Many DC-area residents are ready for a change. Adding a custom mudroom or shelving system can help you breathe new life into your entryway.

According to the calendar, it’s spring. But this year, that’s a bit of an arbitrary distinction, considering the weather we’re experiencing here in Northern Virginia. Spring means budding apple and cherry blossoms, slowly but surely rising temperatures, sunny afternoons sitting on patios, and Saturdays at Busch Gardens. It’s not supposed to involve cold rain and the biggest snowfall of the season… but that’s what we’re stuck with this time.

Many DC-area residents are tired of the slush and the cold of winter. We’re ready for a change—even if that means infusing our interior spaces with springtime color in lieu of Mother Nature’s cooperation. Adding a custom mudroom or shelving system can help you breathe new life into your entryway. It’s one change you can make while we all await those 60-degree temps and sunny weekends. Check out the design ideas below for some much-needed inspo that will get you motivated and excited for spring (whenever it actually arrives).  

Your Entrance Space Should Compliment and Elevate Your Style

When designing entrance interior spaces, it’s often best to tie in visual elements from other furniture, decor, and finishes around the home to create a truly cohesive look. If your entire house is outfitted in warm orangey oak antiques, stick to the theme when installing a built-in mudroom in the foyer. From there, you can change up smaller elements for a slight change of pace. Choose cabinetry with clean lines to bring a more contemporary feel to the entire home. Add unique hardware and symmetrical elements to create a more classic vibe. You’ll be able to sense the change of these simple design choices instantly upon walking in the door.

It’s also important to consider changes at the micro level. If you’re considering a cream-colored finish for your thermally-fused laminate shelves, give some thought to the exact hue you want to use in this space. Consider finishes that are ever-so-slightly lighter in color if you’re looking to brighten your foyer area. Or, go for your home’s characteristic wood color, but in a slightly more warm-toned cast. This minor change is enough to significantly alter the overall feel of your entry area.

Play With Springtime Color in Your Entrance Design

Outside the seasonal aisle at Harris Teeter, spring evokes far more than pastels and creamy shades of eggshell. Take advantage of the deep well of inspiration provided by spring color in DC and surrounding areas. Accent with vibrant robin egg blue, and add hints of fresh daffodil blooms in shocking white and yellow. Evoke the deep green of Shenandoah National Park’s rolling valleys, and the bright fuschia of newly bloomed tulip bulbs.

As one of the best custom design companies in the DC area, we’re happy to take that next step by helping you accessorize and decorate your new mudroom. These elements are meaningful and changeable with the seasons, which makes this a perfect strategy for year-long coziness. Place decorative throw pillows in your favorite saturated colors on the bench seat. Arrange fresh flowers and cheerful photos on your new shelves. Hang your brightest statement umbrella on a prominent hook for a splash of interest.

Accent With What You Already Have

Busy families come to Closet America for help when seasonal clutter becomes a real problem. Maybe the entryway of their home is overburdened with papers, folders, and miscellaneous school supplies that somehow never make their way into the kids’ backpacks. Or, they might be constantly tripping over soccer balls and baseball uniforms. With help from one of our design experts, it’s definitely possible to improve the function of this space and put some of those items to good use.

Back in January, we recommended using your wintertime scarves, hats, and pea coats as decorative elements in the mudroom (when not in use, of course). The same principle applies for spring as well! When wrangled into a chrome pull-out basket, sports equipment stops being an annoyance and starts being a cheerful sign of the changing seasons. Accessorize with a brightly lacquered paper tray. Give colorful rainboots center stage by arranging them on one of your custom shelves—and easily adjust the surrounding shelves to accommodate the additional height.

Interior Entrance Design Ideas That Make a Bold Statement

You might be tempted to install a DIY or off-the-shelf shelving system to achieve the same organizational purpose. But after seeing the result, clients come in asking us to run damage control and create something truly special. When you cross the threshold of your house after a long District commute, the goal is to immediately feel a sense of relief. You want to see everything in its place, perfectly.

Because organization alone isn’t quite enough to make a space feel beautiful and welcoming, you’ll need to make the right statement with your custom mudroom to achieve that feeling of “home.” Craft your new entryway around a stunning piece of artwork, a unique sunburst mirror, or a statement chandelier. For maximum impact, ask your designer about including a gallery wall of glass-front cabinets. Like a wall of shoes in a gorgeous custom walk-in closet, a bank of beautiful built-ins, lit from within by LED elements, can make a huge statement and highlight exactly what you want to see when you walk through the door.

Design a New Entryway Interior This Spring

Don’t let the late frost (or, in this case, blizzard) put too much of a damper on the first days of spring. We will all soon experience the perfect weather, vibrant colors, and energizing activity that Washington DC embodies this time of year. Until then, use creative interior entrance design ideas to breathe new life into your foyer. A custom organization system crafted around your style and accessorized perfectly for spring will create a truly charming entrance space.

At Closet America, we’re experts in creating built-in organizational systems that make an impressive statement. Take advantage of a free design consultation today. We’ll meet with you in your DC-area home to dream up the details for your springtime makeover. There’s no better way to jumpstart the spring season.

Lead Image by Unsplash user Ashton Bingham
Image 4 by Unsplash user Peter Bucks
Image 6 by Unsplash user Evelyn Paris