Home Decor Designs

Living, Dining & Entrance

The common areas of the home such as the hall, living and dining room link together your décor theme. This is where you welcome and entertain guests, showing the first glimpse of the interior design of your home.

Here I share my favourite tips, trends and products to create a beautiful yet warm and welcoming home.

Optimise the Entrance & Foyer

The entrance to your home is rarely a space that home owners first think of when redecorating. It can be a narrow hallway, a small space that opens into the living area or grand space with a staircase to the next storey.

Hallways can feel small and dark so it’s especially important to make entrance hallways feel light, bright and inviting with some clever styling.


Look at the barebones of your entrance or hallway. Is it narrow and tall? Emphasise height with eye catching light fittings, a ceiling rose or intricate cornicing. If the hallway or entrance feels small or dark use light coloured paint and a generous sized mirror to bounce light around the space, making it feel larger.

Entry hallway ideas mirror
Entry hallway ideas; mirrors to make hallways feels larger and brighter.
Image credit : Amazon


Next, look at what tends to clutter up the space. Does your entrance tends to collect shoes, Coles shopping bags and random items that need to be taken with you next time you leave the house? Tailor the design so it works for you and your family.

There are many space saving, organizational hacks that create a practical and stylish space. Entry tables can be beautiful as well as functional. Side table buffets suit narrow hallway entrances, choose a design that has cupboards or drawers to stash keys and bags.

Storage cubes that slide into open cabinets are great for putting away shoes, especially when there are kids in the house. For more organisational ideas, take a look at 100 Easy Home Office Decorating Tips to Improve Organisation, Productivity and Design and Inspiring Entry Foyer Ideas to Create an Inviting Home.

Entry hallway ideas storage
Rustic open style entrance storage : Amazon
Entry hallway ideas table
Stylish glass & gold side tables for narrow hallways
Entry hallway ideas storage seat
Storage seat with practical pull out wicker boxes

Living & Dining Decor Tips

Many of us are spending more time at home with the living and dining areas becoming a blur between home-office and relaxation space.

If your living and dining rooms have become multipurpose then lighting is especially important. There are three types of lighting; task, ambient and accent. Using these effectively sets the mood which, at times, will be relaxing to help you unwind but when working from home, the lighting can be brighter for stimulating focus and concentration.

Living Room Lighting; How to get the Placement Right describes the three types of lighting and how to use them effectively in your home.

A couple of the biggest trends in 2021 for home décor themes are mid-century modern and Spanish Colonial interior design. Mid century modern décor is uncluttered and features gentle curves seen in art and furniture from the 1930s- 1960s. The Spanish Colonial trend transports you to warm exotic far away places. Think rustic earthy tones and natural materials.


This lighting fixture is one of my favourites for adding a touch of mid-century modern to a living or dining room. It’s simple yet makes a bold statement.

Updating your living areas doesn’t have to be expensive. Create your own custom wall art that perfectly matches your colour scheme. Rather than replacing furniture, add texture and colour with soft furnishings like decorative throws and cushions.

Another very affordable way to update your living or dining room is adding greenery. Plants can transform a space from stark, emotionless, display home vibes to relaxing, exotic feeling spaces that guests won’t want to leave.

Add clusters of trailing devils ivy grown in jars of water for a super low maintenance touch of green. These can be easily propagated by placing cut offs into a new jars or vases.

Cheap ways to update your living room_Artificial Plants
Decorate with artificial plants for the lowest of low maintenance greenery : Amazon

The common areas in your home should reflect your unique taste and personality. If you’re struggling to find a theme or colour pallet for your space start by finding a single piece of artwork or statement light fixture that you feel drawn to and use that as the starting point.

For more on living room décor check out Cheap Ways to Update Your Living Room, Living Room Lighting, How to get the Placement Right and Are Chandeliers Old Fashioned?