Entryways ~

Come on in !

An entrance is like an invitation which warmly invites you and your guests to enter your home. It is like the welcoming mat of your home. It may be small and less roomy but it too deserves a little decorating, care and flair as any other room. It is usually the first impression that anybody has of your home , so it deserves some glamour and stardust too :)
Bridging the space between the indoors and the outdoors, the entrance is an ideal area to decorate and going by your surroundings and the type of residence you possess, you must do something to make the impression lasting so that the overall tone draws you further in :)

You may be living in a separate house, in a society or high rise, in a sprawling bungalow, in a segment of row houses or anywhere else, there is something you can surely do to improve upon the entrance and that first appearance of your home that the visitors get a glimpse of. Even if it's an apartment you live in, it must surely have a wall and a door and there is so much you can do with that. I have personally seen numerous apartments having beautiful entrances, something that sets them apart from the other ones in the vicinity. There is always some greenery ( real or artificial), some colourful wall hangings, a vibrant doormat, a mask or an idol fixed on the wall or if nothing else, a eye catching tiled or hand painted name plate. It persuades you to look again and admire the mind of the person behind it. He/ she has taken pains to make the guests feel welcome and it is where the seeds of decorating ideas pave the way for pleasures that await in the rest of the house.

Now, if you live in huge bungalows or separate houses, then of course, decorating your entryway is a big pleasure. Space is not a constraint and there is so much you can do to make it an inviting place . You can place some outdoor furniture, a vase of cut flowers resting on the table, some potted plants in attractive containers or maybe, even a wall of botanical prints . You can further take the look to your hallway or foyer for a continuation of the same !

The entrance must not only be decorative, it should be practical as well. There should be sufficient lighting, neither too bright nor too dim...just right to set a warm, welcoming mood. If you have a long passage leading to your main door, a mirror is a great thing to have; something with a wrought iron frame or with a mosaic finish would look great outdoors. It is also a pleasant addition for last minute checks before leaving the house or a last minute glance before entering :D

If there is sufficient space, you must have a small bench or a chair and a small rack for dirty shoes and dripping umbrellas but then you ought to have some space for that !
If it is your own home, then you can add your personal touch by painting the outdoor area with a warm colour, maybe a stenciled paisley or a wall of folk art. You can choose your outdoor tiles keeping the indoor colour scheme in mind so that the two areas can blend into each other easily. Terracotta tiles look lovely outdoors and provide a natural backdrop for plants too. Of course, you can have as many potted plants as you want.A few terracotta idols near the doorway also liven up the place instantly. If there isn't enough floor area , you can hang brackets or shelves on the wall and hooks seem to have taken over balconies and gardens in a huge way nowadays . So much easier to have containers full of blooms or hanging baskets near the main wall leading to your door.
In the end, you'll be happy to have created a space that not only welcomes you and your friends with warmth and joy but one that sends you off with a cozy feeling too. Make that impression last forever :)
Sharing some images of my own home and entryway. I have an independent house, though not very big but we made sure we kept a sufficient area for growing flowers and placing containers so that our family and guests always get a chance to walk through them to reach the main door. It's always a pleasant sight and a fragrant walk for them :) It does get a bit crammed up at times and my husband is very sure that somebody is going to trip and fall on them if I add one more container there but then nobody has fallen yet ( wink! )  And if they do, I'll be doing a different post next time :D The pots and containers on the wall were added recently and that trailing succulent is something I love to have just below that name plate. It has, very graciously grown and cascaded over the wall and gives a lovely effect ( so I think ! ) and the carved Ganesha on wood was a house warming gift from a very dear aunt so I always like to see it there :)

Since providing a welcome is the primary function of an entrance, make sure you do it well :)

This doesn't end here . I would like you all to share some images of your entrances too and if you think your entryway is warm, inviting and attractive to your guests, or if you have taken special pains to make the entrance appealing , whether it's laid-back and casual, dramatic and formal, over the top or minimalist , we would love to see how you've done it up :)
You can mail me your images and a small paragraph about it too. My email id on the right hand column of this page. It will be great to catch a glimpse of your homes as well and motivate each other :)
Till then, keep smiling and keep decorating :)