The entryway is one of the most underrated yet impactful areas of your home. It’s not just a transitional space, but the first place your guests see as they enter the home. First impressions do count here!
If you’re stuck for inspiration on how to make a statement, adding an accent wall is a beautiful way to instil visual interest and deliver design flair.
From modern minimalism to rustic charm, take inspiration for your own entryway with these stunning ideas.
19 Entryway Accent Wall Ideas For A Stunning Welcome
1.Ascending Gallery Wall
Elevate your entryway with a rising gallery wall that not only adds visual interest but also showcases your personal style through art and memories.
Choose to stick with a synonymous frame and style throughout, or use differing sizes, colours and wall art for an eclectic feel.
2. Create A Built In Seating Area
If you have a dead alcove space or nook, this lends itself to creating a built in seating area. Not only does it provide a functional purpose in a transitional space like a hallway, but it adds a design impact and leaves a warm, cosy impression on your guests.
Choose to upholster cushions and a seat cover in differing shades to your walls for further visual impact in the space.
3. Flood The Space With A Floor To Ceiling Mirror
One of the best design tricks for any space is to add a mirror. It will bounce what available light it has around the room and give the illusion of a bigger space.
Introduce a floor to ceiling mirror on an accent wall, it will deliver further impact to the space than a single wall mounted mirror and it adds great practicality to the entryway.
4. Deliver Impact With Tongue & Groove Panelling
Tongue and groove panelling is never not a good idea. Use it on one wall to create a stand out feature wall as you enter the space.
Paint it in a differing shade for contrast and visual interest. This colour pairs beautifully with brass, do add further black accents to the entryway, it will ground the entryway and bring a touch of modernity with it.
5. Draw The Eye In With Wallpaper
Paint is the obvious choice when it comes to walls, but you might be doing your entryway a disservice by not thinking about wallpaper.
Tonally, you can make wallpaper work beautifully with the rest of your walls, and it’s a perfect opportunity to introduce a pattern or print into your space that engages you as you step through the front door.
6. Use A Wide Console Table & Style To Perfection
If you have a large empty wall in your entryway, opt for a slightly wider than average console table to fill the space.
It provides further opportunity for styling and introducing your favourite pieces to display. Finish with a wall mounted mirror above it to reflect light, and a pop of greenery for a welcoming touch.
7. A Dark & Defining Feature Wall
A dark feature wall creates a striking backdrop, grounding the space and drawing attention to a cozy nook under the staircase.
Contrast with white in other areas of the entryway for a crisp contrast. Finish with an ascending gallery wall in differing sizes for varied interest and elevation.
8. Combine Wall Finishes & Add A Peg Board
One of the best ways to draw the eye up and give the illusion of a bigger space is to paint the lower half of the wall in a darker, defining shade, and then lift the eye with a lighter neutral or wallpaper as shown below.
Make the most of the perfect colour separation by adding a wood peg board which adds a rustic finish whilst also providing practicality for hanging coats, bags and dog leads.
9. Prop A Console Table Against Your Stairs
The side of your staircase is often an area that gets left behind when it comes to styling, but is a space that gets appraised on a daily basis.
If you have the space and flow through your entryway, add a gorgeous console table against it and style with thoughtful, considerate items.
10. Board & Batten Half Wall Panelling
A classic board and batten half wall panelling adds instant depth and character to an empty wall. The lower half is painted in a darker beige which creates a really warm, inviting feel.
Prop a bench in front to create more of an accent feature out of the wall. When adding furniture to your entryway be mindful of the space you have to get past, you should always aim to leave a minimum of 1m between any furniture and wall for enough clearance and flow of traffic through the entryway.
11. Vary Interest With Height
If you’re styling a console and wondering where to start, I have a great console table styling tutorial that you can look at. One of the greatest rules of thumb is to vary interest with height, combine differing sizes of items like lamps, plants, books and decor accessories as shown below.
Don’t forget to step back and edit as necessary, no one gets their console table styled to perfection on the first go.
12. Bring In The Outside World With Wood Slat Panelling
Certain types of panelling are more suited to traditional and period properties, whilst natural slat wood panelling is the perfect addition to a modern or contemporary entryway.
Create an accent wall out of it by zoning a specific portion of the wall. Add a mirror and prop a shelf or console table in front of it for added interest.
13. Ground The Space With A Black Console Table
Console tables are always a popular choice in an entryway, they create a great drop zone for keys and are perfect for delivering a design accent to the space.
If you want to add real definition and a touch of modernity, opt for a black or deep charcoal unit.
14. Elongate The Entryway With A Black Wall
If you have a long or narrow entryway, create a black accent wall at the very end. It will draw your eye in and contrast beautifully with white walls.
Black grounds the space and introduces a modern touch to an entryway. Just ensure you use other black accents in the space such as light fittings and decorative accents to tie the space together.
15. Create A Simple Board & Batten Feature Wall
There are so many ways you can use board and batten in an entryway, and sometimes the simplest applications are the best.
Adding vertical strip panels creates the look of verticality, yet painted in the same colour it adds further definition whilst still maintaining a minimal aesthetic.
16. Engage The Eye With Red
When choosing artwork for your space, be mindful about what colour you are introducing to the entryway. If you have an all white space, your artwork is a perfect opportunity to engage the eye and add warmth with colours.
Make like the below by adding eye catching pops of red with artwork, it’s framed by the console table beautifully.
17. Inspire Your Entryway With A Navy Blue Accent Wall
Navy blue offers a softer approach than a stark black on an accent wall. Elevate the wall further by adding your own unique style of panelling, you don’t need to follow the rules when it comes to panelling.
Have a play around with the design and layout on the floor prior to installing.
18. Add Visual Interest With A Two Tone Painted Wall
A two tone painted wall will instil instant visual interest and introduce much needed warmth to an entryway.
Whatever colour you use on the upper half should be carried up and across the ceiling for a cosy, cocooning feel.
19. Draw The Eye Up With Wallpaper Above A Dado Rail
A dado rail is the easiest way to achieve perfect colour separation in an entryway and lends itself to use when ascending with a staircase.
Instead of painting the upper half in a colour, swap it for a fun wallpaper to draw the eye up and engage the senses.
