Entrance hall should exude welcome charm

One space in the house often ignored is the entrance hall.

What a shame. It's important because it is the first room yousee when you enter the home, and the last one when you're leaving.

If the space is available, a console table serves well as acatchall for the mail, a purse or whatever one needs to depositinside the doorway. A mirror for last-minute primping and anumbrella stand are functional pieces.

But none of these is as important as the background, the color,the lighting and the decorative rug in creating a welcoming effecttothe entrance.

This is no space for hand-me-downs. The entrance hall shouldmake a design statement; one that …