Foyer Design: 6 Foyer Decorating Ideas

A foyer is a room or entry area that serves as a bridge between the front door and the rest of the interior rooms in a home. While you may be familiar with a hotel foyer or even a theater foyer, a foyer can be part of the layout of a space, whether you live in a one-bedroom, an apartment house, or a manor. It can serve a range of purposes simultaneously. For example, foyers often contain storage for coats, shoes, and umbrellas, making your items easily accessible as you leave home.

Since the foyer often serves as the reception room where you greet guests and usher them into the living space, it also allows you to extend a warm welcome with inviting décor. In fact, the etymology of the word “foyer” dates back to the vulgar Latin “focarium,” meaning hearth.

Especially in the modern home, the lines between the terms “foyer,” “entryway,” “entrance hall,” “vestibule,” and “antechamber” can be blurry at best. Generally speaking, though, foyers are introductory spaces to a home that feel more like complete rooms, whereas entryways can serve a similar purpose but tend to resemble hallways.

“Antechamber,” meanwhile, often references grander spaces but serves a similar purpose: to create a waiting or transition area between the outside and the inside. An anteroom is slightly different in that it need not lead to the outside.

There is no one way to decorate a foyer, and the décor decisions you make will likely depend on your tastes, the amount of space you have, whether that’s a devoted foyer room or a faux foyer in a small space like a New York City apartment. Here are some design ideas to consider when styling your space:

1. 1. Art: Your foyer is a great place to showcase an arresting piece of art like a large painting or wall covering that might have less impact if featured in other parts of the home. If you don’t have any large statement pieces, try assembling a gallery wall from smaller ones.
2. 2. Colors and patterns: Your foyer décor is your chance to go big with your interior design skills as your guests make their grand entrance. While it should reflect the style and color palette of the rest of the home, your foyer can feature fun touches like an accent wall with a bold color or funky wallpaper.
3. 3. Lighting: Since the foyer is your guests’ first impression of your home, it’s common to see a statement fixture—like a chandelier—in this room. That doesn’t mean you have to hang a large, fancy fixture, especially if it’s not your style. Installing a few sconces or hanging a simple pendant light can create a similar effect. The most important thing is that your lighting design creates an inviting effect when people enter the room. Therefore, another common feature in foyers is a mirror, especially if it can reflect natural light from outside and add to the overall brightness of the room.
4. 4. Rugs and runners: Traditionally, a foyer has a tile or wood floor since it can get dirty with grit and mud from outside, but that’s not to say you can’t add more warmth and color with a well-placed accent rug, runner, or even an area rug if the space allows.
5. 5. Seating: Since a foyer ideally has a sense of easy flow, you likely don’t want to crowd the space with too many pieces of furniture as it’s not a living room or den. Still, if you have the space, you can include a tasteful chair or small loveseat to make the space homey and provide a place for people to put on and take off shoes and coats.
6. 6. Storage and surfaces: While you probably don’t want to clutter your foyer with too much furniture, you can add a few basics like a console table or sideboard. Furniture can serve as a venue to add a pop of light or color with some greenery, a table lamp, or some small art pieces. It can also provide the more practical function of offering a place to put down keys or a wallet as you enter the house. If your foyer doubles as a mudroom, you may also want to include an unobtrusive coat rack or hooks for extra storage space.

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