Making an Entrance

5 Tips for Small Entrance Halls

When we meet someone new it takes us just 2 seconds to take a mental snapshot, size them up from top to toe and form that all important first impression. Whilst it may sound judgemental, first impression are a natural survival instinct and something that we all do to make sense of the world around us and the people in it. We do exactly the same thing when we visit someone’s home. In seconds, we’ve taken it all in and made a flat out judgement; messy, clean, homely, inviting, cold. Of course, our impressions can change as we venture further into the house, but the very best place for making positive first impressions of your home is in the entrance hallway. Now, your entrance hall might be broom cupboard sized, but you can still make it pop with our 5 tips for small entrance halls.

1) The teaser room. Let’s face it, most entrance hallways are drab, uninspired spaces. They tend to be right at the end of the household renovation list, and just a bit, well, boring! Even in a small space, as the portal to the rest of your home, your entrance hallway should be treated as a ‘room’ in its own right with the same amount of planning and effort poured into it. A great way to do this is to make the entrance hall a ‘teaser’ for the rest of your home, setting the scene for what the rest of the house will hold. Original Style has some gorgeous floor tiles that will transform the tiniest porch or hallway into something super.

2) Mirror, mirror…If your entrance hallway suffers with lack of light, a glass panelled front door can help to bring the sun into your home. Then you can add the classic hall mirror to reflect the light (and give guests that essential stopping point to check themselves out!). Big furniture just isn’t going to work in a titchy hallway, so instead opt for a narrow shelf underneath your mirror like the Chrome/Glass Adjustable Shelving. They come with 2 glass shelves, but you can just install one of the shelves if you prefer.

3) Add some personality. The same way that you’d add a jaunty hat, a bright red scarf or some amazing shoes to your outfit to add interest and give little clues about your personality, make sure your entrance hall has these quirky personality features too. In small hallways where ground space is minimal, make the most of your corners with 6ft Freestanding Grid Mesh Corner Shelving. Then you can add those personality hints with fabulous framed pictures, some of your favourite books, or whatever says ‘you’.

4) Enliven the senses. When someone walks into your entrance hall, it’ll be their eyes that are greedily drinking everything in, but you can also subtly invoke the other senses too like smell and touch. Sure, it might not be practical to have a never ending stream of chocolate brownies baking in the oven for their heavenly fragrance but you could add a fragrant houseplant to your hall like a scented geranium or jasmine plant. This will fit in nicely on your chrome/glass adjustable shelving or if you have room, the narrow chrome wire shelving unit! For the tactile element go for features that your guest will want to reach out and touch like pretty ceramic door knobs or luxurious velvet flock wallpaper. It might be pricey if covering a whole lounge but a single roll should be enough for a bijou entrance hall!

5) Go on up. There’s nothing like a tumble of old trainers and shoes to give your guest a sinking feel as they step onto your entrance hall. Fact is though, that the entrance hall has to be practical too. A good way to solve the dilemma in a little space is by going up. Install some Chrome/Oak Adjustable Shelving above head height so you can keep shoes out of view and keep floors free of clutter. Your entrance hall might be small, but it’s set to make a big impression!