Entryway Lighting: The First Thing Anyone Sees
The entryway is the quickest room to cross and the most closely looked at. Entryway lighting has two jobs that pull slightly against each other: enough light to find your keys and read a label, and enough presence to set the tone for the rest of the house. That is why more decorative fixtures are welcome here than elsewhere.
Everything depends on available height. Under a standard ceiling, stay with a flush mount that clears the front door and any closet door. If the entry opens onto a stairwell or a double-height volume, the opposite applies: it is the place for a long pendant, positioned to read well from the ground floor and from the landing above.
One practical detail often missed: if a mirror hangs near the door, avoid a single overhead source, which lights the top of the head. See our ceiling lights and our pendant lights.
