Which type of furniture should you choose for an entrance hall?

Your entrance hall is the first room in your home that any visitors will see, which is why you should pay particular attention to instantly creating a good impression of your home when guests arrive. The wrong furniture choices can make the space look cluttered – something you need to avoid at all costs! Follow our tips to find out how to avoid this.

Adding furniture is essential for organising your home and making sure your entrance hall is always neat and tidy. In this room in particular, it's more important then ever for your furniture to suit your needs and everyday habits. Start by looking at what's missing in your current layout so you can then choose the right furniture for this space where practicality is crucial. For example, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you need to empty your pockets onto a console table or wall shelf?
• Are a coat stand and shoe rack important for you in this specific part of your home?
• Do you need more spacious storage such as a stylish dresser in your entrance hall for keeping your sports equipment or other items handy?

A designer console table if you have a small entrance hall

Entrance halls tend to be relatively small spaces. That's why it's best to try and avoid using all the surface area. Make the most of the ceiling height by adding clever storage. You may also consider multi-purpose furniture. For example, the advantage of console tables is that their designer appearance creates a decorative piece of furniture, but they are also very practical. Their shallow depth tends to reduce their footprint; a great way to make a room appear less cluttered and maximise the space available. What's more, their long top provides space for a stylish vase and trinket tray, or a place to put your important paperwork or post. A console table can instantly become a temporary desk if needed.

Useful storage furniture

An entrance hall must never be cluttered with furniture. This is why you need to carefully consider your furniture choices, going for useful pieces that will make the space as uncluttered and practical as possible. As a priority, choose wall storage that has the added benefit of being off the floor. As well as being practical, this will help keep your entrance hall clear.

Coat stands

Wall hooks or a coat stand are essential in this space between the inside and outside of your home. They can have a more decorative look, as long as you choose a design that ties in with the style of your home. A subtle design means they will blend in easily with your decor, or go for hooks or a coat stand with a stylish, designer edge if you want to make them deliberately stand out.

Shoe rack

A compact shoe rack is the ideal piece of furniture for an entrance hall. It can provide enough space for all your everyday shoes. It is also a good choice for this part of your home as it means you're not constantly greeted by an unsightly row of shoes, despite your best efforts at keeping them perfectly lined up! What's more, we recommend getting into the simple habit of never leaving more than two pairs of shoes in the entrance hall. Any other shoes should always be kept in a storage unit elsewhere. This handy tip is a great way to ensure your entrance hall is always tidy and welcoming. Similarly, bear in mind that it's always a good idea to choose enclosed units so any untidiness is not visible. Finally, if you have enough space, you can add a pouffe to your entrance hall or maybe a bench seat; really useful for putting on your shoes more easily. If you are short on space, a stylish chair or armchair would work well either.

A designer dresser if you have enough space

Why not furnish your entrance hall with a dresser? If you are lucky enough to have a sufficiently spacious entrance hall, a dresser is the perfect storage solution for accommodating the whole family's everyday belongings and paperwork. Without this practical piece of furniture, there is often a mish-mash of things belonging to different people, sometimes all mixed up in the same place. Quickly finding what you're looking for can be a challenge! A dresser with a drawer allocated to each member of the family is an excellent idea for avoiding this. This means you can easily find what you are looking for before leaving the house, and tidy it away again when you come home later in the day. This is the best solution – provided you have the space – for keeping your entrance hall tidy and making it a pleasant space to pass through.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of good lighting in your entrance hall. Warm lighting created by designer light fittings brings beautiful light to the space, as well as being really practical. It means you can check your appearance or touch up your make-up in a mirror that makes a handy addition to this space. You can also add a rug which will provide a welcome feeling of comfort when you take off your shoes. Your entrance hall experiences high traffic at the start and end of the day, which is why you need to think carefully about how you furnish it to make life easier on a daily basis!