Entryway Wall Art
An entryway is a wall you walk past, not one you sit and look at, and that changes what works on it. There is rarely much light, almost never much space, and whatever hangs there gets seen for about three seconds at a time. Art that rewards a long stare is wasted here. Art with one clear shape, read from six feet away in a hurry, is not.
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About entryway wall art
Maps are the reliable answer. A city map says where you are from or where you have been without a caption, and the shape does the work before anyone reads a street name. A world map does the same job on a bigger wall. Both hold up in the low, side-on light most hallways get, because the design is line and block rather than fine tonal shading that muddies in shadow.
Scale is where entryways go wrong most often. A narrow hall wall takes a single 11x14 or 16x20 better than a cluster of small frames, which reads as clutter in a space people move through. If the wall is wide (behind a console table, or opposite the door), one 16x20 or a pair at the same size beats a stepped gallery arrangement. Hang the centre at eye level for someone standing, not sitting, which is usually a few inches higher than you would hang art in a living room.
Frames near a door take knocks, so a simple black or dark wood frame with glass survives better than an open-face or clip frame. Everything in this collection is free to download and print, and the printed versions ship free in the US if you would rather not deal with a print shop.
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Common questions
What size art works in an entryway?
One 11x14 or 16x20 is usually right. Entryways are narrow and people move through them, so a single clear piece reads better than a cluster of small frames, which looks like clutter at walking speed. If the wall is wide enough for two, hang them at matching sizes rather than stepping them.
How high should I hang art in a hallway?
Centre the piece at about 60 to 63 inches from the floor, which is eye level for someone standing. That is a few inches higher than you would hang the same print in a living room, where people are usually seated. If it is going above a console table, leave 6 to 8 inches between the table top and the bottom of the frame.
Why do maps work so well by the front door?
They read instantly. The outline of a city or a coastline registers before anyone processes a single word, which suits a wall people pass in a few seconds. They are also personal without being a photograph, so they say something about the house without putting your family on display in the first room a guest walks into.