Making my House a Home: The Entrance Hall

Hi, it's Alex again thrilled to be here for the first official installment of Making my House a Home.

Before I welcome you inside, I thought I would share with you a little about my house. It was built in the 1960’s and from what I know, was renovated most recently by the previous owners in 2004. It’s your standard family home…3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, but what really appealed to me was the big North facing windows in the sitting room, the beautiful pine wooden floors and the great undercover outdoor entertaining area towards the rear of the house.

When I first moved in, there were a few things I thought I'd just have to change… The burgundy feature wall in the sitting room was top of the list! I’m happy to report that the feature wall is no longer. But nearly 3 years on, not much else is different. It’s surprising how quickly you can learn to live with all the beautiful and not so beautiful aspects of a house!

Despite this, it is still my intention to make my house into a stylish, ‘savvy’ home so here is what I have in mind…

To me, first impressions count. I want my entrance hall to welcome people in and allow them to get a sense of who I am as soon as they arrive. I also need the space to be functional…I want somewhere to drop my keys and hang up my coat after a busy day at work.

The words ‘entrance’ and ‘hall’ to describe the space is probably a stretch but I am lucky to have a small space off the main hallway where people enter and a recess which is just big enough for a feature piece of furniture.

As the floors are hardwood pine, I’m keen to add some contrast by changing the console table to one with metal features. Paired with this, I envisage a mirror hanging directly above which will help to create a greater sense of space particularly important as you walk in the door (and also make to sure I’m looking my best as I head out for the day!).

Tucked away behind the door, it the perfect place for a coat rack. I just love the ribbon coat rack featured below from Form Function & Style and I’m thinking it’s my next purchase!! To tie all the elements together and add a much needed pop of colour I’m thinking about a bright piece of art like the one from Michelle Hinebrook below.


This would be complemented with accessories in one or more of the feature colors in the artwork and to ensure a touch of elegance (this may be a re-occurring theme) a beautiful oval table lamp by Jill Rosenwald. Oh and last but not least a bunch of fresh flowers is a must in my home and hopefully I can fit them on the console table once in a while!

I would love to know your thoughts!

Alex | Design Stylish

1. Cario Mirror  | 2. Ribbon coat rack  | 3. Elle Cross Console  | 4. Orchard Vase Design by Kate Hill  | 5. Encrusted by Michelle Hinebrook | 6. Chinese Umbrella Stand | 7. Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray | 8. Bloom Plate by Stamp Homewares | 9. Jill Rosenwald Links Oval Lamp