How to Decorate a Hallway: 22 Entryway Decor Ideas

From the second someone walks through your door, they're getting a feel for what your home has to offer. Your entryway decor is what sets the tone for guests in your home, so you want to make sure it's giving a good impression! Here are suggestions for how to decorate a hallway so it gives off the vibes you want.

1. Add a bench

Adding a bench is both practical and stylish when decorating a hallway. No matter the width or style of your hallway, there are plenty of bench sizes and models to choose from. Benches can also come with storage to keep shoes, bags and other belongings organized and hidden.

2. Create storage

Having storage as part of your hallway decor is useful, especially during cold weather when you'll want to keep boots, hats and gloves quickly accessible for when you walk out the door.

This storage can come in many forms, whether it be a credenza, shelves, small side table or even a dresser. It allows you to keep things you need close to the door while hiding them so it doesn't look cluttered.

3. Set the tone with wallpaper

Experimenting with wallpaper throughout your home can seem intimidating, but will really add character. What better place to start than the place people first see when they walk into your home? It will leave a lasting impression on those that visit.

4. Build a gallery wall

A wall of pictures and paintings is always a good way to add color and life to your home, but it's perfect for an entryway that's narrow and doesn't have a lot of room for other furniture pieces, like a credenza or side table.

You can choose paintings and images that are all cohesive in color and style or completely mix it up for a more eclectic look by choosing pieces of various styles, sizes and colors.

5. Install floating shelves

Floating shelves not only look clean and simple, but they don't take up any direct floorspace like a table or credenza. When places higher up on the wall, they draw your attention upward and can make the ceiling feel higher — this is sometimes hard to do in hallways where you have a more narrow, limited area to work with.

Display decorative items, like picture frames, plants and souvenirs, on shelves in your hallway.

6. Try a ledge

If you aren't a fan of full shelves in your hallway, a ledge is a good compromise of utility and style. A ledge isn't quite as wide and doesn't take up as much space, but can still be used for setting pictures, plants and small decorative items on.

7. Play with bold colors

If you want to add some color to your home, but are afraid that painting an entire room pink is too much — shift that focus to the hallways.

Too much of a bold color in a large room is overwhelming to the eye, whereas choosing a bright paint color for a smaller area, like your entryway, can actually benefit from the boldness without the color being too much to handle.

8. Throw down a rug

Most entryways aren't carpeted, and many are either tile or wood floors. While this is incredibly practical, as it's easy to clean when there's dirt or water from shoes and umbrellas, it doesn't provide a particularly warming ambiance.

Adding a rug doesn't take away from the practicality of the hard flooring, but gives your home a more inviting, cozy feeling from the moment you walk through the door.

9. Hang a mirror

Making an entryway look and feel bright and airy is easily achievable by adding a mirror— even if you have a small entryway with little lighting.

You can choose a mirror of any size, whether you want a small, eye-level mirror or a full-length mirror to check out your appearance just before you leave the house. Or, create a collage of multiple mirrors of different sizes.

10. Install utility hooks

Having a place to hang coats, bags and umbrellas in the hallway makes it easy for both you and your guests to keep belongings handy. Hooks take up very little wall space but can hold a significant number of items, so it's smart to have a few that are a good size, where you can hang multiple items on each hook.

11. Place a coat rack

If you've got room in the corner of your entryway, rather than putting hooks on your walls, go with a coat rack. There are tons of styles and sizes to choose from, so if you have more room to spare, you can choose a large coat rack for hanging many coats and hats. Or you can stick with a small one that can hang a only couple of items.

There's every design from midcentury modern to elaborate vintage coat racks to accompany the style of your home.

12. Use wall sconces

Learning how to decorate a hallway will help you pull your entire home together. Keep in mind, entryway lighting can change the whole aesthetic of your hallway. Wall sconces are perfect for entryways since they can double as wall decor and a lighting piece. They don't take up floor or table space, like a lamp, yet there are just as many styles to choose from.

13. Install a pendant light

If you have the overhead space, hang a cool pendant light. This can draw attention up from the floor and be a unique accent piece for your entryway. Plus, there are lots of different sizes and you can make it as big or as small as you like.

14. Go green

Houseplants can add color and life to your entryway. Put a potted plant on a shelf, table or bench, or get a large floor plant. As a bonus, plants have many benefits, such as improving air quality and decreasing stress levels.

15. Move in a small table

Having a small side table, sofa table or sideboard in your entry hallway gives you a place to put other pieces of decor — plants, art, etc. It also gives you and your visitors a convenient place for your keys and bag, where you can quickly snag them as you walk out the door.

Tables are a nice addition because they come in every size imaginable, so even if you don't have a lot of space, you can still find something small that stands in the corner.

16. Maintain whitespace

Just because you have an entryway doesn't mean you need to add lots of decors. Learning how to decorate a hallway while keeping it minimal is key.

Minimalism is a popular style right now and there's nothing wrong with keeping it simple and clean. A single framed photo on the wall or plant in the corner can do the trick when you decorate your hallway.

17. Set patterned floor tiles

Photo source: Pinterest

Having patterned tile is like having wallpaper, but for the floor — it adds character and drama without being too overwhelming.

There are thousands of individual tile designs in many ways to create thousands of different patterns. You can tailor your tiles to fit with any aesthetic, with simple, single-color tiles or even plain colors arranged into a cool pattern.

The great thing about floor tile is that you can use peel-and-stick vinyl floor tiles and remove them if you move, and for a relatively affordable price.

18. Go monochromatic

Sticking with a single color and using lighter and darker shades to accompany it can add depth to your entryway, no matter the size. It also won't overwhelm the area with too many distinct colors, but you'll still get a nice variation between shades. Even if you're using a handful of different shades, monochromatic colors will look clean and calm.

19. Hang blinds and curtains

Incorporate dark colors — just as it is a bit overwhelming to paint an entire room a bright color, a lot of dark colors are a little too much if used in excess. However, when used in a smaller space like an entryway, dark colors can add drama without overpowering the rest of your decor.

20. Use natural woods

Choosing pieces with a natural wood finish can add comfort and warmth to the entrance hallway decor, even if it's just one small element among many. Plus, natural finishes pair well with almost any other material and there's no shortage of the color of stains and types of wood you can use.

21. Paint the door

Walls aren't the only thing that you can paint — doors can provide a good pop of color, too! You can choose a bright, bold color to make your door the decor focal point of your entryway. Or you can go with a more muted color that will still add some drama without being too distracting from other decors.

22. Highlight everyday life

Your entryway gives guests a first impression of your home, but that doesn't mean it always needs to look pristine and sterile. Let your entryway show signs that you live in your home — a hat on a hook, keys on a table, a coat on a chair, etc. You can still keep a clean-looking hallway without it looking like no one lives there.

Make a good first impression

Your entry is the first look that people get of your home, so you want to make sure you know how to decorate a hallway that makes a good impression. And like the rest of your home, there are so many different ways you can style your entryway to give it a great design that represents you and your home. Get started by using some of the tips we shared above!

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