Tips & Ideas to Update your Entryway / Foyer on a Budget

4 Budget-Friendly Ideas to Update Your Entryway or Foyer

Your entryway (foyer) is the first room that guests see when they come into your home and the last room they see when they leave. Because of this, you would think that if there were ANY room that you’d want to make a great first impression with, it would be this one. But it rarely gets the TLC it needs (kind of like me…wink wink).

Why? 

Well, people don’t usually spend much time in the entryway; it’s more of a ‘pass-thru’ or ‘transitional‘ area rather than a ‘sit back and relax with a glass of wine’ zone (I. however, have been known to drink wine anywhere).

So, how do you add personality and interest to your entryway without spending a whack load of money?

You keep reading!

ENTRYWAY UPDATE IDEA #1 PAINT COLOUR

In an entryway that’s separated from the main living areas, paint colour is THE best way to add some personality. In a more contained entryway (close in by three+ walls), you could paint the entire space a cool colour, a feature wall OR the front door!

Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black

However, if you have a living room and foyer that are combined, you might choose to paint ONLY the front door, this way the walls stay consistent.

Benjamin Moore Black 2132-10

In the above photo, we painted the door AND the trim to make the front door more of a focal point for the space, same with the photo below…

The Best Paint Colours for the INSIDE of a Front Door

Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze (COLOUR REVIEW HERE)

However, painting the trim on this door didn’t feel quite right, so we left the trim white. There’s no RULE for deciding when to do this or not, it’s about thinking about what might look best for the space as a whole…

Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain 

‘Would you rather have a small entryway that is bright and light (but still small) or a small entryway with personality?’

ENTRYWAY UPDATE TIP #2  USE SMART ACCENT COLOURS & DECOR

If you’re nervous about going full-tilt with paint colour, you can achieve a similar effect by using accent colours that are repeated in the rooms adjacent to the entryway. For example, you might have some artwork or an area rug in your living room with blues and greens in it. You would then repeat these same blues and greens in the entryway via accents.

It’s about providing ‘visual links’ from space to space.

For the above entryway to look connected to the adjoining rooms, you’ll want to see the same red, yellow and blue accents repeated. There doesn’t need to be a LOT of repetition, but a polite nod to the entryway is a great way to link the spaces visually.

See the colour connections between the entryway and the living/dining area in the photo below…

See this family-friendly country-style home here

The yellow from the entryway is repeated in the throw blanket, toss cushion and artwork in the dining area.

ENTRYWAY UPDATE IDEA #3  ADD SOME FUNCTION

I love this Ikea cabinet. It’s cute when closed, great for SMALL foyers, and adds some serious function – and it’s affordable!

I don’t have a photo of that bad boy in a client’s home, but the above visual will give you the idea – it’s only 12″ deep, and it will fit almost anywhere! (I do rely 100% on my E-design client’s photos).

And it doesn’t need to be IKEA to do the job. A console table with baskets or doors is another way to add function (and style) to your entryway…

There’s a LOT of storage in this cabinet – toques, hats, shoes and more! 

ENTRYWAY UPDATE TIP #4  GO BIG OR GO HOME (OR STAY HOME SINCE YOU’RE ALREADY THERE)

Don’t be afraid to add some impact and personality with oversized pieces if you have the room/wall for them!

You can buy a cabinet like the above for around $250 used (that one came with the house and I painted it white/distressed it). The large clock was $199 and a great investment for this large wall space. As for Doug? Priceless.

Chat soon,