How to furnish an entrance space in the living room

Entrances are difficult spaces to furnish, and are often left unused and undervalued. And when the entrance is part of the living room, furnishing it can be even more of a challenge. Without any physical divide, the spaces need to be well planned out, and the furniture chosen carefully, to create a unique, open-plan look that makes a great first impression. In this article, we’ll first share some ideas for furnishing a modern entrance. Then we’ll look more specifically at Santalucia Mobili’s practical solutions that look great and work with the challenges posed by an open space, to help you transform your entrance into a functional, harmonious part of your home.

What are the main challenges of furnishing an entrance in the living room?

There are at least three key challenges when furnishing an open-plan entrance space in the living room:

1. No separation between the two spaces

The biggest challenge is the lack of clear separation between the entrance and living room areas. In an open-plan space, it’s easy for the line between the two areas to blur, creating a confused sense of purpose and a feeling of visual clutter. Shoes, bags and coats can soon drift into the living room if there’s no clear divide between the spaces, upsetting the balance in the room.

2. Difficulty keeping everything tidy and in order

The entrance is the main point of passage in the house and needs to be organised, so you can easily access all the other rooms. Another challenge is keeping things tidy in a space you use all the time, which is why furniture and accessories are needed to store and organise shoes and coats neatly, and avoid creating extra clutter.

3. Creating a design that fits with the living room

The entrance furniture needs to blend in with the living room interiors when the two functions share the same space, so as to create visual continuity. This can be tricky if the styles or colours used in the two spaces are very different. For example, if the living room is modern and minimalist but the entrance has bright colours and traditional furniture, the overall effect will likely feel messy and inconsistent. That’s why you need to go for design features, colours and materials that tie the two spaces together well.

It can be done! Each of these challenges can be overcome by adopting creative solutions to furnish the entrance in the living room in a way that adds value to the entire space.

Challenge number 1: Creating a visual divide between the entrance and living room spaces

There are various ways to divide the spaces without needing to build walls.

Rugs in different colours and sizes can help distinguish the entrance from the living room. You could opt for a welcome mat at the entrance and a larger, cosier rug in the living room to create two distinct areas, while keeping the look consistent.

If you’re still at the designing and planning stage, another effective solution is to use different flooring to clearly define the spaces, as shown here.

Purpose-built pieces such as sideboards and console units can also help give the entrance its own identity, providing storage space for keys and odds and ends. Historically, sideboards were used for storing food and crockery in the dining room. Today, their function has changed and they serve more than just a practical purpose. They’re now considered a versatile design feature, ideal for the entrance area. Santalucia Mobili’s modern sideboards have a minimalist, elegant form, perfectly suited to different furnishing styles. They can add a touch of practical elegance to the room.

Partition bookcases, screens and curtains can serve as practical room dividers. They create visual separation between the entrance and living room spaces, without blocking out any natural light. Adding a touch of style, they can also be customised to match the existing interiors.

When space is limited and there’s no room for any additional furniture, a painted or wallpapered accent wall can visually separate the two spaces. Plants are another great choice for dividing spaces, as well as a piece of artwork, a mirror or a floor lamp. These can all act as a focal point for the entrance, drawing attention and adding an interesting design feature.

Challenge number 2: Making the most of the open entrance/living room space while keeping everything tidy and in order

The key is to create a space that is practical without compromising on style. Here are some suggestions to help keep things tidy and optimise your use of the space.

Multifunctional, space-saving furniture helps keep the entrance area tidy while also serving as a design feature. A wall-mounted shoe rack like the one shown here provides more than just storage: the open compartments give it the feel of a bookcase. The perfect accompaniment for guests on their way to the living area.

A small storage sofa is another piece of furniture to consider to help create that cosy entrance vibe. It provides handy surface space, can be used for storage and provides a taste of what’s to come in the living room!

Wall hooks and hangers offer vertical storage space, optimising the entrance and giving it an ultra-functional feel. Santalucia Mobili’s designs offer something different, with the addition of mirrors and shelving going beyond your traditional coat stand. These multi-purpose pieces can also be customised in different finishes to match the existing furniture.

One highly practical model is this corner hanging unit with a mirror and bench.

Wall-mounted units provide storage space without cluttering up the floor and can be transformed into practical desks, just by adding a seat.

Wall shelving like the example shown here saves on space and provides a subtle preamble to the living room. And built-in LED lighting creates an inviting, cosy feel.

Challenge number 3: Creating an entrance design that fits with the living room

For the space to feel harmonious, it’s important that the entrance and living room visually complement each other.The furnishing style should be carried through both spaces – be it modern, traditional or more eclectic. This is to create a coherent sense of visual continuity.

By choosing a complementary colour scheme and similar materials for the entrance and living room furniture, you’re able to tie the two spaces together. If your house has an industrial style, shades of grey and textured finishes can instantly bring out your home’s distinctive character.

Colour can also be used to bring the interiors together: here blue has been used for the sideboard, walls and sofa.

It’s also important to coordinate your decorative furnishings like cushions, rugs and artwork. Try to create a common thread between the entrance and living room spaces using colour, a theme or similar styles.

We’ve seen how furnishing an entrance area in the living room – however small or spacious – can be a challenge. But with some care and attention paid to the aesthetic and functional details, you can create a great, well-balanced space. Transform your open-plan room into an inviting, well-organised space by tackling some of the specific challenges this layout presents and by thinking creatively. Furnishing the entrance and living room in a way that works will not only improve the overall look of your home, but will also make living in, and sharing, these spaces more enjoyable.