Every Monday, I'm sharing Small Home Style ideas and design solutions, to incorporate into your home. When you're a small home dweller it's easy to get envious of home that an actual entryway or a grand foyer for guests to land before entering your home. Often times when you have a small home your front door opens directly into your living room, or your home may have narrow hallway that's your entryway. Both entries into your home can make you wonder is it possible to squeeze an entryway into your space.

However, no entryway is no problem! There are several ways to carve out a small entryway in your living room. Today, I'm sharing 6 Big Impact Entryway Ideas for the Small Home Style series.

ONE. Shelf + Artwork. In narrow entryway, its a great idea to add a shelf + artwork above to creating a landing zone. The should be wide enough to hold a vase and flowers along with a small bowl to toss keys into, but now wide enough that it feels awkward passing by.

TWO. Go Vertical. Use the area next to your front door and go vertical, with multiple shelves or bookcase. By using the entire wall as you entryway, it can triple your storage space, making for a tidy entry. A perfect spot to store blankets, hold books, magazines, objects and photos. Think of all the fun styling possibilities.

THREE. Narrow Console Table + Pattern. A stylish console table is perfect spot to create a nice welcome for your guests. When looking for a console table, choose one that's narrow and has extra storage, a 'leggy' console table will help make a small space feel more open vs. using a large heavy feeling piece. To help define your console table in a small space consider having fun with pattern 1. Go blog with wallpaper or a large stencil 2. hand large colorful artwork above. The console table + pattern is a classic, never go out of style look.

FOUR. Create a Landing Zone. Having an entryway that feels purposeful and is a great addition to small spaces and don't need much wall space to integrate into your space. To creating a landing zone entryway, use three key ingredients to make it feel stylish & cohesive with your home: fun hooks, artwork, spot for shoes & a spot for umbrellas.

FIVE: Go Clear. I love the idea of using a clear console table to create an entryway. CB2 makes a great acrylic console table, that is perfect for small spaces. Acrylic console tables take up almost no visible space, and can be perfect to store books under or a cute bench. Bonus, they can also easily double as a desk, if you need to squeeze in work zone into your living room.

SIX. Hooks + Bench. Sometimes less is room, when incorporating a small entry into your home. Sometimes all you need are pretty hooks and small bench to create a small landing for you and your guests. If your tight on space and love the look of benches, start searching on CL and Thrift Stores for small benches or for a piano bench. Target has also been an amazing source for small benches lately in their Threshold Line. Aonus about a simple bench, they can easily be updated in fabulous fabric.

I hope you liked my 6 ideas for adding an entryway in your small home that creates big impact. Does your home have a bonafide entryway? If yes, How did you style? Have you created an entryway in your home?

Social Media friends, use the hastag #SmallHomeStyle to share your small home design ideas!

Hello Friends, I have fun news! I'm starting a new design series on my blog all about small space design, simply titled: Small Home Style. After getting so much fantastic feedback from my first ever blog survey and hearing that the majority of you my dear readers were interested in small space design ideas & solutions, the series was born. Every Monday, I'll share small space design ideas & solutions to incorporate into your home. Being a small home dweller myself, I know first hand that small home dwelling can be a challenging but also rewarding in so many ways. Along with sharing design ideas, I'm also sharing how my family of four lives in 1100 sq feet, and all the things about small space living I love, and have learned along the way and am learning.

In addition, if there's a small space in your home your having trouble whipping into shape, feel free to send me and email and I can help you tackle your space send emails to Hello@chiclittlehouse.com for design dilemmas.

Now for today's post: 9 Ideas to Maximize a Small Dining Small & Give it Style. My dining room is by no means large, in fact I'd label it very small. Our dining room isn't even its own room, its an eat in kitchen type dining room some would even refer to the size as a breakfast nook. However, even with its small size we can comfortably seat 8 and even have room for a bar cart and our dining room doesn't feel cluttered or cram packed. And honestly, that fact that my little dining room can seat eight is a dream come true, the beauty is all in the laout and design I choose to maximize my dining room to its full potential!

As I mentioned, my dining room is an eat-in style dining room and has three 'points of entry & exit,' from the living room, kitchen and into the mudroom, with all ways to enter our dining room, I had to make sure I utilized in the best way. To maximize our small dining room, we have a banquette that seats 3, opted for an oval dining table with pedestal. I bought a vintage table on Craigslist and refinished it glossy white, the white table helps our small space feel 'light and airy' since white is reflective. To create a focal wall in our dining room and draw eyes up and out, I used 6 18x20 frames hung in grid style on the wall, each frame has B&W family photos. I love how stylish and inviting my small dining room is!

ONE. Dining Room Table Selection: When choosing a dining room table, consider the shape of the room. For long narrow rooms, opt for either and oval or narrow rectangle table instead a round table. Rectangle & oval tables will take up less space for place chairs around the table. If you dining room is square, a round table is perfect to breakup all the boxiness of the room.
TWO. Banquette Seating: Banquette Seating is a ideal in small spaces! You can opt for either a built-in banquette seating, that goes from wall to wall or corner seating depending on the layout of your dining room. This can be a fun DIY project, if you use upper cabinets for the base, it will give you additional storage. Corner style banquette seating looks amazing in eat in kitchens, where the dining room and kitchen 'but-in' to each other. For example in the kitchen / dining room below. Another option for banquette seating is a free standing using a new of vintage settee.

Banquette seating looks best, looks amazing filled with an array pillows. Mix and Match pillow sizes and colors to add visual interest.

THREE. Mix up Chair Styles: Skip heavy upholstered chairs like parsons chairs (I've had them in the past and they're way too bulky for small dining rooms) Instead, mix up your chairs with mixture of chair styles formal & non-formal.
FOUR. Create a gallery wall. Cover your walls with a mixture of personal photos and original artwork.
FIVE. Hang a Picture ledge and layer in photos and artwork. In the dining room below, there's a mixture of artwork on the walls and picture ledge above. Hanging artwork high, draws your eyes up and out.

SIX: Storage options: When it comes to storage in a small dining room, think clear open storage. Bar carts provide excellent storage and double duty in small spaces!
SEVEN: Upgrade Lighting: Choose statement lighting, that will be a showstopper in small dining room.

EIGHT: Go Bold with Pattern: Small spaces can handle big pattern, consider wallpapering your walls in a bold fun colorful print!
NINE. High & Wide: Hanging drapes in your dining room high and wide, will help your windows look larger and ceilings taller. My eight foot ceilings in my home feel taller, because my drapes are hung high.

Remember a small dining room, doesn't mean it still can't be stylish, with the design tips I've outlined you can transform a basic dull small dining room into a 'wow' space.

In what ways have you maximized your small dining room and given it style?