An Unexpected (& Seemingly Counterintuitive) Foyer Trick to Make Your Home Feel Bigger

If you’ve been to many Frank Lloyd Wright houses, you’ll notice that a lot of them have a curious feature: a small, almost cramped entryway. This may seem odd, but it’s actually a really neat trick that turns entering a home into a powerful experience, and makes the rest of the house seem even more spacious by comparison. One way to achieve the same effect in your own home, without moving any walls around, is to paint your entryway in a deep, dark shade.

A dark entryway will not only make the rest of your home seem lighter and brighter by comparison, it’s also a great way to create a stylish first impression. And if you want to embrace dark, dramatic colors but are feeling a bit hesitant, the entryway is a great place to start.

Above: Hunter green, the color of the moment, graces an entry hall from The Brooklyn Home Company, via Desire to Inspire.

From Decor Dots, proof that a dark entryway can make the rest of your home seem much larger.

It’s not just the dark trim that makes this foyer spotted on Camille Styles dramatic, but it certainly helps.

Painting doors and frames in the same shade of grey enhances the effect of the dark color in this entryway from Style and Create.

A rustic stair hall from Planete Deco gets a little extra edge thanks to dark colors.

A beautifully dramatic stair hall from Lonny. The white floor provides a refreshing contrast.

A little bit of white ups the contrast in this dramatic entryway from Abigail Ahern.

A stylish little entryway from Decor Dots, where (almost) everything is grey.