21 Inviting Front Door Entryway Into Living Room Ideas

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Instagram Image credit: @atouchoftippy

An entryway sets the tone for an entire home so it’s important to get it right. Avoid your entryway feeling cluttered and instead, focus on making it a warm and welcoming space that will make you feel at ease.

If your hallway directly leads on to your living area then we’ve got you covered. We’ve lovingly put together some of our favourite decorating tips to help you create an inviting entryway that feels distinctive from your living area.

21 Inviting Front Door Entryway Into Living Room Ideas

1.Create An Airy Aesthetic With An Arched Entryway

Entryways that lead on to living rooms have a beautiful flow but try to keep the space feeling light and bright by removing any connecting doors.

Take inspiration from the entryway pictured below and create an arch between the two spaces. It’s not only an interesting architectural feature but looks cool and contemporary, too.

entryway into living room
Instagram Image credit: @house_on_harbour

2. Use An Area Rug To Signify A Boundary In The Space

Open plan spaces are a blessing but it’s important to make a distinction from one space to another. 

A great way of doing this is to use a rug to zone off certain areas. Use a door mat or runner in your entryway then frame your living area with a large fluffy rug, making it feel warm and cosy.

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Instagram Image credit: @lindseymeehandesigns

3. Divide The Entryway And The Living Room With A Side Table

Creating visual barriers is the best way of separating an entryway and a living space if there isn’t an obvious divide.

A small piece of furniture such as a side table will break up the area without taking up too much floor space.

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Instagram Image credit: @thekatrinablair

4. Create A Contrast With A Defining, Black Front Door

If you haven’t got the space to physically separate your entryway and living area, make obvious distinctions by using paint and decorating techniques.

Paint your front door a bold colour to make a statement. A black front door contrasted with a white interior is a beautiful juxtaposition.

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Instagram Image credit: @antiquefarmhouse

5. Use A Vaulted Ceiling To Draw The Eye Up And Through The Space

Lacking floor space but your home is blessed with high ceilings? Use this height to your advantage. 

A vaulted ceiling will draw the eye upwards, meaning you won’t be restricted by the limited floor space below.

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Instagram Image credit: @krosswood_doors

6. Add A Glass Front Door For Plenty of Light Flow

If your entryway leads straight into your living room, making sure there’s lots of light available is vital. 

A great hack for this is investing in a front door that has a glass front. Choose a design that is fluted so it still offers a level of privacy but looks effortlessly stylish. 

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Instagram Image credit: @joannes.cozy.cottage

7. Position Furniture Around An Area Rug To Set A Zoned Living Space

Use furniture as a visual barrier to frame a living space. If you don’t have walls or architectural features to define a space, use furniture to create the same effect.

The great thing about this is you can always move furniture around so you can play with different layouts.

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Instagram Image credit: @audreycrispinteriors

8. Use A Console Table To Provide A Visual Touch Point

Another way of using furniture to define a space is with a console table

This versatile piece of furniture is synonymous with entryways and offers vital storage and somewhere to put down your belongings when you’re rushing in and out of the door.

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Instagram Image credit: @mymodernstyleig

9. Use Wall Panelling To Add Contrast & Depth To Define The Entryway

Think outside the box when it comes to decorating your entryway and separate it from your living room using fun and quirky techniques.

Wall panelling is bang on trend and elevates any space. Use wall panelling in your hallway as a talking point and nail hooks into it as a savvy storage solution.

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Instagram Image credit: @designsixtyfive

10. Create A Feature Wall Leading In With Wallpaper To Divide The Two Spaces

Make a feature out of your entryway and don’t let it fade into the background by hanging statement wallpaper. 

If there’s a wallpaper design that you’ve always loved and have never figured out the perfect place to use it then hanging it in your entryway could be the ideal solution.

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Instagram Image credit: @littlefarmhouseontaylor

11. Create A Cosy Square Layout

Consider certain shapes and dimensions when deciding on your layout.

A square layout feels very cosy and can create a cocoon-like effect. Facing your sofa away from the front door will immediately separate the two spaces. 

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Instagram Image credit: @osborninteriors

12. Use A Sofa To Divide The Entryway

Using a sofa to divide the two spaces is an effective method but it can feel uninviting. 

Adding a console table behind your sofa provides a better divide and visual interest.

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Instagram Image credit: @kynoelle

13. Use Colour To Create A Clever Divide of Spaces

Colour is a wonderful thing and has many clever ways of tricking the eye in the home.

Use different colours or shades of the same colour to separate your entryway from your living area. Bright pops of colour in your living space will immediately draw the eye away from your front door.

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Instagram Image credit: @junehomesupply

14. Divide The Entryway With Glass Furniture

Decided that a console table is the perfect piece of furniture for your entryway but not sure which design to go for?

If you’re lacking space, glass furniture is a wonderful way of still giving you ample amounts of storage but letting the light travel through, making your space appear bigger and more open.

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Instagram Image credit: @megleonardco

15. Use Similar Colours Throughout For A Cohesive Pull Through The Space

If creating a distinct divide doesn’t quite work for your space, try and make it feel cohesive instead by sticking to one colour palette.

For example, use an array of muted tones to decorate your space. Sage green, beige, dusky pink and mustard yellow are all stylish colours that will make your entryway feel consistent.

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Instagram Image credit: @asimplystylednest

16. Choose An All-White Scheme For An Open-Plan Space


The oldest trick in the book for making a space feel more open is to white-wash it. Keeping the walls white and choosing furniture in light colours will make your living area feel bigger than it is.

Create contrast by choosing one stand out piece of furniture in a juxtaposing shade.

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Instagram Image credit: @thewilddecoelis

17. Introduce An L Shaped Sofa For More Seating In A Smaller Space

Perfect for living rooms with limited space, L-shaped sofas will zone off your living area as well as offering more seating. 

Mimic the same effect with a regular sofa and a large pouffe. This way, the footstool can be moved around when necessary.

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Instagram Image credit: @be_homedesigns

18. Avoid Storage At The Entryway For A More Relaxed Living Space

Declutter your entryway and have minimal furniture to leave the space looking totally clear. 

We’re aware that this isn’t always possible due to storage needs but perhaps if you’re fortunate enough to have a porch, you can keep your entryway that links to your living room free of clutter.

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Instagram Image credit: @coretecfloors

19. Create A Beautiful Entryway Flow With A Long Runner Rug

Decorate a long and skinny hallway with a runner to add texture and warmth to the space.

Choose a design that fits in with the rest of your interiors. A jute runner feels warm and cosy but is also very practical and hard wearing.

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Instagram Image credit: @decoratingnewbuild_

20. Use Artwork And Lighting to Define The Space

Subtle additions can make the biggest difference. Visual cues such as artwork and lighting can frame a space without making a big statement.

Take inspiration from the living room pictured above and tactically place a floor lamp behind a sofa.

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Instagram Image credit: @atouchoftippy

21. Use Wooden Beams For A Natural Flow Between The Spaces

Invest in your space and alter the structure of it to make it feel more cohesive before decorating. 

Exposing or adding wooden beams throughout your home makes one space flow into another and it feels beautifully authentic.

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Image Credit: McGee and Co
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Author

Becca Cullum-Green

Becca Cullum-Green is a freelance interiors content creator and stylist. She fell in love with interiors when she landed her first job as an editorial assistant at a leading UK homes magazine fresh out of university. You can find her renovating her 19th-century cottage in the Suffolk countryside, consciously trying not to paint every wall with Farrow and Ball’s ‘Pitch Black’. Her signature style is a mix of modern design with traditional characteristics. She has previously worked for House Beautiful, Grand Designs, Good Housekeeping, Red, Good Homes and more.

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