15 Best Foyer Paint Colors For An Inviting Entrance

Traditional entryway with wood flooring, chandelier, beige paint and molding

The foyer isnโ€™t just the place where you drop the mail on your way in the door after a busy day. It is the first space that you or your guests see when they enter, the space that says welcome home. Since this space is often small and simply furnished, the best foyer paint color will dictate the mood and feel of the space and set the tone for the rest of your home. That doesnโ€™t mean that it has to match the rooms adjacent to it, attention to detail and some tips from a designer will help you decide what you want your home’s entryway to say about you. [toc]

Choosing Foyer Paint Colors

Foyer entryway with beige paint color white trim

The foyer is the lobby of the home that should give off a warm welcoming feeling that makes an impact on you and your guests to feel relaxed when coming inside the home.

As the homeโ€™s first point of impression, the foyer should also be a space that reflects and highlight the homeownerโ€™s personality. It is a place that welcomes anyone with soothing surroundings, glamour, and cozy vibes.

It is an entry space that creates an opportunity where anyone can settle down and offer a place where our energies coming from outside transition into a more contained energy when returning home. One of the keys to making all this possible is color.

Painting the foyer with something light neutral and fresh off-white shades will draw the eye to the walls making the space in between feel more expansive while adding a touch of warmth that reflects light beautifully.

A soft white paint color like China White by Benjamin Moore is a versatile shade that reflects natural light beautifully and offers an inviting and spacious feel to a foyer.

China White

Warm neutral shades will make the entryway feel welcoming with the perfect combination of gray and beige.

We recommend some of the best greige color collections:

  • by Sherwin Williams

Mindful Gray

Repose Gray

Accessible Beige

  • by Benjamin Moore

Revere Pewter HC -172

Revere Pewter

Edgecomb Gray HC 173

Edgecomb Gray HC- 173

Balboa Mist

  • by Behr

Stonewashed

Ashen Tan

Ashen Tan

Sculpter's clay

Sculptorโ€™s Clay

Creating an accent wall with bold colors in a foyer is a great way to make a statement and add drama while offering the feeling of coziness.

It can help define the space and serve as a preview of whatโ€™s to come in the rest of the house.

Brilliant blue 2065-30 Benjamin Moore
Brilliant blue 2065-30 Benjamin Moore

Some examples of splashy paint colors that will work well with foyers are Brilliant Blue by Benjamin Moore.This could be used for an accent wall paired with contrasting lighter neutral shades.

This color allows you to layer other bright accent colors from other accessories and furnishings while keeping the rest of the elements neutral for balance.

Newburg Green HC-158 by Benjamin Moore
Newburg Green HC-158 by Benjamin Moore

Another accent color is the Newburg Green by Benjamin Moore which is a perfect color to highlight other elements with shades of coral and olive green.

Antique pewter 1560 Benjamin Moore
Antique pewter 1560 Benjamin Moore

The Antique Pewter by Benjamin Moore pairs well with wood furnishings, and varying shades of silver accessories. Its gray hue has smooth undertones of olive that creates a cozy vibe for your entryway.

The use of dark color tones for your foyer can bring the mood down and eliminates a smooth transition between the outdoors and indoors.

However, if you want to embrace the dark dramatic colors the foyer is a great place to start. It can offer a powerful experience that can let you achieve the feeling of openness and a welcoming vibe as you enter the rest of the house appearing more spacious in contrast.

How to Brighten A Foyer

House entryway with beige paint and hardwood flooring with recessed sconce chandelier and pendant lights

Have Good Foyer Lighting

The light and dark of it. Have you ever seen a dark foyer? It isnโ€™t always the most welcoming. But that isnโ€™t the paint colors fault! It is the fault of adequate lighting. If you donโ€™t have any natural light, you want to make sure that your lighting is bright and welcoming.

Lighting is also an important factor to consider for your foyer since this is a place that needs to be bright and welcoming. A warm and gentle glow such as a soft white color LED light with a temperature range of 2,700K or a lightbulb with 500 and 1000 lumens is often the standard choice for foyer lighting.

Chandeliers, pendant lights, and ceiling lights are some of the best foyer lighting ideas that add stylish aesthetics to the entryway. Make sure you consider the width, height, and hanging height when choosing these types of foyer lights. It is also important to be aware of the type of connection required as well as considering the color, and its style.

An overhead light might not provide enough light so consider wall sconces or tall, slim table lamps to provide enough light to check your lipstick in the mirror or easily see which pair of shoes is yours as you rush out the door in the morning. Now that you have good lighting, we can talk paint color.

Mediterranean entryway with griege paint and dark wood floors

Enhance Neutral Foyer Colors

We so often seen light, soft neutrals in foyers, and with good reason. They are easy to work with and are often what was already there so we just live with it, leaving the foyer as an afterthought, once we finish redecorating the kitchen or living room. Donโ€™t just leave the builder-grade paint on the wall.

Give your neutral some life! A gorgeous, light grey, or greige (grey and beige combined) like the low clouds of a romantic winter snow, makes your foyer look light and fresh and pairs well with both light and dark furniture.

Home entryway with gray paint, white door, wood floor and brick walls

For more drama, use a deeper grey, like the dark clouds of a summer thunderstorm. It is still a neutral but gives your space a little bit more depth and a sophisticated edge. For those matching wall color with wood floors the best shade will depend on the type of wood and its color.

Tomato red entryway with wood floors and white coat rack bench

Adding Bold Colors to the Foyer Design

If you just love color, donโ€™t be afraid to go with a bold pop of it in your foyer. A spicy tomato red, summery coral, or rich, peacock blue are all great colors for your foyer.

These colors might be a bit much if you put them in a larger space, but in a small foyer, they provide the perfect amount of punch and personality. Have a little bit of fun with this small space and breathe new life into it with an unexpected hit of color.

These bright colors play well with any dรฉcor as they transition you from the hectic outside world into the warmth and comfort of your home.

Luxury foyer entry with dual staircase metal front doors and brown paint

Dark Foyer Ideas

Think neutrals are boring but arenโ€™t really a fan of bright colors?

A dark color in your foyer allows your mirrors and lighting to sparkle and can make your space appear larger because the walls will appear to recede. If you want something truly unique, that makes a statement, go dark.

Dark brown, like melted chocolate, or the rich purple of a ripe eggplant, so dark it is almost black. Deep, rich, edgy, modern but timeless, not trendy but always current.

This entry foyer with dual staircase design features a dark wrought iron railing with lighter stained wood steps for contrast.

These colors really bring home the ideas of warmth, safety, and comfort. Be sure to test swatches on the wall so that the colors donโ€™t look muddy or dull. And as always, lighting is of the utmost importance so the space doesnโ€™t look like a dungeon.

An oversized mirror on the wall opposite the door or a mirrored occasional table really brings the drama home and helps bounce light around the room.

Home entryway with mocha brown paint color walls and wood floors

Take it from the designers, donโ€™t overlook your foyer, good design extends to all the rooms of your home!

Donโ€™t accept that oatmeal builders-grade paint, go for the luxury of dark, rich colors, the exciting pop of bright color, or the peaceful neutrals to create a beautiful transition from the outside world to your home.

Want more ideas? Visit this gallery for even more foyer ideas including a variety of paint colors and design styles.

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2 Comments

  1. Hello. I visited your page and absolutely love the color of the first room featured on your “best foyer paint colors” page. Would you be able to tell me what paint color that is and who makes it? Thanks in advance!

    1. This picture is a little hard to color match since the reflection on the walls. However, it looks similar to Glidden Hush PPG1004-3 or Stone Harbor Griege 10YY 48/071.

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