Make your foyer more inviting by moving the coat closet door

Is the boring coat closet door the focal point of your home’s entryway? If your foyer has an adjoining entrance hall, you may be able to move the coat closet door for a more inviting entryway. Your foyer is one of the most important spaces in your home, because it welcomes guests. Continue reading to see how moving our coat closet door made ours a more welcoming space.

Evaluate your foyer space

Our foyer is a small space. It houses a much-needed coat closet. When entering our house through the front door, the view was of the coat closet door, which didn’t make a great first impression. I wished there was a spot for an entry table that could hold a table lamp and some pretty decor. One wall in our foyer is taken up with the door to the powder room. The stairs and cased opening into the living room occupy another wall, and the final wall is consumed by the front door and sidelight.

Determine your foyer’s functions

The coat closet wall was the perfect spot for a foyer table. Well . . .  except for the pesky coat closet door. I often dreamed of removing the coat closet and claiming the space for the foyer. We are empty nesters, but we moved into this house with three children, and the storage that the coat closet provided was more important than a pretty entryway. When we became a household of two, I thought about demoing that closet and making my foyer dreams come true. But, the closet is still a convenient spot for coats, jackets and winter wear, the dog leashes and gear, and tote bags and briefcases. Also, it has always housed the vacuum cleaner. With little other storage on our main level, eliminating the closet didn’t seem like the best design decision.

I squeezed in a small foyer table at the bottom of the steps where there is limited floor space. Since that spot is one of the high-traffic areas in the house, it wasn’t ideal. I was nervous about placing precious decorative items on the table for fear of them being knocked off when a rambunctious dog (or a clumsy husband) lumbered down the stairs and rounded the bend into the living room or foyer.

Re-imagine your foyer space

Our foyer leads directly to an entry hall. The hall really just serves as a passthrough to the kitchen and family room. Its only function seems to be housing doors to other spaces—the garage and basement doors take up most of the hallway. The only space with a bare wall was right around the corner from the coat closet door. It occurred to me that we could move the door around the corner without actually moving the closet itself.

Demo the existing door and frame

We recently installed hardwood floors throughout the main floor of our house. Since we would be removing the ceramic tile from the foyer and entry hallway, it seemed like the perfect time to take on the closet.

Once the ceramic tile floor was gone, we removed the closet door and the door frame. Drywall in the back of the closet was also removed in order to tie that wall into the new jamb on the hall side. We had removed the baseboard while demoing the floor. If you are moving your door without installing a new floor, you would remove the baseboard at the same time that you’re taking out the door and demoing the drywall.

While the front of the closet was exposed, we cut an opening on the hallway side of the closet for the new door location.

Consider some electrical updates while walls are open

Electrical wiring is easiest when walls are open. We used this opportunity to add electrical outlets to the foyer and hallway and lighting in the closet. We also added an electrical box for a ceiling light in the hallway and moved the ceiling light in the foyer. This is not a necessary step, but if you need additional outlets or want to add a light in the closet, this is the best time to do it. 

Address the flooring

Once the framing was complete, we finished installing our new hardwood floors. If you are doing this project and keeping your existing floors, you will probably have a gap in the floor on the hallway side where you demoed the wall in order to install the new door. You can feather extra flooring into this space if you have it. If not, something similar will work to fill the gap. It won’t be real noticeable since most of this space will be under the new door.

Finish the drywall and add baseboard molding

Next up, we added drywall on both the foyer side and the closet side of the hole where the door had been. We also had to patch some spots on the hallway side around the new door jamb. If you don’t have drywall skills, this may be a job for the pros. Drywall is tricky, and a bad drywall job will detract from the beauty of your new wall. If I were going to budget for hiring a pro, this is where I would spend the money. Dave, who has developed drywall skills over time, did a good job. And, we are fortunate to have a handy family. My brother pitched in with his excellent drywall skills and finished one of the walls for us.

Install baseboard molding

With the drywall completed, we installed new baseboards. Since we did this project in conjunction with the new floor install, our entire first floor got new baseboards. If you kept your existing flooring, you will need new baseboards on the foyer wall where the door had been. Baseboard is pretty standard, and you should be able to match the existing moldings that are in your house. 

I mentioned earlier that we moved the ceiling light fixture in the foyer. It was off center due to the space needed to open the coat closet door. The new centered location is much more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Our ceilings are a standard eight feet high, so a bold pendant light was out of the question. We chose a new semi-flush-mount lantern-style light. I found a matching light in a smaller size for the hallway ceiling. This extra light source helps to brighten up this space that has little natural lighting.

Decorate your “new” space

Install wallpaper

Now, it was time to add some entryway decor and make the foyer more inviting. One of the first things I did to create a beautiful entryway was to install wallpaper. I also painted the inside of the front door to warm up the space. You can read about that here. Since the new wall is the first spot people see when entering our house, the newly papered wall is a beautiful focal point. 

Add an appropriately sized foyer table

Moving the closet door definitely made the space feel larger, but the dimensions didn’t change. What I most looked forward to was the ability to add a lamp to this space. We found a slim console table to fit on the “new” wall, which is the perfect landing spot for a lamp. The new electrical outlet is located just behind the table.

Decorate with pieces that showcase your personality

The foyer table also allows me to add pretty decor that I change with the seasons. Candle sticks with taper candles, flowers (fresh and faux) and decorative items, such as a brass pheasant in the fall and beautiful Christmas ornaments during the holiday season, all come together to create an inviting entryway. Decorating with pieces that showcase your unique style gives a charming collected look. This first impression of your home should reflect you, and putting your personal style on display is a great way to accomplish that.

Add artwork on the walls

When the closet door occupied the wall, there was no space for a piece of art. I’ve been trying out a variety of prints. I’m not sure I’ve found the perfect art for the wall, but a pretty landscape or still life sure is more welcoming than a boring door!

A bench brings important function to your foyer

We removed the foyer table at the bottom of the steps. This made way for a small bench, which is the perfect place to sit while putting on shoes. There is room for a beautiful lantern under the bench, which adds to the cozy mood. Every foyer needs a mirror so that you can check your hair and makeup on the way out the door. We were able to fit a pretty large mirror above the bench. The mirror is another way to give the illusion of a larger space.

A functional closet

The closet has the same square footage, but the orientation from the side makes for a narrower, deeper space. We hung two rods to maximize hanging space. I like the depth, because it allows room in front of the hanging items for vacuum and backpack storage. The back of the door has a double hook for hanging dog leashes, hats and purses. This was another space that got an electrical update with wiring for a light. The light is a game changer on dark mornings.

Invite guests into your newly designed space!

We’ve made other updates to our house, but this was one of the most effective ways we found to reimagine a space. While still not a large foyer, our entryway now feels more inviting for guests. Warm lamplight, decor that sets a mood and a pretty piece of art all come together to create a warm welcome when guests enter our home, and that was my goal!