Why Some Homes Are Built Without An Entryway (& How To Create One)

Depending on where you live in the world, something as simple as a dedicated entryway — a portal where you can shake off the outside world and dissolve into the comfort of your home, or at least take off your coat — is a luxury. Places like New York City, where there are more apartments than single-family dwellings, are particularly foyer-free, as price per square foot, and therefore space, is at a premium. And even many houses throughout the country have doorways that go from zero to 60 with the turn of a key. Building a home that just opens into a living room, for example, is more cost-effective than dedicating a little space (and thus the required materials and labor) to an entryway, so construction companies can keep costs low by choosing to forgo this area.

Original floorplans are frequently altered by sledgehammer-wielding home improvement show hosts who eschew distinct spaces in lieu of sprawl, and those programs can have a lot of influence on homebuyer mindset. The result, in some homes, is a lack of an entryway. Fortunately, when you want to reclaim some of that expanded welcome mat space and construction just doesn't make sense, there are little changes that can make the pass through your front door feel a little more enveloping.

Everybody wants a cozy place to hang their hat, and even something as simple as a rack can make coming home feel more like an orderly ritual than a race to end the day. If all you have space for is a wall-mounted ledge of pegs, its low-lift installation will still be an improvement from the previous void at your threshold. You can also scale up from there if you do have the room. A freestanding coat rack can also be a stylish, even vintage-inspired addition if you have the footprint for it. 

Experts recommend not wearing shoes in the home, so you'll need somewhere to place those outside sneakers, boots, and stilettos. This Soges Tiered Storage Unit can accommodate about 20 pairs with as shallow a profile as you'll find. It also has a lidded top shelf for things like scarves and gloves, helping to streamline your morning rush. A little bench will also go a long way toward creating an inviting atmosphere and giving you a place to actually sit down and remove those kicks, too.  

If you need to cast an even more narrow shadow, a skinny console table can practically melt into the wall while still adding a bit of dimension and surface area for something like mail or your wallet. You can find one that measures less than six inches deep, like this ManGuish Console Sofa Table. A tall, thin plant on top will draw the eye up, which is important for maintaining balanced proportions, particularly if you have high ceilings. An orchid fits the bill, but to successfully care for your indoor orchid, you'll want to keep it out of harsh sunlight, so position it accordingly. Add an umbrella stand, and you've created an entryway with hardly any effort at all. 

If a weekend of DIY is on the cards, a door frame painted in a color that contrasts with the rest of the room can also evoke a more compartmentalized look. Add a perfectly curated gallery wall (or even just a few framed prints, if that's all you can fit), and it's almost as good as a purpose-built entryway.