our home: the entry way + an update

our home is becoming more and more of a reality.  its kind of crazy to think about. we found a realtor last wednesday & found the home of dreams saturday. crazy!!!! we never thought we would go out on our first home tour and find the home that we are exactly looking for. it typically takes people weeks or months to find the home they are looking for.  dont get me wrong. husband and i looked at a jillion homes on the computer before narrowing them down to the handful we even wanted to look at in person. and thats after physically driving by some of them by and realizing that the home was what not we were looking for.  and whats better, is this home wasnt even on our "favorite" list because of one little architectural feature we didnt think we would like, but seeing it in person just made this home even more wonderful for us.

we are still going through the process of paperwork & typical house buying stuff, but if all goes according to schedule we could be moving in at the end of march! yikes! i havent thought about packing yet, but i better get started.  while i'm still waiting to start the packing, i figured i would share a little inspiration for our future entry way.  now a days, its hard to find a home our size with a real entry way. we got lucky! and so i want to make it extra welcoming and warm when guests come over, maybe give a little french feel.  heres a few ideas i'm thinking about..

traditional entry design by minneapolis kitchen and bath Rik Lalim

contemporary entry design by boston photographer Jim Fiora Photography, LLC

contemporary entry design by san francisco architect Andre Rothblatt Architecture

things in our entry way would include:

a coat and/or shoe rack

a little chair or bench for shoe removal

a sideboard table for flowers and maybe a little basket for candies or keys

and a lovely picture of paris that is currently residing in my dining room. 

do you have an entry way in your home? what kinds of things does yours feature?