Ideas for a large entrance hall

[Runningonemptea]

We’re fortunate enough to be remodelling and reconfiguring a property with a large ground floor footprint. As part of this, our alterations will leave us with an entrance hall that will be roughly 7m x 4m. I am really worried this will end up as dead space if we are not careful so wanted to divide it up, but DH is adamant it is staying...therefore looking for suggestions and ideas to give it a bit of purpose and identity. Thanks!

I'd love that!

How high is the ceiling? How many flights of stairs from the entrance hall?

Make it 'Grand'! Is the staircase in the entrance hall? You can have a huge hanging light feature there which always look good. A piccy might help...?

Yes, a huge light would be amazing.

Have double doors into the main rooms, that way the hall is part of a large entertaining space and flows better.

Lots of coat hooks, shoe racks or cupboard for footwear, a settle or bench for walking boots and wellies, cupboard for other coats and general clutter like dog leads, shopping bags, spare keys, binoculars, cycle helmets, and a chest of drawers for scarves and gloves. Then some good art on the walls, a massive doormat for wet shoes, a really lovely rug in the middle of the floor and some good art on the walls. A grandfather clock or a bookcase could look good too, or gigantic houseplants of you like them and the light is right.

Sorry, got carried away by the art there!

We used to have a house like that when I was younger, my mum had a piano against one wall and a fancy pants 'telephone table' with two chairs. They also used to use it for drinks before dinner at parties.

before the recession hit and they lost the house

Maybe I’ve conjured up images of a huge country manor! Sorry! It’s not that posh 🙈. Ceiling height is a very ordinary and disappointing 2.4. Pics are tricky as it is a candidate for Ugly House to Lovely House, so currently the doorways are not where they will end up if that makes sense. We will have double doors into kitchen / family room which is main reason he won’t split space as that gives sight lines all the way through from front to back. Funny you should mention art as DH has his eye on a huge metal sculpture he has seen at a local gallery, but at 20k I want to get the house built first and reckon we won’t have much leftover at the end as the gardens need remodelling if we have any pennies remaining. Definitely thinking shoe bench built in as that might work with a funny angle we have behind the (only) staircase on right.

I think builder has latest version of plans, but shall see if I can find copy to upload...

@AriettyHomily

We used to have a house like that when I was younger, my mum had a piano against one wall and a fancy pants 'telephone table' with two chairs. They also used to use it for drinks before dinner at parties.

before the recession hit and they lost the house

This was my first thought - telephone tables and pianos 😁😁. Alas, my kids have lessons, but hate it and thus alas I think our rather pathetic looking Casio (which most definitely would not exude the ambience DH hopes for) will be retiring soon and shall not be upgraded to a baby grand! And do people even use telephones anymore let alone have tables for them?!?

Yes, a phone charger wouldn't have the same gravitas!

We have a large entrance hall, though not as big as that. We have a piano, guitars, music stand, the family computer on a modern glass desk, a modern cupboard unit that houses hats, scarves, gloves (it's next to the coat/shoe cupboard) in one half and board games in the other. And a couple of big plants and pictures.

I would sacrifice a little of the space for a big storage cupboard. Not deep (things get lost) but wide and shallow.

Circular table bang in the middle (so it gets in the way!)

This is my diagram drawn over the top of and old set of plans with the aid of lots of tipex (architect I am not) 🤣. Have added a show bench under the two new windows as per suggestion upthread and there is a small section of supporting wall on left that has to stay, but other than that it’s just a big empty space. Help! If you are able to make head or tail of it that is...

Whoops! Forgot to attach it! I did also do it virtually, but in the end the hand drawn version looked much clearer...

My favourite entrance hall is the one in the Paddington films, but that relies on the soaring staircase with blossom tree mural. Not sure that would work with a ceiling height of 2.4m, sadly.

How about a piano ?

When you google ‘large hallway ideas’ they tend to be very grand with tall ceilings, and they often show a big circular table with a large vase of flowers, all very lovely.......for a hotel reception! It sounds like yours is a more modern house so I’m guessing grand won’t work, are the rest of the rooms balanced compared to the size of the hallway? What you don’t want is to have a huge entrance hall with rooms that are pokey by comparison, otherwise it will feel unbalanced and a bit disappointing when you or others venture into the other rooms, so if this is the case it may be worth considering giving some of the space to the other rooms whilst you are at the design stage, if not then I think a nice sofa near the front door, free standing coat rack, large mirror with console table underneath and a statement floor, not plain. Maybe something like these pictures.

Mines large (4 x 2.5) but not huge like yours. I put a double wardrobe in and put shelves in it which hides away all the winter gloves/cycle gear/dog leads/car liquids/picnic blankets/coolbags etc. Other than that have shoe rack, long line of coat hooks, table, and bench

Yours is big enough to be a proper room, so I like PP sugestions of a proper room function. Maybe just a sofa or chair reading nook if it gets nice light?

We have a big hallway, it's brilliant when you go shopping, so much space to just dump it all. It's not grand just very practical. Ours has wicker storage for our motorbike helmets with baskets under for gloves, scarves, hats etc and hooks for coats, dog leads, umbrellas. And a wooden shoe store with a padded seat on top.