulled together and simplify the daily process of keeping the space tidy.

5. Too Much Open Storage

Open storage, such as a hall tree or floating shelves, provides quick and easy access for coats and seasonal accessories, but it can also make an entryway look messy and cluttered. The trick is striking the right balance between keeping things within reach and keeping them hidden so the space looks elegant. If you have a hall tree, floating shelves, or open built-in shelving in your entryway, break it up with a set of matching storage baskets. They allow you to sort things into categories and offer storage without everything being on display.

6. A Recycling Bin

Empty boxes that need to be recycled often end up in the entryway, but as tempting as it may be to place a recycling bin by the front door, it’s best to avoid doing so. A pile of bulky or broken-down boxes and other items waiting to be recycled takes up precious entryway space, making it look like a messy dumping zone. If you don’t have a garage or mudroom where you keep the recycling bin, designate an area in a closet or pantry for recycling, so your entryway doesn’t become cluttered.