I’d like to introduce you to their beautiful, functional importance.
Create an entrance. Make a warm welcome. Inject beautiful function. The entry is an underappreciated space that sets the tone, the vibe, and the feeling you want to evoke throughout your home. Let’s put some thought into the design of a beautiful entryway. One that functions well while celebrating its occupant’s personality and welcomes everyone.
A hall may be just a path from one room to another, but it is waiting for some love. Again, the hallway is an underappreciated space. The hall is a place to have fun, be bold, and show your stuff. I mean that quite literally. Showcase your treasures and love of color, and work some function into it.
Both of these spaces are noticed and underrated as design spaces. Let’s turn that around and let them both shine. If you need more help before starting these spaces, check out this blog on Dreaming of Home: Beginning Thoughts. If you don’t, let’s begin.
How to create a beautiful function
Follow these steps for creating your space:
- First, clear out unwanted items, clean the space, and understand the needed organization.
- Second, figure out what functional furniture pieces you need in the entry. Remember, the entrance is a launching pad to get out the door in the morning, a place to keep outdoor gear and take care of items when you get home. Do you need a place to sit down to put your shoes on? A storage piece to catch laundry for a hall laundry closet? Can either space serve another purpose?
- Lastly, add decorative items that make it personal, welcoming, and beautiful. Show off your interests and collections. Remember, this is where a person first steps into your home to set the vibe.
Keep an open mind to new beautiful ideas of functional needs
Both the entry and the hallway are left alone for their functionality. It doesn’t need to be so. It does take a bit of thinking and dreaming about these rooms. Review the steps above, then explore solutions to your functional needs.
- Could you repurpose an item you already have?
- Is there an organizational problem you could search for on Pinterest to see how someone else solved the problem?
- Do you have a collection you’d love to display? Does it have a specific display you’d like planned into the design?
Make a plan to execute and curate your ideas
Now is the time to work on your ideas; set time aside to create. Clean, paint if necessary, then pull the pieces you’ve gathered for the entry and hall. If you need help choosing color, I have a free download to help you coordinate color in your home. Put on some great music to work by and execute your ideas. Start placing furniture, set up the necessary organizational pieces, and add your items of interest.
Stand back and analyze if it is a beautiful function
Then, stand back and analyze if all is working. Are you still trying to figure it out? Take a photo and look at it. Often, when you do that, something will jump out that needs attention – take out or add another piece. Remember, your plan isn’t permanent. If something feels off, you’ll figure it out in a few days or maybe a week. Or ask the private Facebook group we love to discuss home design. The September eBook has a Checklist Schedule for working through this plan if you need further help. Also, remember the season you are in when you’re setting these spaces up. Things will change as fall turns to winter; our beautiful entry and hall will also change their function. So create an entrance, a warm welcome, and show your stuff.
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