Dear Danica, How Should I Style My Entry That Opens Directly Into My Living Room?

Ok before I get into my thoughts, I just want to take a moment to talk about Mary’s incredible style! Wow, I’m taking notes. Your collection of vintage eclectic furniture is so unique. The pattern mixing is spot on…organic, geometric, floral, stripes…you nailed it. And your ability to mix colors, that frankly I would have never even considered pairing, is a gift.

So the entry is what we’re focussing on and I get your predicament. An entry that leads straight into a living room is a common theme that creates multiple issues. Furniture placement for the living room has to be squished to one side of the room to create a walkway for the entry. And that leaves dead space in the entry which feels empty…yet furnishing the empty space obstructs the walkway.

Here are my thoughts. While your entry may feel empty, it doesn’t look empty. A picture on the wall between the door and the curtains would be fine in my eyes. But because you say it feels empty, I’ll trust you on that. For the wall directly next to the door, a shallow entry table (one with tall legs so your register still functions properly) that’s slightly smaller than the width between the curtains and the door would be perfect. Add two small stacked frames hung on the wall above and that wall will feel plenty full. That will also bridge the gap between your living room furniture and the entry furniture.

Then for the entry wall where your dresser currently sits, I love the dresser chair combo! They’re narrow enough to leave space for your entry and walkway, yet they’re substantial enough to ground the wall. Perhaps hanging your art on the wall would create more balance between the living room and entry.

You could definitely add a runner to the entry walkway, but I don’t honestly feel like you need it.

Now if you still feel like the room is unbalanced, is there enough room to add one or two small accent chairs in the living room, across from the window in the photo above? This would pull the living room out more, creating a smaller walkway which may be a good thing if it feels too open and empty. If there’s room for chairs, consider getting a slightly larger area rug which would also expand the living room footprint.

With a larger rug and chairs, the space between the living room and entry would shrink, which hopefully would solve the open void that you’re feeling.

All that said, don’t underestimate the power of visual space to breathe. I know how tempting it can be to fill every wall and every corner, but having pockets of nothing allows the pieces that you do have to shine. What you have now is a perfect balance between full and cozy, but not overcrowded!

My final thoughts – We all need details on that ottoman because wow, she’s a stunner!