Small Entryway Ideas: Transforming a Petite Space into a Grand Entrance
- Missy Carlin
- Jan 20
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 20
Transforming our small front entrance with elegant wallpaper and practical storage
Updating our front entryway was a high priority on my list of changes to make to our little cape cod “starter home” once we decided we were going to stay in it for longer than we had originally thought. And what better way to begin a home transformation than with the entrance? It’s the first place people see when they visit, and I wanted it to make a statement and bring a feeling of beauty and character that I hope to extend to the rest of our house (slowly but surely).
Small Entryway Ideas: before and after
Even more than beauty and character, it was important that the entryway work hard for us. Our back entrance has absolutely no space for coat or shoe storage or anything for that matter and we have minimal closets and storage in our home– so the challenge was to pack a lot into a small space. I hope this gives you some inspiration for entryway ideas of your own!
Inspiration & Design Plan
I wanted the entryway to make a beautiful statement, and I found wallpaper in my favorite color that helped everything else fall into place. I wanted to mix timeless brass in playful shapes with the natural material and richness of walnut wood. A contemporary cottage-y vibe.
Globe Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Light | Cordless rechargeable brass lamp | Brass "Wiggle" Switch Plate | Brass "Wiggle" Knobs | IKEA Hemnes Shoe Cabinet | Arched Brass Mirror | Faux Gypsophila Stems | Basket weave jute rug | Gingham hanging storage pods | Rattan wall basket | Wall hook rail (stained in walnut) | Borastapeter Waldemar Wallpaper
Starting with the Practical Small Entry Way Ideas: Shoe Storage
Something that drove me crazy about our entryway was the lack of shoe storage. We had a small two-tier shoe rack to fit the shoes of 4 people in a climate where you never know if you may need sandals or snow boots. This led to shoes being piled on the rack and around it, which was not a harmonious thing to see when coming home. I was determined to find a larger shoe storage piece that hid shoes and also was more decorative. This was not easy!
I have always been curious about the IKEA Hemnes shoe cabinet– it definitely had the hidden storage aspect I wanted with its pullout drawers, but it wasn’t exactly full of character. However, after searching high and low for a more decorative piece that also was slim enough to fit in our space, I came back to the Hemnes.
While not a beautiful wooden-vintage-antique piece I thought I could somehow find and turn into the perfect shoe storage unit, It was the perfect size and would do the job we needed it to do. It has two pull-out drawers for shoes and a top drawer where we can put sunglasses, sunscreen, and other odds and ends that would float around our house without a designated place. I LOVE when everything has a place! We can fit 8-9 pairs of my husband and my shoes in one of the compartments, and seemingly endless pairs of our kids’ small shoes in the bottom compartment which is easy for them to access by themselves! I also added a boot tray under the cabinet where wet shoes can dry off before being put away.
Plenty of storage in the IKEA Brimnes Shoe Cabinet
To add a bit of character and whimsy and shine to the Hemnes shoe cabinet, I purchased 3 pairs of these ‘Wiggle’ knobs in bronze from Anthropologie to replace the knobs that came with the Hemnes unit. I also bought the matching light switch plate to replace the the light switch plates we had in the entryway. I love the playfulness the shape of these brings to the space, especially in contrast to the wallpaper. Speaking of…
This hardware adds so much playfulness to the small space
Making a statement: Entryway Wallpaper
Like I mentioned, I wanted our entryway to make a statement, and I knew wallpaper would be a simple and impactful way to do it in such a small space. This is the first time I’ve ever picked out wallpaper, and it was both fun and overwhelming to see all the wallpaper options there are. I spent a long time scouring the internet for a pattern that I thought would just click when I saw it. That moment ended up happening when I was watching a random influencer’s reel and saw wallpaper in her backdrop that I loved – I took a screenshot and Google-image-searched and voila! I found Borastapeter Waldemar Wallpaper in the green print. I am a sucker for green and botanical things- I knew it was the one! I later discovered that it was a pricier wallpaper option compared to others out there, but I had to commit to my vision and investment.
I installed the wallpaper by myself after watching some YouTube tutorials…it was much more difficult than I thought! Particularly maneuvering the paper into corners and around the door and archway. Not for the faint of heart– I will share my wallpapering learnings soon! While not perfect, the imperfections aren’t noticeable unless you’re studying it (so if you come visit, don’t do that). I’ll be adding this same wallpaper into another hallway in our house as well!
Additional storage: Wall hooks
These wooden wall hooks come unfinished from The Container Store but I finished mine using Walnut Stain
Without much floor square footage in the entryway, I looked to the walls to add some additional storage capacity. Similar to the shoe storage cabinet, I had a very specific vision in my head of what I wanted - a simple walnut-stained wood rail with peg hooks. And do you know how long it took me to find such a simple thing? Forever. Turns out it wasn’t as simple an ask as I thought. After returning a few options, I found these unfinished wood ‘peg racks’ from The Container Store for only $14.95 a piece! Because they were unfinished I was able to DIY the wood stain to the exact specifications I wanted, which was a walnut color. A few more steps than I anticipated, but I’m happy with the result!
I installed 2 of the peg rails– one at a higher height and another at the kids’ height so they could hang their own coats. These aren’t meant to be our only coat storage since we do have a coat closet, but I like having the kids’ most-used seasonal coats there and ready to go.
I also purchased these adorable hanging ‘pods’ on Etsy that can hang on the rails and keep smaller items like hats and mittens contained in a cute and convenient spot.
Amazon Finds: Lighting and…Doorbell Chime Cover?
Because the green wallpaper slightly leans into being a slightly traditional pattern, I wanted to incorporate a contemporary light fixture for some contrast and personality. After again searching high and low for the perfect piece, I ended up going with this simple globe light with brass hardware from Amazon. Very reasonably priced and good quality for a polished look. I love the milk glass because it doesn’t show dust as much as a clear globe would, and it provides softer lighting to the space.
My other Amazon find for this space was a solution for covering our old doorbell chime. The doorbell chime is located front and center of our entryway wall and the white plastic cover on it was very 90s and not cute, so I was hoping to find a different cover. Turns out, I did some extensive internet searches for a doorbell chime cover and all that came up were similar white plastic ones or really ornate and expensive ones. So I took matters into my own hands! I bought this simple walnut-colored wooden box on Amazon, took it apart, and fit it around the inner workings of the doorbell and voila! It’s not conventional or too decorative, but I’m pleased with it! It matches the wood of the storage rails which goes really beautifully with the green wallpaper.
Entryway Styling Ideas
When it comes to styling a space, I don’t like to add a lot of THINGS. I don’t like things to feel too cluttered. I like to style with items that have a meaning or functional purpose vs. just decorative objects. I also love to use greenery as it adds so much life and depth to a space – even if it’s faux!
I added greenery into a tall vase – something I learned is that with styling, bigger is often better. There are so many little trinket thingies you can buy from Target or HomeGoods for styling that often don’t even look great where you put them because they don’t occupy enough space to create dimension in a room. Since nothing else in the hallway was at a taller height, I wanted the greenery to take up more vertical space. It makes the small room feel a tiny bit more grand.
I like to use black and white photos in styling for personal touches. I also love to mix different materials like brass and wood which I did with a mirror and picture frame. The little brass lamp was a last minute add after I saw it at Zara Home. I wanted a contemporary object to finish off the top of the shoe cabinet, and I loved the size and shape of the lamp and the brass that tied in to the rest of the space.
The doormat I chose is adds some texture to the space and of course a place to wipe dirty shoes (it's Ralph Lauren from HomeGoods but there's a similar one here). I hung a long, dark brown rattan basket on the back of the front door and filled with more faux greenery to fill in the white space of the door and incorporate more volume into the space.
Mixing the Chic with the Practical
I’m pleased with how our entryway turned out, especially as the first place in our home that I really curated myself top to bottom, which was the goal! It truly does look beautiful and provide more utility than it did previously–no more mountains of shoes blocking the door. While I would love a more grand entry or mudroom, I’m blooming where I’m planted and making the most of the space we do have. I’m excited to keep transforming the different parts of our home into chic but practical and functional spaces.
