entryways

The side door off the driveway opens into a neat-as-a-pin mudroom. Matte black accents begin here with the Tom Dixon pendant. The flooring is faux bluestone, the same used in the family room and patio. Indigo cabinets and drawers store coats and shoes.

A rustic Hooker Furniture console table provides a drop zone for keys and mail in the entry hall, whose wall battens echo the muntins in an opposing window.

Architect Tanner White designed the entry staircase as a piece of functional modern art; the custom light fixture is a chimerical foil to its sturdy composition. The upholstered bench is one of many sensuous accents interior designer Michelle Morgan Harrison placed throughout the house.

The front doors open to a foyer that holds an epoxy-topped table on a base of reclaimed wood and a pair of sturdy bronze benches. “All winter that table has a jigsaw puzzle on it that we chip away at,” Benedict says.

wall in the front entrance, where painted woodwork and floors set the tone for the rooms beyond. The custom light fixture by Randy Zieber dangles three stories, lighting every level of the stairwell

The entryway on the garden level offers views down the hall to the den and up the home’s original carved-wood staircase to the parlor level.

The landing on the hefty staircase in the foyer is flooded with natural light from a large window, its original decorative wooden mullions still intact.

A pair of French doors at the end of the entry hall lead to the back patio; the stair runner is from Stark.

Carol Kurth, who designed this Bedford, New York, guesthouse, found the foyer’s Stacy Milburn mirror artwork at Sorelle Gallery in Westport. Peter Tunney created the art adorning the opposite wall.

Architect Rob Sanders created a side entrance that opens to a sunny foyer. The new staircase leads to the second floor, while two steps lead down to the kitchen wing.

The front door, painted Farrow & Ball Hague Blue, effectively sets the tone for the interior palette of this Amherst, New Hampshire, home. “Blue and white were a given,” says interior designer Jason Ruff of the wife’s favorite color combination.

A stair runner installed by Artisan Carpet ensures the homeowners’ shih tzu doesn’t slip.

The front door with its leaded-glass sidelights opens into a vestibule whose steel-and-glass doors—crowned by an original transom window—lead to the foyer.

The Made Goods stools in this Newport entry hall sport a dalmatian print. “The unexpected element always makes a design,” observes designer Janelle Blakely Photopoulos.

Glass-and-steel doors divide the library from the foyer, where a Murano glass chandelier from High Style Deco illuminates suede-upholstered walls and a wooden sculpture by Caprice Pierucci.

For the foyer, the designer commissioned a custom North Forty Studio console with undulating curves that reference the movement of water. The artwork behind is by Edward Lentsch.

The clients requested a showstopping staircase to connect all four levels; a vintage center table and console bring additional character into the space.

The entry hall culminates in a wall of windows; matching doors enclose the great room while sharing its light and views with the hall.

A portrait of Bob Dylan hangs above a Bernhardt credenza in the entry hall of this Darien home. Vestigial ceiling coffers and a custom carpet animate the space while respecting the home’s midcentury-modern roots.

In the foyer—that’s the front door on the right—a whaling mural by local artist Audrey Sterk printed on sisal wraps the original chimney.

The entry hall sets a quiet stage with shiplap walls painted white, a backdrop for a modern live-edge desk and wood-and-metal chair.

The foyer’s existing fireplace was rebuilt with a surround of Calacatta Viola marble. A new staircase in a style that bridges traditional and contemporary connects the home’s three stories.

The Brunschwig & Fils chinoiserie fabric on the table and the Stark area rug foretell the home’s palette of creams, greens, blues, and a warm cinnabar color.

When Steven March purchased this Ridgefield house three years ago, the fireplaces were boarded up and carpet adhesive had ruined the floors. Designer Robert Rizzo’s renovation honors the home’s 1899 aesthetic, as seen in the entry hall, where new oak flooring and crown molding were paired with a George Spencer Designs wallpaper.

A Visual Comfort & Co. lantern illuminates a nineteenth-century library table in front of the main entry.

An antique bench sets a welcoming tone in the entry. The handy mudroom, behind a wide pocket door, has enough hooks and storage space to accommodate plenty of guests.

A luxe blue velvet lining the foyer’s niche acts as a conversation starter. “Everyone wants to touch it,” says Daher.

Down a hallway, past an Arteriors sconce and the solid mahogany front door, is Wild Rose, a photograph by artist Michael Kahn. Though Kahn is a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, he has deep ties to Maine.

In the back foyer, a Chameleon Lighting chandelier illuminates a custom table with a burnished-brass base that echoes the gold hues in the carpet.

In the dining room, designer Nicola Manganello repurposed old shutters as doors for built-in cabinets. The Chinese bamboo chair is from Chairish, while the others, which Manganello refinished, came with the home. A chandelier from Arteriors hangs above it all.

Wave-like scrollwork adds a nautical touch to the entry hall staircase; the vintage table sits atop a rug from Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting.

A runner handwoven by women from Uzbekistan brings softness to the entry staircase; the glam factor comes from a set of handblown glass light fixtures suspended from slender thirty-foot-long strands of wire.

Austin left the original 1905 staircase unpainted and sought to emphasize the home’s origins with an art-deco-inspired chest designed by Laura Kirar for Baker. “It makes me think of the roaring twenties,” says Austin. When we were remodeling, we found old whiskey and gin bottles in the walls.”

A light fixture from Bone Simple Design and a bench from O&G Studio liven up the foyer.

An antique Welsh cupboard from the Charles Spada showroom sets a welcoming tone in the back entry; a coir mat recessed into the floor grabs and holds sand from bare feet, keeping the custom Perennials runner clean.

In the mudroom, custom grass-green lockers fitted with wire mesh doors keep kid stuff organized but in view and inject a burst of color.

Elms jettisoned the existing staircases and installed a new one. The walls are done in Venetian plaster, which adds textural movement.

Unlike a traditional colonial, the interiors of this newly constructed residence are airy and open; the house still enjoys a small entry vestibule thanks to a custom slatted-wood divider that conceals the living area.

“The minute you open the door it feels like the Lowes,” says Filicia of the hip storm-gray entry hall.

Classic and contemporary meet in the foyer, where vivid turquoise grasscloth makes an unexpected companion to the traditional architectural details

The foyer’s oak paneling and Chippendale-style stairway suggest a sense of formality that is softened by the floor of hexagonal limestone and marble tiles in subtle earth tones.

Tasked with the two-story mural in the foyer, Curtiss says she jumped on the scaffolding and improvised. “I didn’t even do a sketch,” she admits.

Designer Honey Collins animated the entry hall of this Beacon Hill condominium with chinoiserie panels from Gracie. “It gave that little space a lot of life,” says the designer, who completed the look with a pair of Billy Baldwin slipper chairs covered in salmon mohair from de Le Cuona and an area rug from The Rug Company.

Pooches Hazel (left) and Newton are ready to welcome guests to the foyer, where the white-pine ceilings and Douglas fir timbers set the tone for the house.

In the mudroom, a Sarah Von Dreele wallcovering serves as the backdrop for an orange chairlift by Ski Lift Designs.

A Julie Neill chandelier from Visual Comfort cascades from the entry ceiling. White coral, a nod to the nearby coastline, frames the Made Goods mirror.

Interior designer Damna Ferrara complemented the front hall wallpaper with a vintage bench reupholstered in the ochre colorway of Clarke & Clarke’s Dragonflies fabric.

Epure black burlap wallcovering by Élitis in the foyer and on the three-story stair hall makes for a dramatic entrance.

“I never thought I’d live in a brick house,” jokes interior designer Michael Booth as he leans in the front doorway of his recently renovated home on Providence’s East Side.

The same wallpaper greets visitors in the entry.

An Urban Electric Co. pendant in the foyer hangs over a Verellen table.

Much of the home’s furniture is custom made, like the console table crafted by Scott James in the foyer; above it hangs a painting by Olivier Suire Verley that the couple found on a visit to Cape Cod.

Boothby introduced a C&C Milano striped wallpaper in a tent-inspired application to transform the entry, which, according to the designer, featured a dark geometric wallpaper when her clients purchased the home.

The new mudroom features the same terra-cotta tile seen throughout the first floor. The homeowners had their kids walk on tile samples in their soccer cleats to choose the most durable option, says Manderville.

A Cowtan & Tout Jacobean tapestry covers the storage bench in the entry. The round painting that hangs above is a cheeky reference to an evil eye talisman.

A niche in the front entry sets an Anglo-Indian theme with Farrow & Ball India Yellow walls and a red Parsons-style table built by the homeowner.

A niche in the front entry sets an Anglo-Indian theme with Farrow & Ball India Yellow walls and a red Parsons-style table built by the homeowner.

The entry is stately, but designer Liz Caan deployed a quiet Swedish pinstripe rather than damask or similarly fancy wallpaper to keep things down-to-earth. A Julie Neill chandelier hangs over a simple raw-wood table.

Gleysteen added a curved soffit and benches just inside the door to create a sense of arrival and surrounded the Palladian window with recessed paneling.

Silver and the wife collaborated on the Escher-esque blackened-steel, oak, and glass staircase. Ingo Maurer’s Birdie chandelier illuminates the stairs and the nineteenth-century Nepalese gong Silver brought into the home last year.

From the front door, guests look through the house into the great room and then the courtyard beyond.

In the foyer, a blue Phillip Jeffries wallcovering, console table from The CEH, blue-and-white benches from Highland House, and a navy lantern from Mitzi all work in harmony with the door, which is painted Benjamin Moore Evening Dove.

Benjamin Moore Misty Lilac instantly invigorates guests in the foyer, while a Greek key pattern adds detail to the staircase.

Gleaming black doors make the approach to the dining room feel modern and luxe.

The glitter gets going in the foyer where designer Michelle Michaels paired custom art by Pauline Curtiss with a bench upholstered in a Romo iridescent velvet and a rug custom woven in an amethyst pattern.

The foyer showcases a polished French buffet from the homeowner’s previous residence and Christian Lacroix lattice wallpaper that dialogues with the original ironwork on the door that leads into the dining room.

The elliptical staircase—which spans seventy-seven vertical feet—required an array of experts and artisans to complete. Ron Mott of Mott Iron Works customized the bronze balustrade. The skirts, risers, stringers, and wood handrail are by Hardwood Design in Exeter, Rhode Island. Clayton Austin of Boston Ornament Company created the stairway’s plasterwork.

The foyer features an eye-catching Patagonia granite flooring. The wallcovering is by Élitis, and Hope’s Windows created the steel-and-glass partition. Rich Corner of BluBlk crafted the handrail.

Designer Erin Gates used fabrics and furniture with modern lines to update the look of the original entry and dining room of this 1934 Wellesley Farms colonial.

Black, in the painted railing and textured wallpaper, adds drama to the foyer, where a vintage glass chandelier sparkles above.

The front hall features airy Pear Tree wallpaper by Kravet, but Ferraro’s favorite element is the antique gilded mirror: “It brings soul to the space.”

The entry features a Cassoni light fixture and a vintage Milo Baughman bench.

A Cole & Son wallcovering on the foyer’s ceiling coordinates with the aqua-blue wall color. Stained oak, natural maple, and walnut comprise the inlay floor.

French doors, painted the same lush Farrow & Ball Sugar Bag Light as the rest of the foyer, lead to the living room.

Like the rest of the home’s renovation, the entryway/foyer was stripped back to the studs. New custom paneling, painted white to open up the space, replaced the original dark paneling.

In the entry, designer Natalie Lebeau creates a welcoming moment with a Keith Fritz Fine Furniture table.

Painted panels trimmed with anigre add warmth and texture to the walls of the foyer and hallway. Anigre also forms the stairway’s graceful railing. A John Pomp light fixture of multiple glass orbs cascades from the high ceiling.

Painting the wood paneling brightened the entry hall. Alice Black bought the bodhisattva statue for a client at the Connecticut Antiques Center in Stamford, but then couldn’t bear to part with it. The Harry Bertoia sculpture in the corner is from her childhood home.

Super-high-gloss paint on walls and ceiling enlarges and brightens the foyer.

An abstract print by mid-twentieth-century artist Jack Justice brightens the foyer and hints at the splashes of color that designer Jill Litner Kaplan spread throughout the living areas.

The scheme for the entry started with the stair runner by Prestige Mills, which inspired the color choice for the chest, Benjamin Moore Champion Cobalt. The Urban Electric Company lantern ties the black door to the handrail. “If it were up to me, every room would have some black,” Handler says. “It’s classic and dramatic.” The photograph over the mantel in the lounge is by Fairfield County-based artist Allyson Monson.

Monahan increased light by using large glass panes in the entry foyer. An idiosyncratic collector, she displays finds such as carved pillars originally from a Boston bank beside a wooden horse torso on a metal table.

Four sailors’ valentines decorate the nook by the stairway that leads to the family’s bedrooms.

The entryway extends a dramatic welcome with its midcentury bench and a large abstract painting.

The interior architecture was transformed, given dimension and interest with details such as the entry’s box molding that set the stage for a design that blends classicism with unexpected touches like the animal print Stark carpet.

The entry’s bi-directional shiplap and custom newels deliver pared-down detailing that riffs on traditional vernacular.

For the entry, Hirsch designed an indigo velvet settee to nestle under the newly revamped staircase.

The front hall sports traditional touches such as the mahogany newel post, one of the few original details that survived the home’s years of neglect.

The dining room’s custom mural by Scott Waterman is based on a four-season study of the surrounding area.

The greenhouse courtyard entrance is the only place where the original historic brickwork remains visible.

The front parlor features painted furniture and other pieces with patina and charm.

The architect nixed the dated spiral stairs that led to the roof deck and extended the handsome central staircase from the foyer on up.

In a circulation area near the entry, porcelain tiles mimic the look of concrete, adding an industrial-chic vibe.

An antique chest and child’s chair in the foyer provide neutral counterparts to the bright colors beyond.

A stunning John Pomp bronze credenza and hand-blown pendants star in the entryway.

Scallop shell pedestals provide the legs for a narrow dining room side table. The mirror above reflects a painting by Connecticut artist Charlie Miesmer.

The wife had seen a photo of a blue-painted banister and knew she wanted it replicated for her own home.

The main stairway merges contemporary and traditional elements. The bright orange bench is a momentary departure from the blue tones that dominate the home’s interior.

Shiplap paneling and antique furniture give the foyer a classic Maine cottage feel.

A shell-framed mirror adds a touch of whimsy to the foyer.

Above the foyer’s welcoming bench hangs a prized photograph by a favorite artist—Caitlin Stone, the homeowners’ daughter.

Designer Heidi Pribell tucked a sitting area into the inglenook under the stairs.

The door leading from the entry hall into the library features Corinthian capitals, applied pilasters, carved garlands, and neoclassical reeding against a backdrop of raised paneling. The entry ceiling’s reflective paper adds a sense of light.

A grand staircase descends into the front entry hall with a pair of newel posts whose carvings make them appear to twist in opposite directions. The corbels and the stepped overmantel of the fireplace speak to the home’s seventeenth-century influences.

The entry greets homeowners and guests with a sense of calm.

The entry is a study in black and white contrasts. The wool stair runner looks like sisal but is easier to clean.

Chevron inlays animate a chest in the home’s entry vestibule.

Opposite the desk in the entry, Morris surrounded an antique table of Coughlin’s with chairs she had reupholstered and painted white.

Newly purchased Robert Motherwell prints join the homeowner’s desk and chairs in the entry.

Varied ceiling heights help define spaces throughout the home, while artwork provides color and texture. A wood panel buffed to a high gloss mirrors the custom staircase, itself a piece of functional art.

The balance of classic and modern starts in the entry hall, where a contemporary open stair is combined with Murano glass lighting, and black floors play against white paneled walls.

Smoked glass globes hang like a cluster of balloons, injecting a note of fun into the hardworking mudroom.

The foyer’s vivid colors, grasscloth walls, and literary references introduce visual refrains that appear throughout the inn.

The owners covered the entry’s original brick wall with meticulously painted and glazed woodwork; light wood and a big mirror make the small space appear larger.

Driftwood accents, sea blues, and local artwork bring the beachfront vibe indoors.

A paper sculpture by Matthew Shlian hangs above a console by Holly Hunt, one of many gilded pieces throughout the home.

The marble floor and wrought-iron banister already in place helped inspire the “Paris apartment” feel of the redesign. Designer Starr Daniels painted the stair steps black and added an animal-print runner for a chic, modern look.

A reclaimed nineteenth-century door opens onto the foyer, construction of which required the removal of an old fireplace and the relocation of a staircase.

Original brick walls and wood ceiling beams were preserved throughout the former industrial space. Cold-rolled steel with a black patina finish and reclaimed heart pine comprise the staircase, which has cantilevered elements that make it appear to float.

Interior designer Jenn Sanborn chose to keep the entryway’s existing wallpaper, then introduced vintage pieces both to add a layer of interest and to offer a preview of the home’s casual English country vibe.

An antique hall rack hits a traditional note in the entryway.

An unusually wide and long entry was at once “very grand, and a challenge,” says interior designer Kristen Rivoli. The wood trim was painted to make the space more inviting, and a linen-texture wallpaper was installed. Rivoli chose not to fill the space with an entry table, to keep views intact.

A vignette in the foyer foreshadows the home’s refined aesthetic.

Modern steel doors in the foyer and the passageway to the kitchen are, says designer Manuel de Santaren, “a nod to some of the architectural details we saw in Belgium during a shopping trip for furnishings and antiquities.”

Lots of doors and fixed floor-to-ceiling windows blur the lines between indoors and out.

The entry hallway sets the tone for the home with natural touches such as the twig-like door handle.

The wife orchestrated the placement of the engaging cow photos—a nod to the home’s pastoral nature.

In the front entry, bold artwork and grasscloth wallcovering introduces an interior that’s both edgy and traditional.

Brightly patterned fabric by China Seas pops against the neutral surroundings of the main staircase. The J.D. Staron runner is one of Morgan’s favorites. “I just love the simplicity of it, and the way the striped borders give it definition.”

A new foyer was created to establish a true sense of arrival. Navy grasscloth walls let the white furniture, accessories, and high-gloss white trim pop.

A floating circular staircase leads to the second-floor bedrooms and continues to the observatory.

A chevron paper from Candice Olson animates the entry hall; the compass rose was applied to the floor with stain.

The entry foyer got a shot of drama with a recessed ceiling, the ideal home for a dramatic chandelier.

The prints lining the hall to the central living area are by Pennsylvania artist Emil Lukas.

The reconfigured foyer grew chicer with the addition of a limestone tiled floor, Venetian plastered walls, and a coffered wood ceiling. Smaller in footage, there’s still ample room for a cast-resin-framed mirror, a custom console and small Holly Hunt bench.

Designer Vivian Hedges and decorative painter Robert Laniak created a geometric pattern with burnished gold leaf for the front hallway floor.

The staircase design mimics one Rylee admired in the headmaster’s house at Connecticut’s Hotchkiss School, which she attended.

Rusticity reigns just inside the main entry, where a ship-lapped wall and a hand-painted floor cloth offer a warm welcome.

The broad entry allows a view of the sloping front yard, where gentle terracing helps guide rainwater away from the house.

The entryway is the harbinger of gracious things to come. Melding classic and modern, designer Maureen Griffin Balsbaugh introduced limestone floors, bold black door trim, and contemporary caged lighting to complement the show-stopping architectural details.

Stone pillars along a hallway are just one way the natural world is brought indoors.

The foyer reveals an artful tile inlay as well as a staircase with hand-turned newel posts and balusters.