As one enters your home, it's the first thing that they see; your home's entryway. If your house or apartment could say "hello" this is where it would happen. Unfortunately, the entryway is often overlooked as an important part of the home. Shoes and coats are scattered here and there, lighting is mediocre at best, and the day's (or month's) mail sits unorganized on your entryway table, maybe on top of a couple unused phone books. It's not a very welcoming greeting and it leaves guests with a bland first impression of your home. Thankfully, all is not lost. There are big and small things you can do to improve your home's entryway. Here are just a few:

First of all consider the lighting. You want to show off your home. It's your space, where you spend a lot of your time, and the way that it is set up is a direct reflection of your creativity. What better way to showcase your foyer or entrance than with a grand chandelier. Grand does not mean gaudy, which can often be associated with obscenely large lighting fixtures. Perhaps because of its popularity, the word chandelier often conjures images of large expensive, bulky crystal lighting fixtures. That's not the case anymore. Chandeliers come in all kinds of styles and sizes from whimsical to contemporary, small to large. You can even make your own chandelier if you can't find one out there that suits your fancy.  A chandelier is functional and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It sets the mood and the stage for your home. It can also be the focal point of your entryway; a much better alternative to the unopened mail and phonebooks.

Now let's consider the color of your entryway. Again, if your home were a person, the entryway's color would be analogous to the tone of your home's greeting. Is it dull and lifeless? Is it bright and cheerful? Is it bold and strong? Remember, a guest's first impression of your home is the entrance. Use this opportunity to splash some personality into your décor.

Now take a look at your walls. What's on them? Showcase some artwork or an eclectic set of pictures. You would be surprised at how much life you can breathe into a large or small space just by filling the walls with items to look at.

The entryway staple…. Do you know what it is? A decorative mirror! It's convenient and it's so ubiquitous that I'm sure someone; somewhere wrote in stone that every entryway needs a decorative mirror of sorts. Or if you're eclectic, lots of decorative mirrors! If you have room for an entryway table, consider adding one of those as well. It's a convenient place to stash your keys or anything you plan to take with you as you head out of the house.

Let's not forget about the floor. Whether you hate your floor or love it, you'll like it even more with a unique rug to pull all of the decorative elements of your space together. An area rug can really finish off a nice room, making it go from nice to gorgeous! It also prevents people from tracking dirt all over your floors.

By doing simple things like: adding a stunning chandelier, clearing clutter, and hanging a few things on your wall you can easily improve your home's entryway. If you know where and when to shop, it shouldn't cost much, but it does call for some creativity.