First Impressions: How to Style an Entryway That Welcomes Every Guest
Posted by Matho Home Team
The first room your guests see is the smallest one.
Before anyone reaches the sofa or the dining table, they stand in the entry. It is where coats come off, where the keys land, where the dog greets you and where, in a few seconds, everyone decides how your home feels. This season, with family and friends coming through the door more often, it is worth giving those few square feet some love.
The good news is that a beautiful entryway needs very little: a console to anchor the wall, a mirror above it, a place to sit, a lamp that glows when you come home in the dark and a dish for the keys. Five pieces, chosen well, and the whole house starts on the right note.
We went through the collection piece by piece and gathered our favorites for each one. Everything here is available now at Matho Home.
Chapter one
Anchor the wall with a console
The console is the backbone of the entry. It gives the wall a purpose, holds the lamp and the keys, and sets the style for everything around it. Look for a slim depth, so it never blocks the way, and a shape with some character, because this is the first piece anyone sees.
For warmth and texture, the Egan Console is handwoven from natural rattan in a scalloped silhouette, 55 inches wide and light enough to move on a whim. The Jacobson Console rounds its ends into a soft oval of natural acacia, with a lower shelf for baskets or a stack of books. And the Piara Console is covered in hand-laid capiz shells that give it a pearly sheen shifting with the light, at under 16 inches deep for the narrowest halls.
Egan: handwoven rattan, scalloped. Shop itJacobson: a soft oval in acacia. Shop itPiara: hand-laid capiz shell. Shop it
If your entry calls for something bolder, the Sultana Console sets a dark oak finish between two brushed brass panels that wrap each side, the Salma Console opens a graceful arch in whitewashed solid acacia, and Ethnicraft's Eda Console softens the geometry of rose brown mahogany into a calm, grounded presence. For a long wall, the Rhema Console stretches 71 inches in washed ash, and Jonathan Adler's Jacques Console frames clear acrylic in polished brass, so a small hallway still feels open.
Five pieces, chosen well, and the whole house starts on the right note.
A mirror is the entryway's best trick. It bounces light into a space that often has no window, makes a narrow hall feel twice as wide, and gives everyone a last look on the way out. Over a console, choose one roughly two thirds of the console's width and hang it a hand's width above the lamp line.
The Tanya Round Wall Mirror frames 43.5 inches of glass in fluted rattan, natural or black, for warm texture on a plain wall. The Cameo Mirror is a classic circle in aged brass that glows softly above a console. And Ethnicraft's Aged Round Wall Mirror returns light with a soft, clouded quality, in four sizes from 19 to 47.5 inches.
Tanya in black: fluted rattan, 43.5 inches. Shop itZeva: hand-wrapped cord in blue, green or red. Shop itTanya floor mirror: a 70 inch arch. Shop it
Want a little color? The Zeva Mirror is framed in spun paper cord, hand-wrapped in green, red or blue, and the Coralie Mirror blooms into rattan petals that bring sunshine to any wall. If there is no console at all, lean a full length mirror instead: the Tanya Floor Mirror rises 70 inches in an arched rattan frame, and the Petra Arched Mirror stands 73 inches tall in a matte faux travertine finish.
A mirror bounces light into a space that often has no window, and gives everyone a last look on the way out.
A bench changes how an entry works. It is where you sit to pull on boots, where the shopping bags land and where a guest waits while you grab your coat. Pick one with storage inside and the clutter disappears with it.
The Gemma Storage Bench hides a large drawer with soft-close glides under a deep chenille seat, on a recessed base in wire-brushed oak, in oat, dark green or taupe. The Hawthorn Bench pairs a woven natural fiber seat with a dark elm frame, in 48 or 60 inches, and the Rizi Bench covers its seat in hand-woven wool with a bold geometric print, raised on oversized orb-shaped legs.
Gemma in dark green, with a hidden drawer. Shop itRizi: hand-woven wool on orb legs. Shop it
For softness you can feel the moment you walk in, the Ollie Bench spans 56.5 inches of plush vegan shearling, and the Anita Storage Bench wraps faux shearling around a lid that flips into a tray. In a small entry, the Ziva Storage Bench fits just 31 inches of channel-tufted velvet and hidden storage on polished gold legs, and the Olivia Bench keeps a slim midcentury line in performance boucle.
Pick a bench with storage inside, and the clutter disappears with it.
Coming home to a dark hallway is the opposite of a welcome. A lamp on the console, even a small one, turns the entry into a warm pool of light the moment you open the door, and it looks beautiful from the street.
Many entries have no outlet near the console, and that is where a rechargeable lamp shines. Hudson Valley's Cashel and Fords lamps are finished in aged brass under cloud glass shades, run 12 to 15 hours per charge over USB-C and dim with a touch, so they go anywhere. For a little stone, the Globe Marble Lamp sets frosted glass on solid genuine marble, in onyx black or malachite green, compact enough for the narrowest console.
Globe: frosted glass on solid marble. Shop itFords: rechargeable, no outlet needed. Shop itLeetown: inked crackle ceramic. Shop it
On a wider console, a lamp can be the sculpture. The Leetown Table Lamp wears an inked crackle ceramic shade over a matching base, the Roselle Table Lamp dots its base with moss crackle ceramic spheres under a white linen shade, and the Mable Table Lamp carries the pattern of green marble from its solid marble base up onto the shade. Jonathan Adler's Foundry Lamp, cast in solid brass with a milk glass shade, is slim enough to share the console with everything else.
Coming home to a dark hallway is the opposite of a welcome.
The last layer is the one you will use every day. A tray or a dish for keys, sunglasses and the mail keeps the console from turning into a pile, and a vase with fresh branches makes the whole entry look cared for.
The Coeur Catchalls are three hand-hammered heart-shaped trays in a soft brass finish, made to nest or spread across the console. The Miro Catchall is cast in thick textured glass in soft amber or muted sage, with a shallow center that cradles rings and keys. And Jonathan Adler's Mariposa Valet Tray scatters gold butterflies across baby blue porcelain, a little joke for the first thing you touch when you come home.
Coeur: three hammered brass hearts. Shop itEden: porcelain serpents and gold. Shop itMariposa: gold butterflies on blue. Shop it
For a larger console, Ethnicraft's Large Aged Mirror Tray sets heavy aged mirror in a wooden rim, 24.5 inches across, to gather everything in one place. Then finish with something sculptural: the Astra Vessel in hand-thrown black terracotta, each indentation done by hand, Jonathan Adler's Eden Cinched Vase with its signature serpents and real gold accents, or his Kiki's Derrière Vase in soft matte porcelain, a wink for the guests who notice.
A dish for the keys and a vase of fresh branches, and the whole entry looks cared for.
Leave at least 36 inches to walk past the console. In a narrow hall, choose one 16 inches deep or less.
2. Size the mirror to the console.
About two thirds of the console's width looks balanced. A round mirror softens a long, straight wall.
3. Light it at eye level.
A lamp on the console glows where you look. Add a rechargeable one if there is no outlet nearby.
4. Give everything a place.
A tray for keys, a bench with storage for shoes and bags. A clear surface feels like a welcome.
5. Layer heights.
A tall lamp, a mid-height vase and a low dish read as styled, not cluttered.
6. Add one living thing.
Fresh branches, flowers or a plant by the door make the whole house feel cared for.
Make the first room count
Whether you are redoing the whole entry or just want a new mirror and a better lamp before the holidays, every piece in this story is available now at Matho Home. Our designers can help you measure the space and put it all together, from the console to the last catchall.
First Impressions: How to Style an Entryway That Welcomes Every Guest
The first room your guests see is the smallest one.
Before anyone reaches the sofa or the dining table, they stand in the entry. It is where coats come off, where the keys land, where the dog greets you and where, in a few seconds, everyone decides how your home feels. This season, with family and friends coming through the door more often, it is worth giving those few square feet some love.
The good news is that a beautiful entryway needs very little: a console to anchor the wall, a mirror above it, a place to sit, a lamp that glows when you come home in the dark and a dish for the keys. Five pieces, chosen well, and the whole house starts on the right note.
We went through the collection piece by piece and gathered our favorites for each one. Everything here is available now at Matho Home.
Chapter one
Anchor the wall with a console
The console is the backbone of the entry. It gives the wall a purpose, holds the lamp and the keys, and sets the style for everything around it. Look for a slim depth, so it never blocks the way, and a shape with some character, because this is the first piece anyone sees.
For warmth and texture, the Egan Console is handwoven from natural rattan in a scalloped silhouette, 55 inches wide and light enough to move on a whim. The Jacobson Console rounds its ends into a soft oval of natural acacia, with a lower shelf for baskets or a stack of books. And the Piara Console is covered in hand-laid capiz shells that give it a pearly sheen shifting with the light, at under 16 inches deep for the narrowest halls.
If your entry calls for something bolder, the Sultana Console sets a dark oak finish between two brushed brass panels that wrap each side, the Salma Console opens a graceful arch in whitewashed solid acacia, and Ethnicraft's Eda Console softens the geometry of rose brown mahogany into a calm, grounded presence. For a long wall, the Rhema Console stretches 71 inches in washed ash, and Jonathan Adler's Jacques Console frames clear acrylic in polished brass, so a small hallway still feels open.
Chapter two
Hang a mirror above it
A mirror is the entryway's best trick. It bounces light into a space that often has no window, makes a narrow hall feel twice as wide, and gives everyone a last look on the way out. Over a console, choose one roughly two thirds of the console's width and hang it a hand's width above the lamp line.
The Tanya Round Wall Mirror frames 43.5 inches of glass in fluted rattan, natural or black, for warm texture on a plain wall. The Cameo Mirror is a classic circle in aged brass that glows softly above a console. And Ethnicraft's Aged Round Wall Mirror returns light with a soft, clouded quality, in four sizes from 19 to 47.5 inches.
Want a little color? The Zeva Mirror is framed in spun paper cord, hand-wrapped in green, red or blue, and the Coralie Mirror blooms into rattan petals that bring sunshine to any wall. If there is no console at all, lean a full length mirror instead: the Tanya Floor Mirror rises 70 inches in an arched rattan frame, and the Petra Arched Mirror stands 73 inches tall in a matte faux travertine finish.
Chapter three
A place to sit, and to hide the clutter
A bench changes how an entry works. It is where you sit to pull on boots, where the shopping bags land and where a guest waits while you grab your coat. Pick one with storage inside and the clutter disappears with it.
The Gemma Storage Bench hides a large drawer with soft-close glides under a deep chenille seat, on a recessed base in wire-brushed oak, in oat, dark green or taupe. The Hawthorn Bench pairs a woven natural fiber seat with a dark elm frame, in 48 or 60 inches, and the Rizi Bench covers its seat in hand-woven wool with a bold geometric print, raised on oversized orb-shaped legs.
For softness you can feel the moment you walk in, the Ollie Bench spans 56.5 inches of plush vegan shearling, and the Anita Storage Bench wraps faux shearling around a lid that flips into a tray. In a small entry, the Ziva Storage Bench fits just 31 inches of channel-tufted velvet and hidden storage on polished gold legs, and the Olivia Bench keeps a slim midcentury line in performance boucle.
Chapter four
Leave a light on
Coming home to a dark hallway is the opposite of a welcome. A lamp on the console, even a small one, turns the entry into a warm pool of light the moment you open the door, and it looks beautiful from the street.
Many entries have no outlet near the console, and that is where a rechargeable lamp shines. Hudson Valley's Cashel and Fords lamps are finished in aged brass under cloud glass shades, run 12 to 15 hours per charge over USB-C and dim with a touch, so they go anywhere. For a little stone, the Globe Marble Lamp sets frosted glass on solid genuine marble, in onyx black or malachite green, compact enough for the narrowest console.
On a wider console, a lamp can be the sculpture. The Leetown Table Lamp wears an inked crackle ceramic shade over a matching base, the Roselle Table Lamp dots its base with moss crackle ceramic spheres under a white linen shade, and the Mable Table Lamp carries the pattern of green marble from its solid marble base up onto the shade. Jonathan Adler's Foundry Lamp, cast in solid brass with a milk glass shade, is slim enough to share the console with everything else.
Chapter five
A home for your keys
The last layer is the one you will use every day. A tray or a dish for keys, sunglasses and the mail keeps the console from turning into a pile, and a vase with fresh branches makes the whole entry look cared for.
The Coeur Catchalls are three hand-hammered heart-shaped trays in a soft brass finish, made to nest or spread across the console. The Miro Catchall is cast in thick textured glass in soft amber or muted sage, with a shallow center that cradles rings and keys. And Jonathan Adler's Mariposa Valet Tray scatters gold butterflies across baby blue porcelain, a little joke for the first thing you touch when you come home.
For a larger console, Ethnicraft's Large Aged Mirror Tray sets heavy aged mirror in a wooden rim, 24.5 inches across, to gather everything in one place. Then finish with something sculptural: the Astra Vessel in hand-thrown black terracotta, each indentation done by hand, Jonathan Adler's Eden Cinched Vase with its signature serpents and real gold accents, or his Kiki's Derrière Vase in soft matte porcelain, a wink for the guests who notice.
The fine print
Six rules for a welcoming entryway
1. Measure the walkway first.
Leave at least 36 inches to walk past the console. In a narrow hall, choose one 16 inches deep or less.
2. Size the mirror to the console.
About two thirds of the console's width looks balanced. A round mirror softens a long, straight wall.
3. Light it at eye level.
A lamp on the console glows where you look. Add a rechargeable one if there is no outlet nearby.
4. Give everything a place.
A tray for keys, a bench with storage for shoes and bags. A clear surface feels like a welcome.
5. Layer heights.
A tall lamp, a mid-height vase and a low dish read as styled, not cluttered.
6. Add one living thing.
Fresh branches, flowers or a plant by the door make the whole house feel cared for.
Make the first room count
Whether you are redoing the whole entry or just want a new mirror and a better lamp before the holidays, every piece in this story is available now at Matho Home. Our designers can help you measure the space and put it all together, from the console to the last catchall.
Book a design consultation, call us at +1 (305) 239-8002, or visit our Brickell design studio by appointment.
Find more ideas in The Matho Journal, browse Console Tables, Mirrors and Benches, and see the latest pieces in New Arrivals.