What If the Door Opens Right Into the Living Room
See 5 creative homes that know how to make an entrance
Annie Thornton
7 October 2019
Houzz Editorial Staff
I sometimes dream about organising a mudroom or an entry hall, simply because that would mean I had an entry hall or a mudroom. But those of us who pine for such a space don’t need to move or remodel to gain one. Instead, creative furniture placement or even a repurposed closet can create the feeling of a true entryway. See how five homeowners and renters have done just that in their own homes.
1. Claim the closet
Julianne Francis and Patrick Foley decided to sacrifice the entry closet of their rented home in Menlo Park, California, to gain an entry landing. They removed the door and converted the closet into an entry nook. “I think it’s important to have somewhere to throw your keys when you walk in the door, so they are always in the same place,” Francis says.
Now the repurposed closet is an inviting alcove – the first thing you see when you open the front door – with an entry table, hat storage, artwork and a bowl for storing the keys. Decorative, nonfunctioning light fixtures hang above the door frame. New hooks along the wall behind the front door can be used for coat storage.
Julianne Francis and Patrick Foley decided to sacrifice the entry closet of their rented home in Menlo Park, California, to gain an entry landing. They removed the door and converted the closet into an entry nook. “I think it’s important to have somewhere to throw your keys when you walk in the door, so they are always in the same place,” Francis says.
Now the repurposed closet is an inviting alcove – the first thing you see when you open the front door – with an entry table, hat storage, artwork and a bowl for storing the keys. Decorative, nonfunctioning light fixtures hang above the door frame. New hooks along the wall behind the front door can be used for coat storage.
2. Mimic a wall with storage
It may go against instinct to build more walls inside a home, especially one less than 1,000 square feet, like this apartment in Tel Aviv, Israel. But homeowners Rotem Solarchik and Dana Gutman, both interior designers, decided to do just that when they did a full remodel of their home, which also included opening up a hallway that led to two bedrooms and a bathroom.
A new home office sits next to the front door, but they wanted a way to separate the two spaces while giving clients who visit the home a taste of their aesthetic and expertise upon arrival. They had a carpenter build a glass-and-pine storage unit, which also contains a locker closet, just next to the door, to divide the space and show off their work. “We want our clients to see the mix of materials as soon as they enter our home,” Solarchik says.
Find an interior designer to help design your living room
It may go against instinct to build more walls inside a home, especially one less than 1,000 square feet, like this apartment in Tel Aviv, Israel. But homeowners Rotem Solarchik and Dana Gutman, both interior designers, decided to do just that when they did a full remodel of their home, which also included opening up a hallway that led to two bedrooms and a bathroom.
A new home office sits next to the front door, but they wanted a way to separate the two spaces while giving clients who visit the home a taste of their aesthetic and expertise upon arrival. They had a carpenter build a glass-and-pine storage unit, which also contains a locker closet, just next to the door, to divide the space and show off their work. “We want our clients to see the mix of materials as soon as they enter our home,” Solarchik says.
Find an interior designer to help design your living room
3. Define the entry with a bookcase
While loft living in New York City sounds like a dream to a lot of us, there are still practical challenges that come with having few or no internal walls. Built-in storage is more limited, and living in one open room can feel overwhelming.
Andrew Holden and Perry Lowe solved these problems in their loft in downtown Brooklyn with a low bookcase. Not only does it store part of their extensive library, but it also defines the entry area and separates it, slightly, from the living area and the rest of the loft.
See more entryway images
While loft living in New York City sounds like a dream to a lot of us, there are still practical challenges that come with having few or no internal walls. Built-in storage is more limited, and living in one open room can feel overwhelming.
Andrew Holden and Perry Lowe solved these problems in their loft in downtown Brooklyn with a low bookcase. Not only does it store part of their extensive library, but it also defines the entry area and separates it, slightly, from the living area and the rest of the loft.
See more entryway images
4. Border it with a sofa
Wall hooks, a folding chair and a credenza line the wall just inside Lonnie and Jeran McConnel’s bungalow in Bakersfield, California, giving the family of five a place to land. The wall print, table lamp and decorative accessories create an inviting entry for guests.
From inside the living room, the sofa keeps most of this just out of view, with the artwork and decorative accessories peeking above it as they would from a sofa table. From the front door, the sofa acts as a barrier, loosely re-creating the feeling of an entry hall, so you don’t feel as if you’re walking right into the middle of the house.
Wall hooks, a folding chair and a credenza line the wall just inside Lonnie and Jeran McConnel’s bungalow in Bakersfield, California, giving the family of five a place to land. The wall print, table lamp and decorative accessories create an inviting entry for guests.
From inside the living room, the sofa keeps most of this just out of view, with the artwork and decorative accessories peeking above it as they would from a sofa table. From the front door, the sofa acts as a barrier, loosely re-creating the feeling of an entry hall, so you don’t feel as if you’re walking right into the middle of the house.
5. Utilise the wall
Wiley and Melissa Haithcock incorporated a few of the techniques we have seen already when creating the entry area for their 985-square-foot rental home in Nashville, Tennessee. As in the previous home, the front door here leads straight into the living room.
Instead of adding a big piece of storage furniture and a sofa, they flanked their entry with wall storage on one side and an armchair on the other. Wiley built the multifunctional shelf, which includes hooks for coats and scarves, and a shelf for displaying artwork and personal mementos. Other smaller decorative items sit below the shelf, contributing to the entry room feel.
Read more:
8 Door Designs for a Traditional Welcome
Stunning Console Tables Designs & Ideas
Tell us:
What is your hack for conjuring up an entrance?
Wiley and Melissa Haithcock incorporated a few of the techniques we have seen already when creating the entry area for their 985-square-foot rental home in Nashville, Tennessee. As in the previous home, the front door here leads straight into the living room.
Instead of adding a big piece of storage furniture and a sofa, they flanked their entry with wall storage on one side and an armchair on the other. Wiley built the multifunctional shelf, which includes hooks for coats and scarves, and a shelf for displaying artwork and personal mementos. Other smaller decorative items sit below the shelf, contributing to the entry room feel.
Read more:
8 Door Designs for a Traditional Welcome
Stunning Console Tables Designs & Ideas
Tell us:
What is your hack for conjuring up an entrance?
What are you working on?
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My apt that I had in a city brownstone entered in the middle of a huge space. Right side of door was living area; left side was kitchen/dining Living area was bigger than kitchen/dining, so I took a Victorian settee perpendicular to the door and put a small "sofa" table behind it. The table was the landing zone. The only closet in the entire apt was in the bedroom, so I got a hall tree to hang coats, umbrellas & hats and placed it at an angle from the settee/table to the door. Worked great. My focal point in the whole room was my antique barber chair!
Another good visual solution is to place an open-work room divider in position to define the entry. These were used to great effect in many MCM homes. Usually the dividers were made of thin strips of wood arranged into geometric screens, finished naturally or painted a color. Often they sat on legs affixed to the floor, with arms that reach to the ceiling. Here's an example from a random search.