Use these cozy custom design ideas to craft your ideal winter foyer!

The holidays have come and gone, school has begun again, and even without any serious snowfall, the DC metro area is hunkered down for the remainder of winter. It may not quite be subzero out there yet, but it’s still cold enough to chill you (and your small home) and make even the best of us long for the humid heat again. Well, almost. Let’s not get too carried away.

Without warm candlelight and jewel tone reds, greens, and golds, it’s a lot harder to make your wintertime home feel cozy. But with personalized colors, textures, and other design elements, it’s a cinch to create a foyer design that’s just as inviting and cozy as it felt back in mid-December. Use the custom design ideas below to craft your ideal winter foyer.

Idea #1: Play with Rich, Wintery Colors

Nobody ever said you had to put away your nordic decor after January 15th. But if you (or your spouse) are ready for a chance to set up some decorative scenery, rest assured that there are many other colors to celebrate during wintertime aside from cherry red. Rich tones of burgundy, eggplant, royal blue, and emerald also look lovely this time of year.

If your ideal custom mudroom has dark-stained shelving, choose one or two deeply saturated colors to accent with using art pieces, framed photos, decorative pillows tossed onto the bench seat, or with small decor items. You can create a gorgeous wintry foyer display using dark evergreen garland, polished accent pieces in those colors, and icy hints of silver or white tucked tastefully within.

If you envision a white custom shelving system, really emphasize your top choice of dark winter shades for your temporary decor. Either way, rich hues will help ground your winter entryway in a sense of visual warmth.  

Idea #2: Make Room for Winter Outerwear

As a custom design expert, one of my favorite ways to accessorize a space is with the everyday items you’re already using. When the key purpose of the mudroom is to greet visitors with a helpful storage space, it’s a no-brainer to leave plenty of room to “decorate” with winter outerwear and accessories. Here are some easily-executed ideas to try:

• Arrange your family’s coats on your mudroom hooks in alternating colors. Keep those four extra black leather jackets in another closet, and turn your foyer into a boutique-style display.

• Have an abundance of gorgeous winter scarves? Consider draping, piling, hanging, or layering them in creative ways on the shelves of your custom unit for a splash of color. They’re still easily accessible when you need them, but act as great decorative accents.

• Accessorize your mudroom shelves with your warmest (and most fashionable) winter hats. It’s time to let your furry pom-pom have its moment! Pro tip: if your hats need a little help “standing up” on shelves for display, simply tuck them on top of canned goods from your pantry.

Idea #3: Cozy up with Texture

There’s nothing cozier than thick sweaters, fuzzy fleece, and soft flannel during the wintertime. That’s why you’ll see Salt & Sundry and Pottery Barn including these soft textiles in their showroom floors this season. Throwing in a mix of thick and soft textures helps balance out the smooth, crisp lines of custom shelving systems.

To play with texture in a small foyer design, you don’t need very many items to make a statement. Perhaps one sweater-knit throw pillow on the bench will suffice. Lay out and fold a thick throw blanket to serve as a “tablecloth” on your main display surface. If you select a custom mudroom in a natural wood finish, consider adding accent pieces of local tree bark– rustic candle holders, anyone? It’s the mix of rough, smooth, and soft that brings a decorated space beautifully into the winter season.

Idea #4: Use Warm Accent Lighting

Finally, don’t skimp on the most important wintertime accessory of all: cozy lighting. Whether you’re setting up richly-hued pillar candles in hurricane jars or going flame-free with fairy lights, there’s nothing more warming for a space than extra glimmer. You can always feature a small accent lamp in your foyer design for a warm welcome—just choose a warm metal base and a creamy shade for maximum coziness.

Another bonus to working with a custom-designed mudroom is that you can include accent lighting within the actual shelving. Warm LEDs that shine light on each shelf or alcove of your mudroom will really help bring the space to life.

Style Your Foyer from the Ground Up

An empty entryway is a perfect blank canvas for any designer, but can seem a bit daunting to the rest of us. Starting with a custom shelving system that perfectly suits your storage needs, adding unique accent elements, and accessorizing with the winter goods you already have on hand will take this space to the next level before you can say “snow day.”

Looking for more personalized inspiration for your seasonal foyer design? Start by scheduling a free design consultation with Closet America. One of our design experts will visit your DC-area home to take measurements and lay out a creative foyer design that makes the most of your small entryway space. From there, we’d love to talk with you about how to transition your new custom shelving system gracefully through each of your decor seasons.