In the past, we’ve taken a look at lighting for living rooms, kitchens, home offices and children’s rooms. Over the next few weeks, we’ll help you cast the rest of your house in its best light, beginning with entryways. Whether you have a roomy front porch leading into a spacious grand foyer, or a simple stoop leading into a corner of the front room where you’ve stashed a coat rack, your front entry creates your home’s first impression. The right lighting can help to ensure that that impression is a good one.

Outside: After dark, no matter how large or small your front entrance and the path leading up to it, safety is the first concern. Light any potential obstacles and provide enough light to make visitors feel secure as they approach your home (and to ward off those whose interest in your home is less than savory). Use eye-catching light fixtures to help guide visitors to your front door, and make sure your house number is well-lit. These steps will go a long way toward making guests feel welcome before they even set foot inside your home.

Illusion: Inside, use the lighting tricks we’ve discussed in previous posts to your full advantage to set the tone you would like visitors to carry with them throughout your home. If you feel your grand foyer is too spacious and daunting to new visitors, dimming the lights and directing lighting toward the floor will make the space feel smaller and more intimate.

By contrast, directing lighting upwards to fill in the space near the ceiling can help a cramped entrance feel more spacious and airy. Hanging mirrors can also expand the space, as well as reflecting daylight or ambient light from the adjacent room to make the area feel more open. If the front door opens directly into the front room, create the illusion of an entryway by setting the afore-mentioned coat rack near the door and placing an entry table nearby to help define the area, or cordon it off with glass blocks or a transluscent screen that sections off the area wile allowing light to shine through. In small entrances with stairways, a lighted painting along the stairs or an illuminated plant or sculpture on the landing can lend the space a touch of grandeur.

Ambient and Accent Lighting: Don’t rely on your overhead light or chandelier alone to light the space. Greeting night visitors with plenty of warm ambient light not only helps to set a welcoming tone; it also casts you in a flattering light as you greet your guests. Wall sconces are a good source of ambient fill light. Opaque sconces are best - they cast light upward to soften shadows and don’t draw too much attention to the light source like transluscent sconces can. Layer them with a dimmed chandelier and a hidden accent light directed at a painting or sculpture to create a grand entrance that is both welcoming and impressive.

Finally, don’t neglect daylight. If your entry lacks windows, consider installing a skylight if you have the resources. Otherwise, mirrors or mirrored surfaces, as mentioned above, can draw in daylight from the adjoining room.