15 Ways to Decorate a Very Large Foyer

Giovanni Valle is a licensed architect and LEED-accredited professional and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). He is the author and managing editor of various digital publications, including BuilderSpace, Your Own Architect, and Interiors Place.

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Decorating a big room is both liberating and intimidating. Wide spaces beckon for large pieces of artwork and rolling carpets, but how do you select the right ones?

To decorate a large foyer, you need to decide how you want your space to feel. Use bold colors to impress your guests, textured fabrics to create a cozy atmosphere, or layer light colors for a clean, relaxed feel. Mirrors will make your space seem even bigger, while textiles will draw it inward.

There are so many potential ways to decorate your large foyer. This article will discuss 15 of the best ways to do so and talk about what feeling they will give you and your guests as you enter your home.

To Impress Your Guests

If your main goal in your foyer is to insight a gasp of shock or delight, then these are a few of the ways you can use your large foyer to your advantage.

1. Use Bold Colors and Patterns

Bright colors always give a “wow” factor to a design. They can be busy and overwhelming in a small space, but a large foyer is a perfect place to put a pop of color. Use deep reds and gold tones to make your home feel like a Hollywood mansion, or use bright greens and yellows for an arthouse effect.

Select your key colors and find a few coordinating pieces to place around your foyer. It will naturally draw the human eye around the space by spreading the items around the room, making it feeling impressive and intriguing.

Bold patterns will also inspire awe in your guests and can be used alongside bright colors. A black and white diamond print rug like this Modern Area Rug from Summit will add contrast to your space and breathe movement into the room. Don’t be afraid of striped wallpaper or the odd touch of animal print, either.

2. Add an Accent Wall

An accent wall is a great way to liven up any room, including your entryway. By adding an accent wall directly facing the front door, your guests will be immediately impressed as soon as they walk in. You can use a single color to keep it simple or a multitude of colors to ramp up the effect.

Your entryway accent wall is also the perfect place to optimize printed wallpaper. Dark floral prints are both dramatic and beautiful, while bright tropical prints are fun and playful. This Murwall Dark Floral Wallpaper features white and pink chrysanthemums on a black background, which adds depth and drama to any room.

3. Hang a Large Portrait of Your Pet

Want to stun your guests while also paying tribute to your furry friend? Nothing says, “I love my dog” more than a giant portrait of them hanging in your hallway. You may have to shell out the cash to get a professional-quality photo taken so you can blow it up to a large size, but it will pay off with your guest’s repeated delight.

You can use a high-definition photo of your pet for a highly modern appearance or even get a custom oil painting to display them with regality. A pop-art style edit will also make an impression on visitors while being a little more of an everyday art piece.

4. Install a Chandelier

If you have a very large foyer with vaulted ceilings, the room is just begging for a chandelier. A sparkly, multi-armed chandelier that hangs in the middle of the room will always be impressive, and if you have a window above your front door– it’s even better.

If the Victorian-inspired lights don’t work for you, then this Contemporary Firework Crystal Chandelier puts a contemporary twist on the entryway light. Made by GDNS, this hanging fixture looks like a silver firework frozen in time. Show-stopping pieces like these work wonders in a large foyer.

You don’t need to go with a crystal piece either. Modern hanging light fixtures combine metal curls with continuous LED curves to make functional pieces that also serve as industrial art. The SUNMOO Modern LED Chandelier has an adjustable wire length, so you can hang it in the middle of the room or leave it closer to the ceiling as an out-of-sightline detail that elevates your design.

Wicker chandeliers are also perfect for the eclectic or transitional home and will impress your guests more subtly. These lights include hand-woven pieces of rattan or bamboo that are simultaneously modern and vintage. The N/B Bird’s Nest Chandelier adds an extra element with its intriguing shape that helps diffuse the light throughout the room.

5. Place a Sculpture in the Center of the Room

Whether you choose an exotic jade piece or an indigenous work of art, having a sculpture in your foyer will set the tone for your entire home. Guests will immediately understand that you are a person who enjoys the finer things, from statues to champagne.

A freestanding work of art also creates a centerpiece for the room. It gives your guests something to admire when they enter your home and mingle around during parties. By placing it in the center of the room, guests are encouraged to explore the other areas of the space, where you may or may not have hung more art.

To Create a Welcoming Feeling

If you don’t want your large foyer to overwhelm your guests when they enter, you can create a softer space by adding layers of wood and textiles. Read on to learn more about decorating for a wide, welcoming entryway.

6. Add Soft Textiles

Softening a space is as easy as adding soft things to it. Think plush rugs, blankets, and pillows. These things might seem like they belong more in your living room than your foyer, but they can certainly warm up your front room if used correctly.

A low pile carpet in the middle of the room will immediately make the space feel softer and more intimate while still being easy to clean. Choose a large carpet with nondescript patterns to keep the rug lively but not overbearing.

Add in a bench on one wall of the room and place a chunky throw to make a spot where guests can rest while putting on their shoes. Add more seating with matching armchairs and plush throw pillows so guests can cuddle up while waiting for their ride home.

7. Decorate with Wood

Wooden features always bring warmth and familiarity to a space. Maybe it harkens back to ancient times when most furniture was made of wood, or maybe it’s the material’s pleasant tones. Either way, decorating your large foyer with oak or maple will make it feel welcoming.

If you have hardwood floors, you’re already well on your way to having an inviting front room. You can also add a wooden bench or two, a standing coat rack, and a console table for your keys and flowers.

If you don’t have hardwood floors, you can utilize added decor pieces to create the same warmth. Wainscotting adds a waist-height layer of wood paneling to the wall, and you can paint it any color you like. Even when painted, the look of the wood will add a coziness to the space.

You can also create an accent wall by mounting pieces of reclaimed wood. A chevron pattern of alternating tones keeps the wall interesting while also bringing the room’s energy inward. Take your design to the next level by installing an accent ceiling. Plank and Mill Reclaimed Barnwood Panels can be easily installed on your ceiling or walls to soften the room’s light and make any home feel like a cozy cottage.

8. Bring the Outdoors In

To make the transition into your entryway seamless, you can bring the outdoors in. Placing plants around the foyer adds greenery and keeps the room fresh. You can choose many smaller plants, spread them throughout the large room, or choose a few large plants to keep maintenance needs down.

If you have a skylight, you can place a table directly underneath it to spotlight an orchid or some fresh cut flowers from the garden. The more elements of nature in the room, the more comforting it will feel.

A live edge table is a stylish piece of furniture that helps the flow from outdoors to indoors. Artisan Born makes a beautiful Live Edge Walnut Console Table that is perfect for holding keys, school books, paintings, and plants. Use it as a gift-drop for parties or a quick standing desk to finish an email before you head to the office.

9. Display Travel Mementos

Why hide your life experiences away until people reach your living or bedrooms? You can start to share your memories and family moments from the very first step into your home. By placing mementos from your life in your front room, guests will immediately feel at ease. You are sharing your life with them, which makes your home seem open and accepting.

If you want to keep an element of privacy, then save the family photos for the living room. However, you should be proud of the items you’ve collected throughout your life and travels, and the perfect place to display them is in a very large foyer.

10. Hang Floral Prints

After rolling out the patterned rug, picking up a few pieces of wood furniture, and finding the perfect fiddle-leaf fig tree, you can put the finishing touches on your grand entryway by hanging a few floral prints. From classic Monet reprints to watercolor originals, a painting of flowers is calming and beautiful and will make your guests feel like they’ve come home.

A set of prints is a simple way to decorate a whole wall of your foyer. This set of six Vintage Pink Botanical Roses from Prints Made Perfect has warm and inviting tones and is the perfect placeholder if you need something on your walls now while you work to invest in forever-pieces.

For a Light and Airy Look

If you want your home to feel light and airy, then use your large foyer to your advantage. Open spaces invite calm and serenity, and you can enhance that through decor.

11. Paint It White

A common trick in design to make a room look bigger is to paint it all white. While you don’t need to make the room larger, you can use the all-white appeal to give guests a sense of lightness. Layer different shades of white, slightly altering the levels between the floor and the walls to avoid a bleached look.

By using white in your entryway, you’ll also be setting the scene for a clean and peaceful home. If you can keep the front room spotless, the rest of your house must be impeccable too. Of course, this can be intimidating, so adding some touches of color are imperative to keep the feeling airy and not obnoxious.

12. Use Light Shades of Blue

For those touches of color, light hues of blues are an ideal option. Think of found pieces of beach glass; pale and pretty. The color blue is calming and stabilizing. It is a color loved by so many that it will put your guests at ease. By combining white and varying shades of light blue, your home will have an airy feel, like a coastal property on a summer day.

Serene Spaces Living Bud Vases offers six cerulean blue vases that you can spread around your foyer. Place them on floating shelves at chest height or higher to draw the eye upward. If you have a skylight, this is the perfect way to encourage guests to look at it.

A blue glass lamp with a burlap shade brings a touch of the sea to your home, and the Decor Therapy Table Lamp would go well on any cottage-style side table.

13. Hang a Mirror

A large mirror will make your foyer seem even bigger than it is. It will open up the room and make guests truly aware of the expansive space.

A sleek, slim-framed mirror is perfect for keeping the space open, but if you want a touch of familiarity, choose a full-length standing mirror with a white-washed wooden frame. Not only will guests admire the tasteful decor, but they’ll also enjoy a place to look over their appearance before dinner.

NeuType makes a variety of minimalistic mirrors that work well in large foyers. The Full-Length Aluminum Alloy Mirror offers clean lines and elegant amplification for your open space. Stand it on its own with the included stand, lean it against a wall for the ultimate laid-back feel, and mount it upright or lengthwise if you decide you need the floor space.

14. Keep It Minimal

A crowded space hardly feels open or breezy; by pairing back your foyer, you’ll expand the room for guests, both physically and mentally. Keep the furniture to a minimum in your foyer but don’t forgo it altogether. Select graceful pieces that belong effortlessly instead of heavy furniture that weighs the room down.

The material of the furniture will also influence the minimalistic effect on the room. Dark stained hardwoods and black velvet rugs are not the materials to choose here. Instead, elect for wicker and driftwood, or linen and glass. By repeating these mediums throughout the room, your foyer will have a cohesive and elegant feel.

15. Hang Sheer Curtains

A large foyer can seem too big when not decorated properly. If it’s too empty, it feels cold. If it’s too white, it feels sterile. When you’re going with a design that leans on both elements of open space and shades of white, you need to combat these effects.

One way to do that is to hang sheer curtains. It’s simple, yet it works. The fabric will soften the space, making it feel peaceful instead of unfriendly. It will also add movement to the room, breaking up the solid walls of white.

Of course, you’ll need windows in your entryway to hang the curtains on. These can be the windows beside your front door, but it’s better if they are on the side. When the windows are open in summer, the fabric will billow in the breeze, adding to the lightness and airiness of your foyer.

You can also hang the curtains at any window you can see from your front room, say in your kitchen or sitting room. This will invite your guests further into your home and continue the relaxing ambiance.

Conclusion

There are many ways to decorate a large foyer: choosing fewer pieces that truly suit your home will make more use of the space than packing it with decor.

The way you decorate your foyer needs to tie in with the rest of your home as well, so your guests don’t get confused. You can ensure consistency by choosing a few key colors and textures that you’ll use throughout your home as your style basis.