Christmas Entryway Ideas — 14 Ways to Create an Instantaneous Festive Feel

Your entryway is the first thing your guests will see when they step through the door and, as we all know, first impressions count, especially when welcoming visitors for Christmas.

It sets the tone for the rest of your home, not just for your guests but for your family too, so be sure to lavish it with festive Christmas entryway ideas. From a wreath on the front door to decorating your stairs and entryway table, there are plenty of creative ways to make over this space for the holidays.

Feeling festive? Get more stylish Christmas decorating ideas from experts below to dress up an entryway.

1. Welcome Your Guests With Stacks of Presents

Pretty piles of wrapped presents always conjure the festive spirit and make a great styling hack for your Christmas entryway. Beautiful wrapping paper and bows are an easy way to pretty up the space and set the tone for the rest of the home.

Stack them on and around a bench or stool, on the floor, on the stairs, or underneath a Christmas tree for a cozy, seasonal vibe. And, of course, these don't have to be real presents... Simply wrap empty cardboard boxes to get the look.

2. Introduce a Christmas Tree

Is there a more inviting way to welcome guests than with a twinkling Christmas tree? We think not.

And Sue Jones, from design brand OKA, agrees. "While Christmas trees are often reserved for the living room, adding one to the hallway can feel truly magical," she says. "It’s a delightful surprise for guests as they arrive and doesn’t need to be overly elaborate — just a few twinkling white lights wrapped around the branches can create a beautifully understated look."

3. Pop a Smaller Christmas Tree on a Console Table

If you don't feel you have valuable floor space to spare, why not take inspiration from the chic Christmas entryway above and place one on a console table?

As entryway table decor, a Christmas tree table-topper is a brilliant way to make a big impact with minimal space.

Jenna Kincaid, Creative Director at Lulu and Georgia, wants you to steal their style, saying: "At the holidays, we tend to believe 'more is more'," she says. "Instead of the typical florals we would use on an entryway table, we used a small potted Christmas tree to add holiday spirit the moment you walk in the door. We skipped the lights but opted for bows and ornaments in a subdued, yet festive color scheme to keep everything feeling polished."

4. Use Baubles to Dress the Space

A simple way to make your entryway feel more Christmassy is to accessorize your console table with baubles.

All you have to do? Take a leaf out of McGee & Co's Christmas styling book and pop them in a bowl on your dresser or console.

Pair with tapered candles, and a set of Christmas micro trees for a look that's on trend and upscale. “The entryway is the first impression of your home, and at Christmas, it’s a wonderful opportunity to create a warm and inviting festive welcome," says OKA's Sue Jones.

"I always recommend incorporating a console table or sideboard here, as it offers the perfect surface for seasonal displays," she adds. "Arrange vases filled with festive foliage - eucalyptus, pine, or berries are ideal - or group baubles in a decorative bowl alongside candles of varying heights for a touch of seasonal elegance."

5. Adorn Doorways with a Lavish Garland

How just deliciously festive and inviting is this entryway? Honestly, we think you can never have enough garlands at Christmas, they add an instant festive feel to any room and, unlike a tree, they take up zero square footage so are perfect for smaller spaces like hallways. "Often, the holidays are a time to welcome guests into your home," says designer Marie Flanigan.

"To make a house feel holiday-ready, I love including décor at the home’s threshold. A beautiful, natural wreath and garland around the doorway always make an inviting statement."

While the classic use is to wrap them around the banisters, we'd also drape them around every door frame too. Just imagine walking through your front door and being guided into each room with an abundance of wintering foliage. And, whether you opt for real or fake, add in some subtle lights too because they'll look beautiful of an evening or dark wintery morning, twinkling around every door.

And another tip to take from this lovely space – candles, cover every surface with them to add to that lovely soft glow. Vintage candle holders that can easily be sourced from online marketplaces (try Etsy) and look fabulous with twisted taper candles in an array of festive colors.

6. Make Kitsch Elegant with Paper and Foil Decorations

Paper decorations have been such a Christmas trend the last few years and we just love that slightly kitsch, vintage, nostalgic feel they give to a room. But, as this Christmas entryway idea, proves they can be both retro and elegant. For a lovely traditional, but chic, festive look string paper garlands along dado rails and picture rails, adding a collection of baubles and ribbon at every loop.

For a super quick Christmassy update, pinch the idea of hanging tealights from any mirrors you might have in your hallway to add a magical glow. And hang extra baubles from any light fixtures, as Marie advises: "Don’t forget to look up! Sometimes the most magical decorations, like snowflakes, wreaths, bells, and mistletoe, are hung from chandeliers, light fixtures, or doorways. Holiday entryway décor can feel magical.

"Create a winter wonderland by hanging a cluster of ornaments or snowflakes from the hallway’s light fixture. Further, you can always add wreaths or decorate the doorways that face the hall."

7. Fill the Ceiling with Paper Stars

So simple and yet so effective, hanging decorations from the ceiling has a magical effect that's perfect for a hallway as you get that instant wow factor the second you walk through the door.

If you don't trust your DIY skills, you can find really similar decorations on Etsy or buy a kit with all you need from Trouva. Or spend a lovely festive afternoon with a mug of mulled wine creating your own, get the family involved too, and don't worry about them being too neat either because you can always fall back on that homespun charm vibe.

And for this look really go all out, as Jonathan Adler says: "Nothing’s sadder than a wan display of “festivity” during the holidays. You know that famous quote from Chanel about looking in the mirror and taking one thing off before leaving the house? Ignore it! If you can’t go all-out for the holidays then when can you? Think of your home like an outfit your eccentric, rich aunt might wear and layer, layer, layer." So fill that ceiling!

8. Or Float a Collection of Paper Baubles 

For an equally show-stopping look, suspend large honeycomb baubles from your entryway ceiling in different sizes and varying heights.

There are so many colors available in these decorations too, and this is a look that will suit all styles – stick with simple white for a more minimalist look and go for a rainbow of colors if you are embracing maximalism this Christmas.

We personally can't resist the deep red, so festive and reminiscent of juicy winter berries. It's fun and bold and just so darn Christmassy we're for sure pinching the idea for the holidays.

9. Take a Minimalist Approach with Rustic Wreaths

If you like a more minimalist, rustic vibe create a simple display by hanging a group of wreaths from the stairs or a bare wall. It's a lovely way to add in some greenery and could be a nice Christmas craft to fill a cold afternoon.

Look closely at the pretty scene above and you'll see the 'wreaths' are in fact embroidery hoops, that have been covered in ferns – a really easy look to create from things you might already have around the house or could easily find second hand.

"I personally love natural accessories and decorations. Repurpose Christmas tree clippings - foliage throughout the home creates a big impact at a low cost, and the smell of pine is so nostalgic!" says paint and color expert Annie Sloan. "You can create bespoke decorations from found objects foraged for on a bracing December walk with your family. Start with a beautiful twig and gild the edges - or all over for more drama - using my Gilding Waxes. Combine with some ivy or glossy holly - adding a touch of paint to the leaves if so desired. Essentially free, wholesome and perfectly tailored to your space."

10. Fill Small Spaces with Vases of Winter Foliage

Another simple Christmas entryway idea that you can pull together with the bit you probably already have in your house or garden. If you're squeezed for space but still want some festive fills in your hallway, fill any surfaces with lovely bunches of foliage.

Spruce, fir, ivy and red berries are perfect for creating a classically Christmas look but, if you are after something a bit different this year, Sue Barnes, Founder and Creative Director at Lavender Green Flowers recommends using hydrangeas as a nice alternative. "Cut hydrangeas from your garden and dry now," she says. "This is easily done by cutting each bloom on as long a stem as possible, placing it in a vase filled with water, and allowing the water to evaporate over time. The hydrangea heads retain a lot of their color or they can be sprayed with a metallic paint and added to the tree, into garlands, or simply left in the vases. The faded hydrangea colors are gorgeous.

"Vases of cut foliage with berries such as holly, ivy or eucalyptus look, and smell amazing. And nothing beats a bowl full of hyacinth or paper whites for beauty and fragrance. Planning ahead will allow these to flower at exactly the right time. Cyclamen can be planted in your favorite blue and white china for a gorgeous, seasonal addition."

Take home tip: the bigger the better when it comes to festive foliage, don't cut it all down to fit neatly in a vase, you want it to look a bit wild, think branches rather than twigs and whole tendrils of ivy rather than just a few leaves.

11. Go Asymmetrical 

Be inspired by this minimalist look and rather than take the garland all the way around the frame, create a more contemporary, asymmetrical look by hanging it down just one side. It feels a bit less curated than going all way round, more rustic and natural. And we love the look of the simple pillar candle in a plain hurricane vase, creating a warm welcome in the chicest of ways.

As designer Sara Cosgrove says: "When it comes to the entrance hall at Christmas time, you want it to be impactful and inviting. This can be done with garlands, fresh will always give an extra punch of that gorgeous smell of pine that we associate with this time of year. A scented Christmas candle is always good as an entrance hall element as it welcomes people and creates a seasonal vibe."

Designer, Abigail Ahern takes a similar approach when decorating her hallway for Christmas. "For me as soon as I turn the key in the door I want to feel like I’m transported to a magical world. As the entryway is a transitional area that you don’t tend to linger in for very long why not up the drama? An oversized vase filled with seasonal botanicals, lots of little votives with flickering candlelight, and a rustic bowl filled with pinecones that I scent with my fave Christmassy essential oil so that it feels and smells like I’m passing through a forest of pine trees."

12. Bring in an Alternative Christmas Tree

While only the luckiest among us can bring a full sized spruce into their hallway, for the rest of us, there are some fabulous alternative Christmas tree ideas that can bring all the magic of a real tree but just take up a lot less space.

The simple, rustic candelabra used in this hallway adds that classic Christmas tree outline and perfectly suits the more minimalist Scandi aesthetic.

13. Create a nature-inspired Scandi feel

So maybe you can't fit in a 12 footer in your hallway but instead, squeeze in a small potted Christmas tree. We love this very natural Scandi look, the bare tree, the wicker baskets, the birch logs, and the simple garland, and those blue ribbons? Who knew blue could look so festive but this is definitely a Christmas staircase idea we'll be trying out this year.

14. Cover a Stair Rail in Eye-Catching Decorations

And, of course, when it comes to decorating an entryway at Christmas, the banister is prime real estate. And while we know everyone loves a classic garland, dripping in berries and evergreen, we couldn't resist this funky alternative used in the home of interior stylist Marianne Cotterill.

Strung over the stair rail are beautiful Indian wedding decorations. "I brought tons and tons of wedding decorations back from India," says Marianne, adding: "They’re joyous and colorful and make me want to party." Very much agreed.