From the clutter of school bags and shoes on the floor, to the perfectly arranged ginger jars on the hall table, your guests will form an opinion in their mind based on what they see when they walk through your front door. 

If you want to create a good first impression – start at your front door. 

Front doors are able to do a lot more than keep the rain out and the heat in. 

Depending on the style or colour you choose, you can set the scene for your entire home. 

A contemporary door with glass panels tells the story of a home with minimilist lines and modern principles. 

A bright colour will convey fun and a certain unpredictability in personality. 

Choose a front door that not only does the job practically but becomes the opening chapter for the story of your home. 

Once inside, it’s time to expand the story. 

Your foyer can be a constant source of frustration. 

School bags, shoes, coats, bags, scarves...they all get dumped here in the hope that the hallway fairy will miraculously visit and get to work tidying them up. 

Unfortunately no one has yet been able to locate said fairy, so it’s important to get your foyer storage right. 

You may be blessed with plenty of room in your entry way.

If so – use it. 

Build in large cupboards to hide the bulk of the hallway debris. Include hanging space for coats as well as shelves for heavy bags. 

Try to incorporate a seating area if you can.

This gives you a place to remove and put on shoes as well as wait for the children who are always ‘nearly done.’

If you have a smaller space, you can still make the storage work in this area.

A low lying bench with drawers will hide bags.

Leave room underneath for shoes to slip under. 

If possible, add a decorative touch to your hall space. Something that tells people about you. 

Perhaps you can fit in a small table with photos or momentos arranged on the surface.

Add a large scale picture or mirror to open the space up and make it feel bigger than it is. 

If you are really tight on space, or if your foyer is part of an open plan style room – use paint as a way to add personality to the space.

Add a decorative dado rail and paint a darker colour below while leaving the top white or paint an entire wall in one colour to designate it as the foyer. 

As much as possible, leave this space light and bright and welcoming. 

Whatever your style, a light, bright space will make your guests feel welcome and at home – and after all – that’s the best first impression of all.