Weekend Decorating: 8 Ideas for Lighting Your Entry
Update Your Entryway With a Fixture That Illuminates and Delights
Erika Ward
23 April 2011
It isn't often I enter my house through the front door, but it is the only entry my guest use. It has always been my goal to create an entryway that sets the atmosphere for the rest of my home. I also venture say that your entry is an opening statement about how you live and your family's lifestyle. The next couple of weekends, I'll examine elements of the entryway, starting with this ideabook about lighting. For those who already have a fully furnished entry, I'm starting backwards a bit and fast forwarding the process: Stand in your entryway and look up. Are you pleased with what you see? If not, here are 8 new ideas for lighting your entryway. Let's see if we can turn that frown upside down in just one weekend.
Go with the flow. In a small entry, allow your fixture to complement, not compete with an existing focal point. Here, a delicate gold Minka Lavery pendant fixture integrates within its surrounds by mimicking the shape and color of the picture frames.
When the walls talk, listen. The exterior structure and interior architectural details offer guidance in choosing your entry fixture. Mediterranean tile work, heavy millwork, and an long arched hall encourages a pathway of bell jar lanterns.
Show your playful side. Made from crafted iron, industrial light bulbs, and fabric covered cords, the Edison Chandelier is flexible and can be configured to your liking. A surefire attention-grabber, it could cause a bit of a traffic jam when greeting incoming and outgoing guests.
Explore alternative materials. New uses for various materials are popping up in each seasons' interior design trends. Silk, for example, has made its way from upholstery and drapery to pendant lighting. Traditionally, silk brings an air of elegance to any environment and provides this entry with a touch of luxe.
March to the beat of your own drum. A drum shade pendant is a perfect option for a contemporary space. Easily adaptable, you can customize the shade to coordinate with your decor, and you also have the option to add a diffuser for a softer light.
Explore another dimension. Multi-dimensional fixtures perform dual roles as sculpture and light source. Employ a designer's trick by repeating the shape within the room. In this entry, the pattern in the stair runner has a similar shape as the pendant, establishing continuity within the space.
Administer a double dose of design. Long, tall, and windowless entryways are dark and unwelcoming without a proper light source. Find a fixture you love and double the dose to keep things bright and inviting and less like a pathway to doom.
Add a touch of romance. The Fortuny light fixture transports a taste of Italian design into a traditional American entryway. Available in glass or silk, its elegant twist and teasing tassel instantly delivers a worldly and posh update.
More:
9 Ways to Love Drum Pendants
How to Get the Pendant Light Right
Browse more photos of entry designs
Do you love your entry? Share a photo below!
More:
9 Ways to Love Drum Pendants
How to Get the Pendant Light Right
Browse more photos of entry designs
Do you love your entry? Share a photo below!
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Thank you!
Melanie
I like the pendant lights in the second picture. Do you know the retailer who sells them?
My hall has 9 foot ceilings and I have 4 ceiling light fixtures. Two of the fixtures are quite close together - would this style of light work for me? (please ignore the lack of character in the hall- we have yet to paint or decorate!!)
Jo
My Entryway