Decoration Ideas for the Gallery of Entry Hallways in a Home

Your entry hallway is what welcomes guests into your home. It gives them a glimpse into your household's personality and individual interior design style. Decorations for this personal gallery should be inviting and leave a lasting first impression on all those who enter. Consider the smallest details of your entryway when decorating it. Does this Spark an idea?

Photographs

Frames come in contemporary and traditional styles.

Frame photographs of family and friends in frames of a similar style and color. Hang them to resemble a gallery wall at an art museum. Position them at eye height and hang them in a long row. Hang photographs that are matted in different frames at different heights, grouping a few that have frames of a similar style together. Create a collage of a favorite vacation or memorable event to create one big piece to showcase on the most prominent wall of your entry hallway.

Artwork

Paint a three-dimensional mural at the end of an entry hallway for drama.

Display a collection by a favorite artist along the wall. Group pictures of different subjects or by different artists together by the color schemes. Hang mirrors across from the paintings to reflect treasured pieces. Create a personal art gallery of paintings and drawings that you have created yourself or that friends and family have given as gifts to you. Create a large shadow box of newspaper clippings, photos and other items that tell the history of your home or the neighborhood that you live in.

Floors and Ceiling

Consider artistic options for ceilings in the entryway, such as tiles.

Don't overlook the appearance of the floors and ceilings of your entry hallway. Use a mosaic tile in lieu of traditional square tiles to finish the floor. Bring in rugs that complement the color scheme of the rest of the decor. Choose a light fixture that gives off ample light for visitors to come and go at all times of the day and night but that still has that "wow" factor. Among other options, a chandelier on a dimmer offers drama and functionality.

Display

You're entryway doesn't have to be as grand as this to be dramatic.

Install custom display cabinets to showcase sculptures, vases, decorative plates or other collections. Build them to complement the rest of your color scheme. For example, stain them the same color as your molding around the space, or paint them to match the trim. Install lights within the cabinets themselves to highlight important pieces or the whole collection. Using personal items such as these as entry hallway decorations let visitors know something about you as soon as they walk in.

Furniture

Tell visitors visually to "Come in and sit awhile" with your entryway furnishings.

Depending on your space limitations, choose furniture that matches the scale of the space as well as the rest of the decor. If at all possible, include at least one small side chair and a table for sitting to take off shoes. Small half-side tables or antique sofa tables fit against walls in even the smallest of entry hallways. Keep tables as uncluttered as possible. Stick to one vase of flowers or a collection of three small items as decorations on these surfaces.

Organization

Make your own organizational items to showcase your personality.

A cluttered entryway will leave a bad first impression, no matter how organized the rest of your home is. Keep items that are left there to a bare minimum and keep organizational pieces to house what is put there on a daily basis. For example, in lieu of a vase of flowers, put a small wicker basket with a lid on the side table to place mail in. Slide a larger matching basket underneath for hats and gloves. Hang a key rack and hooks for coats. Instead of a chair, place a bench in an entryway with under-seat storage for shoes and boots.