Traditional Entrance Ideas and Designs

Formal entry
This is an example of a large traditional foyer in Austin with grey walls, medium hardwood flooring, a single front door and a black front door.

Custom Craftsman Style Home

Hines Homes, LLC

This is an example of a medium sized classic boot room in Little Rock with grey walls, medium hardwood flooring and a single front door.

Mud Room Wall Unit

Tailored Living featuring PremierGarage of Seattle

With each child having his/her own space to hang their book bag, coats, and accessories there will be no more piles on the floor.
Inspiration for a medium sized classic boot room in Seattle with blue walls and dark hardwood flooring.

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Dunkin

Virginia Ironworks

The lovely Dunkin is a traditional-looking steel gate designed with beautiful fleur-de-lis cast spears and circles on its top bar and twisted pickets on its base. This double-swing driveway gate functions with a set of pull rings and drop pins, and it also has 6” steel support posts, ball-bearing hinges, and an aliphatic urethane coating.

Katherine & Robert's Rowhouse

Residents Understood

Bonnie Sen
Design ideas for a medium sized traditional foyer in DC Metro with blue walls, dark hardwood flooring, a single front door and a black front door.

Roseville, MN mudroom addition/kitchen and living remodel

Constructive Builders

This is an example of a medium sized classic entrance in Minneapolis with green walls.

Herringbone Foyer meticulously installed by Superb

Superb Flooring & Design

Herringbone installed by Superb
This is an example of a classic foyer in Detroit with yellow walls, light hardwood flooring, a single front door, a dark wood front door and brown floors.

Spring Willow at Forest Lakes

Landmark 24 Homes

Amy Green
Photo of a medium sized classic foyer in Atlanta with beige walls, dark hardwood flooring, a single front door and a white front door.

Shady Canyon

Blackband Design

Interior Design by Blackband Design Photography by Tessa Neustadt
Photo of a large traditional foyer in Orange County with white walls, a single front door, a dark wood front door and feature lighting.

Bedford | Renovation

The Bellepoint Company

Bradshaw Photography
Photo of a small classic boot room in Columbus with grey walls, slate flooring, a single front door and a dark wood front door.

Back Country Pre-War Colonial Renovation

Significant Homes LLC

Robert Benson For Charles Hilton Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Back Country Pre-War Colonial Renovation

Significant Homes LLC

Квартира на Красной Пресне

Женя Жданова

Евгений Кулибаба
Inspiration for a classic foyer in Moscow with grey walls and grey floors.

JamesYarosh.com : Foyer renovation - Stone, Panel Molding, Stairs & Furnishings

James Yarosh Assoc. Fine Art & Design Gallery

Since 1996, James Yarosh Associates has been the local go-to gallery featuring international fine art collections to critical acclaim. Additionally, the well-traveled art dealer extends his curatorial talent to interior design specification. As a published designer, James has made an art form out of designing residences, combining his artist's eye and experience to create intelligent, thoughtfully individual homes inspired by both beauty and each client's lifestyle Photography: Patricia Burke

Luxurious Family Home

Frasier-Martis Architects, P.C.

Inspiration for a traditional entrance in Omaha.

Luxurious Family Home

Frasier-Martis Architects, P.C.

This is an example of a classic entrance in Omaha.

Gated Community Custom

Gil Montarbo GBC, Inc.

Large traditional front door in San Francisco with beige walls, brick flooring, a double front door and a dark wood front door.

CC44C Cambridge Classic-Craft Oak Collection Doors

US Door & More Inc

Therma-tru
Small classic entrance in Tampa with brick flooring.

H2 Custom Home in Hampton Hall

H2 Builders

Rob Kaufman
Photo of a medium sized classic boot room in Atlanta with beige walls, dark hardwood flooring and brown floors.

Traditional Entrance Ideas and Designs

The entrance of your home is a critical area to design well because as we all know, first impressions count. As the first thing that visitors will see when they arrive, your entrance is your opportunity to offer guests a warm welcome while introducing the personality of your traditional home. Equally important, it welcomes you home every day, so make it somewhere that you’re glad to come home to. The entrance to your home begins the moment you get to the front door, so make sure both inside and out get the attention of your decorator’s touch. Make your traditional foyer the best possible introduction to the rest of the house, and if you wish, you can have a bit of fun with the doorway; paint, tiles, door handles and lighting are all ways to make front doors a statement – a dramatic entrance, if you will.

What traditional front doors can I choose from?

Your first decision when updating front doors is what type of external doors you want to use, taking into account style, security and accessibility. Investing in a high quality front door is always worthwhile – this is a purchase where a little extra money goes a long way. Hardwood exterior doors remain the most popular choice of front door; as well as being the most economical, timber also opens the door to an endless selection of paint, hardware and embellishment. However, natural wood doors do have their downsides – prone to warping, they require more upkeep and may require replacing if not adequately cared for. Whether you opt for solid oak external doors or an oak veneer option, wooden doors are a match made in heaven for period architecture – it’s hard to imagine a Georgian house without a solid, six-panel door, or a Victorian home sans its gleaming hardware and stained glass panes. If you prefer non-wooden exterior doors, the alternatives are UPVC doors, GRP doors (collectively known as composite doors) and steel doors. UPVC front doors are often the most inexpensive alternative to timber and offer added insulation benefits; because the material itself can be a comparatively insubstantial, UPVC external doors are built into steel door frames for added reinforcement. GRP (glass-reinforced plastic, or fibreglass to you and me) doors offer the same properties, with a woodgrain effect that can provide a happy medium for lovers of timber. Steel doors are less widely used in the UK than the US, and make great contemporary front doors thanks to their sleek, modern appearance.

How do I decorate my traditional doorway?

Renovating or replacing your front doors is one of the quickest ways to give your home a makeover, and affords the perfect opportunity to add a splash of colour to the front of your home. To improve your front door’s kerb appeal you can flank the doorway with decorative trees or flowering plants in attractive planters and “dress” the door with shiny hardware. Door knockers and door knobs can be more than functional with a range of styles and materials available to add some personality to exterior doors. A traditional brass door knocker can be the perfect complement to a solid oak doorway painted in a rich shade of green or blue, whilst contemporary chrome door hardware will look perfect against a white or eggshell door. If you are looking for an elegant front door option, opt for a hardwood door with built in obscured glass panels to let light into your hallway. If you would rather avoid a glass paned front door for security reasons then smaller decorative glass panels can also be inserted into the surround or door frame. You can choose stained glass panes for decorative effect, patterned or textured glass will allow light in but protect your privacy or get your home name or number etched into a glass pane for a practical but personal touch.

How should I light my traditional front entrance?

The warm glow from a doorway is one of the most welcoming sights that can greet us when we arrive home. An entrance light is of practical importance – we have all spent time fumbling for our house keys in the dark – but it also offers an opportunity to add warmth and character to front doors and entrances. A wall mounted lantern is a charming traditional choice, or for bright, directed illumination opt for a security spotlight. There are a whole variety of switching options available – you can choose a motion sensor light that switches on right when you need it most, a timer light that will offer illumination on a fixed schedule or a switched outdoor light. Pointing light upward is a good way to avoid harsh glare, or choose recessed lighting if you prefer not to have a hanging light in front of your external doors. An entrance is also a great place to display lighting as a decorative feature – choose a table lamp that echoes the lines and colours of the hall beyond it.

What furniture and storage do I need in my traditional entryway?

It’s important to keep the entrance to your home as open and clutter free as possible, so selecting a few practical items that will help with storage and offer a warm welcome is the best approach for this area. Coat stands, umbrella holders and shoe racks are practical foyer additions that will keep the area tidy. For the knick knacks and paraphernalia that so often accumulate by front doors, sideboards or console tables are helpful and opting for a something with a drawer is a clever trick to ensure these things can be stowed out of sight. If you have the space, an armchair, occasional chair or hallway bench will prove useful for perching on when removing shoes and definitely consider multi-functional furniture such as a storage bench for shoes. A wall mounted shoe cabinet is a must have for a tighter space, getting shoes off the floor and neatly stowed away.

How do I decorate my traditional foyer?

Particularly in the entrance to the home, colour can be a wonderful tool to set the tone of the house. Neutral palettes can create a serene atmosphere appropriate for greeting guests; alternatively, you might find yourself being a little bit more adventurous by choosing a whimsical wallpaper or a bold wall colour that could look overwhelming anywhere else in the house. In either case, the foyer can be blended seamlessly into the home with details that connect it to adjoining rooms. Even if your entrance is not self-contained, instead with exterior doors that open straight into the house, visual tricks make it possible to create the illusion of an entryway by defining the space as such. Changes in flooring, a well-placed rug, a screen or curtain, or even furniture such as a console table or coat rack, can be used to delineate the space and distinguish the entrance from the rest of the hallway. Decorating walls and furniture with photographs or artwork is a simple way of bringing your personality into the foyer and plants, lamps, candles, vases and ornaments can be displayed on windowsills, tables or shelves. As a final thoughtful touch, mirrors placed next to front doors are a practical choice for those last minute appearance checks, as long as it’s not directly opposite the doorway, which could back-light the user – decidedly not helpful!

Ceramic Slate Entryway

Elite Tile

This is an example of a small traditional vestibule in New York with ceramic flooring, a single front door, a dark wood front door and yellow walls.

United Kingdom

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