Elements of the Entry Table
This information is provided by Stylesmepretty.com
The entry of your home is the introduction to your style, the first chapter of your home's book, the first play in your arsenal of organizational tips and tricks. In short, it sets the tone for what is to come. And the star of this grand show? The entry table.
This may seem like a place where intuition can take over, but it's a fine balance of function and beauty with just a touch of utilitarian storage. And at the end of the day, there's nothing quite like coming home and falling in love with the first thing you lay your eyes on when you open the door.
To get you started, here's the breakdown for the basic elements to add to your entry table. See the illustration for reference!
1. Sturdy Table
The base of all elements, selecting your table is the first step and the most important! And, this is where a measuring tape is crucial. Take inventory of how much room you have to work with and select your table accordingly. You'll want to make sure it's a wide enough table to hold everything you need, but you also will want to make sure that it doesn't absolutely take over your whole entryway.
Be sure to be intentional in choosing what the table is made out of to match the rest of your home. Whether it's solid wood, light metal or a glass table, this is going to be the first thing people see so make sure it's seamless with the rest of your home's decor!
2. Easy Access Lighting
This seems like a no-brainer but really it's a life-saver. Adding a lamp for easy access lighting is one of those form AND function details that allows you to light your home immediately when you walk in the door. And, light from lamps do wonders for setting "hygge" in a space making your entry feel effortlessly cozy.
3. Textured Element
Opposites attract in this category — after all, it's all about balance! If you chose a tougher, raw texture for a table, consider adding a sleek, shiny accessory. If you chose a smooth table, adding a more rugged accessory balances out the look.Pro tip: putting something with a story here like an item you collected from a trip or a vase you painted yourself is a great conversation starter!
4. Greenery
This is a great place to also subtly recognize the season with different types of stems. During winter you can vase some pretty pines, spring flowers are always a warm welcome, eucalyptus stems during the summer not only smell divine but add wonderful texture, and popping in some colored-leafy-stems during the fall season celebrates vibrant colors in a subtle way.
5. Mirror
A well-placed mirror is a magical interior design trick. It can make even the smallest spaces feel bigger, the darkest places feel brighter and the dullest places feel glamourous. And, realistically in this location, it allows for you to do a quick makeup check one more time on the way out of the door!
The mirror is interchangeable with whatever kind of wall art you want to incorporate. You can opt to do one large piece or a gallery of a few smaller favorites.
6. Layered Heights
7. The "Catch-All"
This addition to the entry table is almost aaaaallll function, but if you choose the right jar, tin or tiny vase then it can be pretty as well! The idea here is that loose change, earrings, free-range keys and "other" things tend to be in your hands or pockets as you walk through the door and it will serve you well to confine those tiny things. A confined mess is a lot more approachable than free-range mess all over your pretty styled table, so corraling it can make all the difference in the world.
8. Quick Storage Baskets
Again we say — "a confined mess is a lot more approachable than free-range mess" and nothing exemplifies that better than mail. The last thing you want to do after a long day is to go through a massive pile of mail. Most of the time what happens is that you grab it out of your mailbox, carry it inside and set it down wherever you see an open surface. Over the week all of a sudden your mail is in 5 different places and you don't have any more open surfaces. Adding a mail-specific basket to your entry table set up ensures your mail is all in one place and you can deal with it ~later.~
Baskets are magic. They hide things, they bring in texture and they look good doing it. You can never go wrong with adding in baskets.
At the end of the day you want your entry table to be both beautiful to look at and operational for your family to get in and out of the door efficiently.
To see more tips on decorating visit Styles Me Pretty's Blog