Entryway color ideas – 10 best colors to use in an entrance hall

When adding color to our homes, it’s all too easy to forget the entryway; after all, it’s not as if we spend much time in this often small or narrow room. 

As well as looking inviting in its own right, an entryway color scheme should set the tone for the rest of your home. Move it up on your decorating agenda: it’s a place to be bold and show your personality. Winning room color ideas and entryway paint ideas pay attention to the mood, size and natural light, so whether you go for something playful or serene, here are some entryway color ideas to get you started.

Entryway color ideas

Color is a remarkable decorating medium and is an easy way to make your entryway more inviting. What could be easier – or more impactful than adding color to your entryway? Use these pretty color schemes to update your entryway ideas. 

1. Choose a color that works with neighboring rooms

When there are clear views from a hallway into adjacent rooms, think carefully about your choice of color trends and paint ideas to ensure that the eye is drawn naturally from one space to the next. 

'Using color in the entryway doesn’t just make for a memorable introduction to your home, it also creates contrast with the rooms coming off it,' says Charlotte Cosby, head of creative at Farrow & Ball. 

2.  Introduce color with a statement wallpaper

The variety of hallway wallpaper ideas before us is now so extensive that preliminary research will always pay dividends, especially in such adventurous times for design.

The accent wall is one of the most popular recent trends. It is a classic design device, which draws the eye to a specific area. Striking, elegant and confident, black and white is always a winning combination and will make a dramatic statement in a modern entryway.

'We are seeing a trend for rich cocooning colors and those that bring a sense of comfort, perhaps a reaction to the turbulent world,' says Andy Greenall, head of design at Paint & Paper Library. 

3. Add in element of yellow

'Entryways can often be an overlooked area of the home, seen mainly as a space to pass through and yet gives the very first impression,' says Caroline Milns, head of interior design at Zulufish. 'Being a smaller space, it is also where you can have a little more fun and experiment with color and pattern to dramatic effect.'

'These charcoal and mustard geometric floor tiles are not only hardwearing and easy to clean – essential for an area of high traffic – but they also work in harmony with the monochromatic graphic lines of the floor-to-ceiling Crittal doors, the sculptural glass quad pendant and linear furniture. Fresh white walls finish the space reflecting the light along the full length of the entryway to the kitchen ahead.'

4. Create a serene feel 

'To create a cool and calming space when you enter your home, soft blue tones will make for a serene entryway,' says Lee Thornley, founder of Bert & May. 'Using tiles on the floor will allow you to introduce a strong pattern and variation of tone that won’t overwhelm the space, allowing you to keep the rest of the space pared back.'

5. Ground your entryway with a warming terracotta 

'Taking inspiration from the South Bank’s industrial heritage, we incorporated materials, textures and colors that speak to the local area’s history as a vibrant hub of natural craft and art,' says Charu Gandhi, founder and director at Elicyon. 

'The color palette of "new neutrals" has been chosen to create a warm and heartening ambience, combining soft ivory and sandy tones, fall burnt oranges and ochres, flashes of gold and calming dark teal. Grounding the space, the entryway features a striking marble and oak console table by a Portuguese maker.'

6. Embrace a winning combination

'Entryways are the perfect spot for making a big design impact,' says Kate French, creative director at Dado. 'Embrace the narrowness and lack of light and opt for a deep rich hue on walls, combined with pops of bold or bight color.  

'Although transient spaces, an entryway and the spaces beyond can often be seen from multiple rooms, so consider a wallpaper that's easy to scheme. A small all over print bursting with color and detail 'Floral Ogee' in Madder by Daydress for Dado is the perfect paper for scheming in a host of ways, working beautifully when seen through an open doorway or up close.'

7. Lift a dark space with yellow

Yellow room ideas are having something of a revival, so perhaps now is the time to decorate 'sunny side up,' 'Symbolizing energy and optimism, yellow room color ideas are a great color choice for the home,' says Jennifer Ebert, Digital Editor, Homes & Gardens.

Andy Greenall , head of design, Paint & Paper Library agrees: ‘Yellow is a color that evokes happiness and provides a sense of positivity. It is perfect for areas of the home where there is much activity and socializing, such as the kitchen and dining room, where it adds energy and vitality.’ 

8. Take inspiration from nature

Calm, cool and collected, the color blue is a decorating win-win in an entryway: not only does it make a beautiful base for a scheme but it’s scientifically proven to be a subconsciously calming shade.

'The entryway is a space that welcomes you at the end of a long day, and the first glimpse your guests are given of your style – so it's the perfect opportunity to make a statement,' says Charlotte Cosby, head of creative at Farrow & Ball. 'Let your artwork or favorite piece of entryway furniture do the talking and use a striking contrasting backdrop with clean and crisp, white woodwork.'

9. Go for neutrals in a small entryway

'Whenever you introduce a rich shade like ochre to a space that's on the small side, it's always worth painting the woodwork, doors and ceiling white to lift the look and create contrast,' says Melanie Griffiths, editor, Period Living. 'Here, the original stone flags also help to lighten up this small entryway idea, and they add the most perfect authentic touch.'

10. Forest green and stone for a natural look

'Rich, dark greens have a receding quality that gives the illusion of walls being further away, doing away with the myth that smaller spaces should be painted in lighter colors to make them seem bigger,' says Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene.

'Embrace small spaces with intense shades like ‘Brunswick Green’ which has a timeless, positive quality that works beautifully on a single wall or in an all-over scheme. Pair with woodwork in the neutral ‘Portland Stone-Pale’ to reflect the colors we see in nature.'

What are good colors for an entryway?

One trend which is currently being adopted in entryways is color drenching. ‘This contemporary, cohesive approach delivers high impact by painting woodwork, radiators, the ceiling and doors the same color as the walls,’ says Ruth Mottershead, creative director, Little Greene. ‘This will create a complete scheme, treating each element similarly, and will deliver a design statement when entering or viewing the entryway from other rooms within your home.’ 

What is the best color for an entryway?

The best color for an entryway is one that will make you feel at home – instantly. 

'Entrance halls should make a statement about the house and owners as well as being a welcoming space,' says Mike Fisher, creative director and founder, Studio Indigo. 'Small spaces can be treated in a grand way – “be bold” is my advice. Large details can open up the space, such as using double doors but making them as tall as possible.

'Painting the space a light color will not make it feel bigger. Use strong color to make a statement and give personality. Lastly, we are great fans of polished plaster in hallways – it’s practical, tough and has a wonderful reflective quality that makes the space shimmer.’