The entryway of your home is where you greet visitors when they arrive, as well as where you hang up your coat at the end of a long day. When a guest steps inside the house, you want them to feel right at home, and when you get home from work, you want to feel a sense of comfort and relaxation. The front entrance of your house should be warm and inviting, welcoming anyone and everyone into your home.
At Dulles Electric Supply in Sterling, we have a fantastic variety of entry and foyer lighting options. If you feel that your entryway is too dim or that the fixtures you have aren’t right for the space, we’d love to help you find the right lights. The previous homeowner may have had much different tastes than you, and you want to replace that old flush mount light with a fun pendant or small chandelier.
Ambient Lights
The general lighting in your front entry comes from the overhead, or ambient, fixture. This light can be a hanging fixture, if the ceiling is high enough, or a flush or semi-flush light, for ceilings of standard height. What is most important is that the ambient fixture feels right within the space and that it provides plenty of light for the entire foyer.
If you have an entry with a tall ceiling (9 feet and higher), you could add a hanging fixture such as a chandelier or pendant light. If your foyer stretches to the second floor of your home, you could go all out and install a grand chandelier that fills the space with light. Our team can take the dimensions of your home’s entrance and recommend the best lighting based on those measurements.
For entryways that are smaller or perhaps a bit more narrow with a standard ceiling height, flush and semi-flush lights are the way to go. These fixtures hug the ceiling, eliminating the risk of anyone running into them as they pass through the space. These lights provide plenty of illumination and can be complemented with accent lights, mirrors, and other options.
Accent Lights
The dimensions of your entryway will also determine what kind of accent lights you can have in the space. For large, open foyers, you can install multiple wall sconces that bring lighting to the middle layer of the room, creating that warm, inviting feeling you want the space to have. Sconces are also possible in smaller entryways, but you may have to stick to just one or two fixtures.
Floor and table lamps can also function as accent lights in your foyer. If you have a side table where you place your keys or sort your mail, consider adding a small table or desk lamp. If there’s a corner of the entry that seems a bit too dark, put an upright floor lamp there for additional illumination. You can leave these lamps on while you’re gone, helping you to see when you get home and eliminating the need to turn on the overhead light.
Above all, your accent lights should add to your foyer or entry, making it feel more complete. In terms of style, these fixtures should match your ambient light, complementing its design. No matter how big or small your entryway is, well-placed accent fixtures can make a big difference in the appeal and comfort of the space.
Artwork and Decor
While you won’t be decorating your entry as you would your living room or dining room, it can be beneficial to have some artwork and decor in the space. Perhaps you have a favorite painting that would look amazing on the wall near the front door. Hanging it in the right spot and illuminating it with track lighting can draw guests to it as soon as they enter your home. Visitors will get a sense of your personal tastes when it comes to design and decor, and it can let them know that you have a sense of style.
Entryways can also be great spots for family photos and small home accents. If you have the wall space, consider hanging your newest family portraits for guests to see when they arrive. If you’re an art collector, the foyer can be a prime spot for a sculpture. Track lights can provide the illumination you need to highlight these photos and pieces of artwork, and you can turn your front entry into your own little gallery.
Perhaps the most important piece of decor that you can add to your foyer is a mirror. When placed correctly, a mirror can make a front entry feel bigger than it is, no matter if it’s a large or small space. For grand foyers, mirrors will expand the space even more, and in smaller entryways, the room will feel larger than it actually is. Mirrors reflect and refract light, brightening any entry. We’d love to discuss with you the possibility of adding a mirror or two to your home’s front entrance.
Lighting Controls
Every room in a house needs the proper lighting controls, and the foyer or entry is no exception. You’ll need a switch to control the overhead light, as well as switches for any sconces you’ve added to the walls. Dimmers aren’t as prevalent in front entrances, but you can add them to your lighting controls to keep the lights low when you’re welcoming guests at the front door as they arrive for a weekend dinner party, or bring the lights up as visitors leave for the night. Your lamps will be controlled via their own switches, but you can incorporate indoor timers so that they turn on and off at the same time each night.
Your front porch lighting controls are likely also found in your entryway, which means you can integrate your indoor switches or dimmers into the same panel. If you’re interested in adding smart lighting controls that include voice commands and smartphone access, we can show you what we have available. It can be indispensable to be able to turn on the entryway lights with your voice when you come through the door with your arms full of groceries!
Stairs and Hallways
Another aspect to consider when adding light fixtures and controls is whether or not your entryway is connected to a set of stairs or a hallway. If the stairs to the second floor are found near the front entrance, you can continue with the same lighting styles all the way up the staircase. Sconces are a prime example of this, with the same fixtures you have in the foyer extending up the stairs. You’ll want to place the lighting controls for your stairway fixtures in the foyer as well.
When it comes to hallways, the same idea applies. If you have a certain style of flush or semi-flush fixture in the entry, you can add the same fixtures on the hallway ceiling. You can place the switch for these lights where the entry meets the hallway, letting you transition seamlessly from the front entrance to the rest of your house.
Shop Online Today
If you’d rather shop online from the comfort of your couch, you can browse through our catalog to see what we have to offer. Once you’ve found your inspiration, you can purchase new lights online or visit our showroom to learn more. Our staff of lighting experts is always ready to help however they can, and we’ll gladly answer any questions you have about overhead lights, lamps, and more.
Make your front entry look and feel how you’ve always wanted it to by shopping with us today. We’re proud to serve the greater D.C. area, and we’d love nothing more than to help you discover lighting that will transform your home and create positive, lasting impressions on your guests.
