“You had me at hello.” Dorothy uttered those five simple words to Jerry in the movie Jerry Maguire. She was hooked. She was connected. She was in love.

This is exactly how I want our property to connect with people at their first “hello”.

Luckily, the curb appeal was all taken care of this summer with my awesome vertical garden.

Even during the summer, many of my neighbours  fell in love with the fresh perspective that the vertical garden adds to the front porch.

Then I had to evaluate the entryway. According to home staging experts, potential buyers make a subconscious decision about whether or not they will make an offer on a house within the first 90 seconds of their visit. The curb appeal and entryway are key.

So today, I’m presenting how we staged our tiny entryway.

But first, what it looked like before:

In my opinion, the entryway was one of the worst rooms in our home. It was practical for our needs- we had a fabric peg board to pin our stuff, a bench with storage for some seasonal items, and an umbrella holder (made with a decorative branch vase).

However, from a buyer’s perspective, this room looks cluttered and the style is unclear with the different patterns on the pillows and the peg board. This room needed an overhaul.

It all started with making sure the entryway closet was decluttered. Usually we keep our shoes at the bottom, but I always recommend the bottom and top of closets be left empty so potential buyers can see the dimensions available. So everything that was out of season was put in storage, and we needed a space to keep our shoes. That’s when I had the idea to purchase an shoe storage console from Ikea. We chose the Hemnes in white.

This unit is narrow, the design is simple and it can store at least 12 pairs of shoes. The only thing I didn’t like about it is the knobs.

I find them a little too classic for our comtemporary design, so we splurged and got these knobs also from Ikea.

We also added a mirror to give the illusion of more space, and to reflect what little light that comes through the door window.

With a new coat of paint and simple, streamlined furniture, our entryway feels larger, more inviting and is unified in design with the rest of our space. You’ll also notice that we removed the adhesive film that was on the French door that separates the entryway from the family room. This brings even more light into the entryway. For decoration, we just added a plant on the dresser!

So if you are looking to set the stage right for the entryway, here’s a list of things to do:

• Oil hinges, tighten doorknobs, and clean baseboards.
• All trim and doors throughout the house should be the same colour. (I prefer to paint them all white.)
• Make sure that this room has a dramatic focal point by showcasing a unique piece of furniture or artwork.
• A table lamp for lighting and a vase for flowers or a plant is very important.
• A mirror is a space brightener! 
• Add warmth, texture and colour with an area rug or runner (I’m still trying to find the right one!)
• If dated, change the switch plates to white.
• If there is no entryway or hall, try to create one by using furniture to block or separate the view of the living room to create the illusion of two separate areas.
• In the coat closet, make sure the floor is EMPTY. Remove all non-seasonal clothing, and pare the remaining items down to three items. The closet should appear as roomy as possible.
• DO NOT store the vacuum in the coat closet, or games, or wrapping paper, etc… Only seasonal coats on hangers. A basket may be put on the shelf above the hanging clothes to hold smaller items, out of sight.
• Use wooden hangers in the closet.
• This area must be kept perfectly neat and clean. Windows wiped, floor polished, wall scuffs removed. It sets the “stage” for the rest of the home. Make it the most dramatic.

Next week I’ll be presenting the last rooms (but not the least) in my “How to stage” series: the bathrooms!

Stay tuned!