Setting the Tone with an Entryway

What is the first thing anyone sees when they walk into your home? Whatever it is, this is what sets the tone for the rest of your house.  Your entryway should be not only functional, but also a sneak peak into the style of your home.  Plus, why not take advantage of every nook in your place, and fill it with great decor?? When walking into the front door of our home, there is the perfect nook just dying to be filled with an entryway bench.  This space is what inspired Clark and me to build our DIY crate entry bench as seen in my previous Interior Design post.  

However, style does not come from just a piece of furniture.  It is created through the little touches you add that make it truly feel like a home.  So what did we use to create our perfect entryway? A little bit of everything.  I love a variety of materials and textures, so when shopping for these pieces, I was sure to mix it up.  We had old wooden crates for our bench, so a metal 'C' sign from Crate & Barrel, as well as an antiqued metal vase from Ikea were the perfect touches.  Softening up these pieces with a candle and some flowers finished them off just right.  Personal touches are always a must when creating a home-y area, so these two frames were just what I needed to finish off our top shelf.  To balance all of these rough materials, I added this comfortable faux sheep skin and two stylish pillows.

Next crucial thing for me is function.  An entryway is the place you typically 'drop and go' after a day out and about.  Because of this, it is important to have quick and easy storage for anything you might be taking off as you come in.  When building our bench, it was important to me to have basic shelf storage that would create organization for shoes.  We also made sure to utilize a shelf that had several hooks to create a storage solution for purses, bags, coats, etc.  The last functional yet stylish touch for our entryway was the set of envelopes.  These are some of my favorite pieces, and add a great solution to the overwhelming amount of 'junk' mail we are constantly receiving.  

Lastly, I wanted to be sure I had a nice variety of colors and patterns.  This was done through the different frames, flowers, pillows, and sheep skin.  I intentionally did not stick to one color scheme in order to create an eclectic area that would 
feel inviting and welcoming to anyone coming in.  Although this entryway is simple, it is the perfect 
representation of the rest of our home, and definitely sets the tone just how we had hoped.