7 Ways to Decorate Your Foyer for the Holidays

November 30, 2021 Janet Lorusso

The entry area is the first impression your home makes on visitors, and as they say, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” so make it a festive one that puts everyone in a holiday mood!

We like to start the Christmas spirit right at the door. Obviously. Almost everyone knows to put a wreath or swag some greens or some other creative door decoration on the outside of the door. If you missed it, here is our exterior entry which combines 8 different types of greens in wreaths, swags, garland and containers to frame the entrance.

But what about inside?

Most people have either some furniture or a stairway or both in the foyer.

Here are seven ways to add some holiday spirit to your entry:

Stairway decor

Add bannister and newel post garland. Add embellishments like ribbon, ornaments, feathers, berries, fruit, pinecones….anything that suits the decor. Decorate the steps with plants or statuary - we have used large scale nutcrackers or sometimes poinsettias on every other step of our half flight up from the foyer to the main level. Most of the time I opt for the nutcrackers because I have a Nutcracker Sweets themed dessert party nearly every winter (pre-pandemic), and I hate to slowly murder poinsettias which is inevitable on my watch.

songbirds embellish a stairway banister garland

Foyer table or chest display

This is limited only by your imagination! Seasonal greens, candles, plants, and flowers are always appropriate additions. A sweet treat is a nice gesture to include as well. But you could display a collection here too - nutcrackers, statuary or figurines, conical trees, sparkly mercury glass, candlesticks, houses…

Light fixture embellishment

Depending on the type and location of your foyer light fixture(s), you may be able to add greenery or hang a kissing ball or mistletoe. Tuck a bit of greenery into sconces, or add greenery or dangle ornaments on ribbons or snowflakes on monofilament line from a chandelier or pendant. Our foyer bell jar pendant is over the stair rail and so we often hang a kissing ball from it for the holidays.

Foyer bench display

Wrapped packages, or winter themed items like skates or old fashioned sleds embellished with greens make an excellent addition to a bench - just be sure to leave some space so it is still functional as a seat!

Mirror greenery

Most foyers include some sort of mirror - this is an opportunity to add a wreath on top of it, or a swag or garland of greens draped over the edges. Embellishments like ribbon, berries, pinecones, snowflakes, or fruit could be added to the greenery.

Christmas tree

If you have a generous enough foyer, of course a Christmas tree would be an instant holiday welcome! For the most finished look, display the tree in a container (sort of like an enormous potted plant!), or surround the base with poinsettias, or with packages in coordinated gift wrap. A Christmas tree nestled into the curve of a winding foyer staircase makes a spectacular holiday display!

this chippy painted paper mache drum is my favorite Christmas tree container!

Inside of the entry door

Add a swag or wreath to the inside of the door and perhaps some greenery over the door trim on the inside as well - that way you have a festive view as you or your guests are leaving as well as when they are arriving!

In terms of holiday decor, the one rule that I hold fast to is this: Your holiday decor should not clash with the color scheme of your room! Seasonal decor is STILL decor and as such should enhance the overall welcoming feeling of your home.

Red and green may be traditional Christmas colors, but fire engine red and kelly green do not play nicely in every color scheme. Oftentimes, other colors that are a better match for your room can add an unexpected fresh take on Christmas. If all else fails, a silver, gold, and white or ivory color scheme is easy to achieve and nearly always works!

Christmas decor can be found in all sorts of colors and levels of formality to suit whatever mood you want to project - playful, rustic, sophisticated, dramatic, elegant…what you choose and how you put it together makes all the difference.

The common denominator in nearly all Christmas decor is evergreens. Green is natures neutral and an assortment of evergreens works regardless of the color palette you choose.

This entry table we did for a commercial project has a playful feel. Bright multicolored nutcrackers in different sizes are arranged at different heights and paired with candy striped and sparkling conical trees and playful polka dotted ribbons. Different shaped apothecary jars full of color-coordinated candy reference the Palace of Sweets from the Nutcracker ballet and are a fun treat for guests passing through this foyer. The table is draped with faux greenery and snow crusted boughs and berries.

We did this entry for this updated Victorian bed and breakfast in pastels for a soft and elegant mood. The vintage chest was topped with stylized pastel trees and a nutcracker statue with gold and silver wrapped candy one year, and a trio of white deer the next. You can see the before and after of the whole inn Christmas decorating project HERE

The stairway was swagged with beautiful faux greens and pastel ribbons and pearl roping.

We decorated this entry for a Holiday House Tour fundraiser (pre-pandemic) to benefit a local museum in classic Christmas style befitting the house and the color scheme. The gorgeous antique farmhouse has delightful owners with a lovely collection of art and family pieces.

The foyer contained this bench and gorgeous staircase with an acorn newel post and graceful curving banister. We decorated the bench with wrapped packages in coordinating red, green, and gold plaid.

The banister was swagged in a garland fresh mixed greens with the end spiraling around the curving circle of balusters and generously spilling out onto the floor. We tucked in stems of faux twigs and berries judiciously, and added lights. Finally we added trailing ribbons and bows comprised of red, red plaid, and sheer gold 2” wired ribbon. We finished the space with lush red poinsettias - a Christmas classic.

I got a lovely note the next year from the homeowner saying her family had enjoyed the decor so much, they had duplicated much of it again! Click HERE for more pictures of the rest of the house!

My entry is tiny, the bane of my existence since it is barely possible to stand in it alongside a guest or two, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get decked out for the holidays! The stairs and light fixture and the inside of the door are pretty much the only available spaces, but they get the royal treatment.

No matter what size your foyer or entry is, it deserves a starring role in creating a holiday welcome to your home.

I hope this has provided some ideas and inspiration for your entry…now I’m off to work on my Christmas entry decor for the season!

JRL Interiors