6 Rules to Designing your Entry Way

Studio 5

Angela Ingo
Designer, Imagine Cozy

Angela: An entry way is such a great way to give introduction to house is like.
What your style is like.

Host: It’s an instant style statement and a greeting of sort so how can you create
a warm and welcoming entry way designer Angela Ingo has 6 simple rules
to follow, first we’ll need to establish the importance of the room, you do
walk into a home and that’s the first thing you see.

Angela: Yeah it is the entry way to your home. It’s the welcoming place to just get
you into the house

Host: And you point out that is the place where that people will grasp not only
your own personal style but your own whole feeling, the warmth of your
home.

Angela: Yeah just what you like, what our home is about.

Host: Alright 6 rules to follow first you say hang a mirror in the entry way.

Creating a Warm and Inviting Entry

Hang a Mirror

Angela: I have to say this is personally my favorite. I love having a mirror in the
entry way and I think the reason is because when you walk in and you
walk out there’s just that place for you to just look at yourself as you’re
going in our out just to kind of see if everything is okay and it’s kind of a
window it allows more light in that space and it’s just it’s welcoming and
it’s simple. You do not have to have a large entry way. You don’t have to
have any entryway you just put on the wall as you go in, right before you
go out the door and it works really well.

Host: A lot of entry way that spaced is pretty narrow, pretty small, sometimes
dark we’re going to talk about lighting it up a little bit but that mirror can
open that up and like you say become a window into the rest of your
house.

Angela: And what also really works good if you don’t have a place to put a table
which is often what you like to see an entry you just a shelf right.
Underneath the mirror, very narrow, you can put keys on it. You can put
the mails there. It’s just a nice little unit that you create in your entry.

Host: Alright next tips is just back some kind of table if you don’t have space
you point out you can think outside of the box and really utilize any piece
of furniture you have.

Have Some Kind of Table

Angela: This is so fun because what happened so often you think you have to have
an entry table. You have to have a sofa table that fits just right but you can
use other things are really wanting people to consider other options so a
dresser is a perfect option for an entry way. A dresser is a perfect thing.
You can pull it out of your basement you can pull it out of storage. It’s a
perfect spot to put things on top off and it’s a perfect place to store things.

There’s also a possibility of old sowing cabinets. I have ran across more
old sowing cabinets in going through people’s houses and they’re perfect
for entry ways they work really well so really any tables service and
dresser as character as long as space to find knobs to find knobs and the
fun levels in dimension there it can bring a whole new life to that area.

Host: And it’s good storage for things that you’re not sure you know mittens and
gloves and different types of things that you know you need by the front
door.

Angela: I’m laughing because I’m thinking of jump door. I mean you can really
defy the things that you don’t want clutter in your entrance when people
walk in.

Host: Yeah it’s kind of junk door. Alright next this tip did not surprise me lamps
you’re big on lamps

Angela: You know what I have to tell you to lamps are one of my favorite and the
reason lamp work so well is it’s welcoming it’s warm, you have it turned
on when people come to your houses it’s like oh come on in. It’s just they
work really well and it’s simple, it’s not big deal you don’t have to have
any electrician do anything, you just put a lamp on the table. It’s nice
sometimes to have two lamps you might want to put a set of buffet lamps
depending upon the size of your table but any kind of lamp that you can
put your entry way makes it feel just warm. You just want to come in.
Add Lamps

Host: I’m still in the process of building you know my new home and the
entrance way just last week got a new addition. There was a lamp there
was a dimmer lamp and I love the warmth that instantly brought to the
space and you can adjust the lighting and it does make such a difference in
that tiny space.

Angela: And so when people come to your home it’s not a dark place or it’s not
this dark light that comes from the feeling, it’s just really warm inviting
filth. Lamps honestly are one of my favorite things.
Incorporate Natural Elements

Host: This next concept one I need to work on, you said to incorporate natural
elements in your entrance way. I know we’ve talked about this before but
this is one thing that if you add that it feels warmer. It feels cozy. It’s just
another layer to add and it just helps to make that, create that space that
welcomes you there. What can fill this need then in terms natural
elements, what can you bring in to the space?

Angela: Oh you could bring in a basket that’s got dried flowers in it. You can bring
it on vase that has real flowers in it. Earlier there was, oh here’s a little
topiary you can show that has got little green balls, you can do a pot that’s
got some kind of twigs or some kind of natural elements that are there that
you can bring in. It’s just it can be any variety of things.

Add a Char (or two!)

Host: Alright next you say to add a chair or if you have the space, add two
chairs.

Angela: I love doing this and the recent chair is nice. It’s great to have a place sit
down, put the shoes on or take them off and it’s also nice if you have
enough space especially to the entry way that was large enough and you
could go ahead and fit 2 chairs into the entry and they also have. It’s nice
to have pairs there’s a pair of chairs, a pair of pillows, a pair of topiaries.
It’s large enough that it created. It’s a large space you want enough there
that doesn’t feel empty but when it’s small way, you don’t want to much
depth there that you’re tripping over things.

Host: Right, right.

Angela: So you want it to put enough there depending upon what your space is?

Host: And the chairs are functional as well, not only well cleaned but they have
purpose as they’re coming in and out that’s option of greeting and going
place.

Angela: And the chairs in that particular segment where from the dining room.
There were just extra dining room chairs they didn’t need usually unless
they have companies so she put them in the entry way and it worked great.

Make it Your Style

Host: This final tip come summarizes the whole concept, to make it your style
make your entry way your own personal style.

Angela: And as you can see all the different entries that we showed are different
styles because different people have different places and different items
that they love so if you were just more of a cottage style, you’re going to
have some lighter furniture some whites some dried flowers. If it’s more
of an Italian kind of villa style you’re going to have a large painting that’s
going to be more colorful and heavier framed.

It just kind of depends on what it is that you like so you want your entry to
be you, you want it to as people walk in they’re like oh this is what their
home is all about.

Host: A lot of people greeting guest this weekend so a goodtime to hang out in
that space and Angela thank you so much.

Angela: You’re welcome.

Host: Love how you inspired go out totally and decorate and use what you have.

Angela: Yeah, I want so much for people to recognize you have things in your
home that you can pull out that you may not have thought off and create
beautiful wonderful spaces and you don’t have to buy anything.

Host: You’re so good at it. Thank you so much. If you like more home
decorating ideas visit again, imaginecozy.com we’ll send it over to
Darren.

Studio5
www.Imaginecozy.com
Creating A Warm Entry