Make an Entrance with These 14 Refreshing Entryway Ideas

Wowed upon entry.

Small as it may be compared to a regular bedroom, the entryway plays an unexpectedly big role in setting the mood for the rest of your home. Not only is it an area that you’ll inevitably go past day in and day out, it’s also the first space that your friends and family will enter when they come over.

But how exactly do you create a welcoming entrance that’ll impress everyone? Well, you don’t have to look far: these standout examples from 14 real-life homes have the answer(s).

1. Turn your entryway into a bold, all-black affair

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and this 4-room BTO’s entryway certainly does the job.

With a glass block partition that blocks direct views into the living room, this entryway provides both privacy and a sophisticated spa-like feel.

The moody colours, coupled with textured stone walls and pebbled flooring, create dramatic transitions from outside to inside, and when moving to the rest of the communal space.

2. Transform your recess area into a double door lobby

If you purchased the recess area outside your flat, your first order of business should be creating a wow-worthy entryway.

In this 3-room resale HDB, there is not just one door, but two leading into the home.

That is, the main door first opens up to the recess area-turned-entryway tiled with intricate Peranakan tiles.

From here, you can step up to the single swing door that takes you into the communal area.

Beyond maintaining an open feel, wouldn’t you agree that it evokes the impression of a private home lobby?

3. Line the entryway with fluted panels

Fluted panels have always been a go-to for amping up the elegance of a space – which is exactly what you’ll find along the entryway of this contemporary home.

Hidden behind the row of dark wood-clad panels are some storage cabinets to store essentials you need on your way out (think umbrellas and keys), as well as a standalone panel opposite that blocks the view into the living area.

Now this is how you make a statement!

4. Give it a retro shophouse makeover

For those of you who don’t quite like the beige aesthetic dominating the trends these days, change things up with a retro touch to your entryway.

This entryway of this executive maisonette features a door grille reminiscent of similarly elaborate ones you’d find in old shophouses, paired with black-and-white patterned floor tiles leading the way in.

To nail that retro look, the main door imitates a distressed wood look that complements the side table along the corridor.

5. Create a cosy nook

Incorporating handy cabinet storage along the entryway is often a key design component in local homes, much like in this homey executive apartment. There’s a small twist, however.

A conveniently-placed niche embedded in the centre of the cabinetry makes it easy for the owners to pull on their shoes on their way out, in addition to serving as a cosy retreat.

6. Use patterned flooring for visual interest

Bringing in simple motifs or patterns is a classic (read: proven) way of making a space look more interesting. And this rule-of-thumb applies for entryways as well, as seen in this well-coordinated apartment.

Here, a herringbone floor draws the eye with a simple, but effective graphic punch. The effect is then replicated in the kitchen and backsplash for added visual continuity.

7. Or, switch things up with a botanical theme

Whether you’re a certified plant aficionado or just enjoy a splash of nature, you might be considering a biophilic makeover for your home.

For a headstart, take inspiration from this 4-room HDB at Simei, where the leaf-patterned floor tiles and deep green walls echo the colours of the outdoors. The use of wooden cabinetry and doors further amplifies the earthy ambiance of the space.

8. Conceal your household shelter with decorative carpentry

As much as it may be an eyesore, a household shelter’s importance cannot be understated. That said, there are ways you can (legally) conceal it.

Similar to what we saw earlier with the fluted panels, this Punggol BTO employs them too – except they’re fitted with warm LED lights that serve as a show-stopping entryway feature that also illuminate the living room.

This way, when someone in the family is heading out or comes back late at night, they won’t end up knocking over things or tripping in the dark either.

9. Erect a partition for privacy…

Newer HDB flats tend to open up directly into the living/dining area. While this lends an airy feel to the space, it also means that your every move will be visible to onlookers when the main door is open.

As a simple yet effective solution, the owners of this resale flat in Sengkang installed a partition of fluted glass at the top and rattan at the bottom – a combination that works oh-so-well with the rest of its soothing Scandinavian interior.

Explore: Bye Bye, Busybodies: 11 Entryway Partition Ideas for Privacy at Home

10. …or use breeze blocks instead

But if you’d like a little more ventilation and some of that old-school charm, breeze blocks are definitely a viable alternative.

That way, you get to keep your main door open without sacrificing privacy. We especially love how they match the retro entryway tiles in this otherwise contemporary BTO in Ang Mo Kio.

11. Carve out a niche for open storage

If you aren’t keen on making an already-small entryway feel even more cramped, you can carve out an open niche along your entryway and get creative with it.

An added benefit of such a recessed feature is that whatever you hang will be flushed neatly with the wall instead of sticking out and making the space feel boxed in (or looking unsightly).

This resale flat in Tiong Bahru makes use of such a curved niche to hang a pegboard, where the owners can hang the daily necessities they reach for when heading out.

Though simple, we love how it’s equal parts aesthetic and practical!

12. Replace walls with foldable glass doors

It’s not uncommon for resale HDB flats to come with a narrow entryway stretching 3 to 5m in length. Take this Jurong West unit for example, where a wall separating its entryway from the adjacent dining and kitchen area was hacked away and replaced with foldable glass doors.

This gives its owners the choice of opening up the space, or to keep them separate (say, for a more intimate dinner) as needed. Reminiscent of a cosy European countryside home, we reckon.

13. Add neon lights

But if you don’t mind keeping a narrow passageway (this does provide more privacy after all), a simple way to zhuzh it up is to add neon lights and signages – tastefully, of course.

Extra oomph aside, this resale flat’s entryway is also interesting because the main door has been relocated further into the house, leaving only a gate where the original entrance used to be.

14. Transform external recessed areas into a private corridor

As you’ve seen earlier, in rarer cases of older HDB flats, it’s possible to expand a unit’s confines by purchasing the recessed areas outside.

In this iteration, the owners of this executive apartment in Ang Mo Kio did so with no expense spared, transforming it into an indoor-outdoor passageway.

It's complete with chessboard-esque tiles, three-quarter height windows that let the light flow in, and a door painted with a childhood icon.

Talk about making an entrance!

This article was originally published on 28 Jun 2018 and updated on 2 May 2025.

We're on Instagram, Telegram and TikTok! Follow us there to keep up with the latest design trends 🙌