Entry Room Ideas

Large and over-sized rooms can be as daunting as small rooms when it comes to decorating and making the best use of space. While it does not seem to make sense, it is often the case when I try to help clients with their "problem rooms".

One of the first mistakes people make is to line the furniture up against the walls to maximize "all that space", that wooed them in the initial buying process. Once people move into the house, the room may seem too big to be useful, so they buy bigger furniture; however, bigger furniture still does not solve the problem, and the room lacks the intimacy they sought.

If your great room opens directly from the front door, leaving you without an entry, consider finding a way to stop the eye and create at least a visual entry. This entry idea can be created with a change of paint color, flooring, a rug or a piece of furniture; it doesn't have to be a large part of the room, just a little stopping point for greeting guests.

At the entry, you might consider a panel of some kind that initially would block the view into the living space; this could be a semi-opaque fiberglass panel with some type of natural grass to help blur the lines of the space. The panel can be hung from the ceiling with thin cables or they could be framed out in a compatible wood. You could use a fabric in this fashion as well, but it would have to be pulled taut over a wood frame.

Next use your furnishings carefully to create a comfortable place for conversation that does not require a loud speaker. Always keep in mind that you will need a place next to seating for a drink, book or eyeglasses.

Don't be afraid to pull your furniture out from the walls and place a table behind a sofa for a pair of lamps or floral arrangement for color. This type of furniture grouping will also give you a sense of a separate space.

Computers are such a part of the fabric of our lives, it is hard to imagine not having one right there, where the family gathers; so make the computer accessible and not off in a dark corner. Place a small desk perpendicular to the wall, unifying the room; no one wants to have their back to the activities of the family room.

By creating spaces for different activities within your great room, you will have created a warmer and more useful space. Whether you use a knock- out table in the entry or some type of panel; wood, fabric or art piece, you will be happy to have a small bit of privacy when you open the door.

The only time you need the wide open space you get with lining up the furniture against the walls is if you are having your own "Dancing with the Stars" competition; otherwise, use your space for your own living activities.