Give your guests a warm welcome this festive season with our quick guide to styling an entryway for Christmas
There are many things that I love about this time of year but inviting our friends and family into our home is one of my favourite parts of celebrating Christmas. That’s why I always like to pay particular attention to the entrance of our home, aiming to make it as warm and inviting as possible.
No matter the size of your space, you can create a welcoming entryway with some carefully chosen statement pieces and a dash of creativity. I recommend choosing a theme that will complement the rest of your Christmas décor as this will help you select pieces that match this tone without becoming overpowering.
Start with a wreath
It’s no secret that we love wreaths at the Suffolk Nest, especially at this time of year. I think hanging a wreath on your door is the ideal way to welcome your guests at Christmas.
If you have a covered porch that offers some protection from the elements, you could display one of our faux foliage wreaths; our Cypress and Norfolk Pine wreaths have a traditional look and provide the ideal base for bells, ribbons, and other seasonal accessories, while our Ultimate Faux Christmas Foliage Wreath will make you the envy of all your neighbours thanks to its expansive size, unique mix of foliage, and real pine cones.
Inside the entryway, I like to switch things up and look for wreaths that offer a fresh twist on tradition. A standout design like our Jingle Bell wreath, for example, would be the perfect choice for an interior door. Featuring 600 antique gold bells with a delicate jingle, this spectacular, sensory piece is something you could display on the inside of your front door or hang on the wall above your console table and bring out again year after year.
Make a console display
Many entryways have a console or side table – and it’s the perfect setting for a festive scene. You can add faux foliage, Christmas decorations, lights, and more but, personally, I love creating an abstract festive village with a selection of white ceramic houses, Christmas trees, bells, and pine trees in mixed height groupings. Add two or three of our Faux White Berry branches and a length of velvet ribbon in a contrasting colour like our Antique Blue or Crimson Red to break up the ceramics and complete the look with a lit candle or two – our Pine and Winter Berry scented candle perfectly captures the scents of the season with its warm clove and orange accents.
Decorate your staircase
If you have a staircase in your entryway, decorating your banister is a great way to make a statement. I don’t think you can go wrong with a garland; our real touch Faux Norfolk Pine Garland is a beautifully realistic shade of green while the vivid tones of our Faux Cypress Garland look striking against a brilliant white banister. Add personality by weaving a string of white lights or our jingle bell garland into the foliage, finished with two or three velvet bows leading your eye up the stairs.
To add a playful touch to your stairway, consider displaying wrapped boxes by the bottom step. Thanks to their placement, these can be more oversized than the gifts you’d find under your tree (and can be empty!) I suggest matching the wrapping to the theme; you could embrace a more rustic look with brown paper and string, lean into the Christmas colour scheme with red and green wrapping, or choose a cream paper with shimmering embellishment.
To make the most of a smaller entryway, you can adapt your existing furnishings and décor and simply add a touch of festive flair. If you have a shoe bench, you could add some Christmas-themed cushions and a cosy blanket; use your coat pegs to display a stocking or small wreath; or switch out your existing artwork for snowy scenes or festive phrases.
