What makes a welcoming entrance in new construction, where the architecture is set but finishes are still open? Here’s how Decorilla shaped this home’s entry spaces for South African clients relocating to the States, designing both the front porch and foyer for the perfect arrival experience.
The Challenge: Welcoming Entrance, Porch, and Powder Room
The clients contacted Decorilla from South Africa, looking for expert interior design while their new home was still under construction in Aiken. They faced tight deadlines for selecting materials and finishes before moving in the summer. The architectural plans also kept changing during early coordination. Thus, they needed a designer familiar with new construction who could work remotely and incorporate furnishings and art from their current residence while also addressing:
- Entry hall and foyer with a masculine feel and some bold material choices
- Space to showcase existing art, including Thandazani Ndlovu’s two-face piece
- Visual connection to the formal office next door
- Covered outdoor entry design with a porch swing
- Exterior material suggestions where they affect the entrance experience
- Small powder room space added near the main entry during plan revisions; chance to make a statement with distinct materials or finishes
Pro Tip: Trying to find the right look for designing your own welcoming entrance and porch? Try our Free Interior Design Style Quiz to discover your ideal style today!
Design Inspiration: Welcoming Entry & Front Porch Design
The clients collected inspirational design examples that used height and material contrast to mark the transition from outside to inside. A welcoming entrance in their research was something built into the architecture, from the ceiling’s volume to the way stone or wood anchored the threshold. They also noticed how certain foyers made one aware of moving through distinct zones in an open floor plan. In all these cases, thoughtful entryway decor allowed guests to understand the home’s character.
Front porch design involved different considerations, but the same level of intensity. Meanwhile, the powder room examples came into focus because small dimensions justified bold material choices. Some images displayed compact guest bathrooms using statement stone or detailed wood that would remain in the background of a larger space. Vertical slats with backlit panels worked well in tight footprints, enough to register but not overwhelm.
Initial Concepts: Finding the Right Designer
Decorilla assigned two designers familiar with new construction sequencing and home office planning. Kamila A. and Wanda P. each developed concepts that handled the office and laundry through distinct material approaches. The clients reviewed both proposals and selected Wanda to continue through the later phases. She moved forward as the sole designer for the house interior.
The welcoming entry required thoughtful material decisions. Wanda selected a tiered black chandelier and incorporated the clients’ existing antique chairs into the entry arrangement. White oak flooring ran in a straight lay pattern. The proposal also featured pedestals for sculptural objects to add vertical interest. Paint selections used Farrow & Ball All White as the primary wall color.
The powder room proposal followed a similar neutral palette with opportunities for textured stone or detailed millwork in the compact space. The front porch design, on the other hand, was built around cypress beams and painted brick in High Reflective White. This moodboard also incorporated the seating the clients had requested and electric wall sconces flanking the entry door. A standing metal roof in matte black covered the porch structure. White porcelain tile formed the flooring base with a jute rug layered over it for texture.
The clients’ first feedback confirmed that Wanda understood their vision. They moved forward into implementation, upgrading the initial concepts along the way.
Modern New Construction Interior Design Series
This complex interior design project was developed through sequential phases as the new construction progressed. Each stage targeted a different spatial zone. To see the rest of the home, check out these story episodes:
- Before & After: Modern New Construction Interior Design – The Heart of the Home
- Before & After: Modern New Construction – Luxurious Master Suite
- Before & After: Modern New Construction – Creating a Productive Home
- Before & After: Modern New Construction – Cool Kids’ Rooms
Results Revealed: Welcoming Entrance Area for a New Build
Scale and material contrast play key roles in the final design. The floor plan opens sightlines from the front door through to the rear windows and adjacent rooms. White oak flooring anchors the horizontal plane while black metal framing articulates transitions between zones. Meanwhile, the two-story ceiling volume of the welcoming entry establishes immediate vertical presence.
Welcoming Entry
Metal-framed glass partitions separate the office without blocking visual flow. Wood beams cap doorway thresholds at ceiling height, marking passages between spaces. The tiered chandelier hangs centered in the double-height volume and provides both necessary illumination and a visual accent. These decisions create layered views that extend perceived depth beyond the foyer’s actual square footage.
The Ndlovu artwork commands the main wall at eye level, flanked by the clients’ antique chairs. This arrangement satisfies the brief’s request for a statement entry and simultaneously maintains the neutral palette cohesive with the rest of the home. Moreover, art placement follows a gallery logic that distributes the clients’ collection across multiple walls. Additional works appear on perpendicular surfaces visible from the foyer—colorful abstracts, sculptural masks. Each piece belongs, yet occupies its own territory.
Welcoming entry furniture selection addresses the brief’s functional requirements through pieces that scale appropriately to the room’s volume. The stacked console table with its sculptural presence acts as an artwork itself, while the carved frames and patterned upholstery of the antique chairs add contrast and introduce texture against plain walls.
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Transforming Challenges into Creative Solutions
The adjacent office presented a sightline problem that metal-framed glazing solved. Glass partitions now maintain a visual connection while defining separate functions. The clients also wanted drama in a neutral entry, which the design addresses through contrast and volume. In addition, existing antique chairs are seamlessly integrated into a modern farmhouse aesthetic, positioned where they read as collected pieces rather than style conflicts.
Powder Room at the House Entrance Hall
Powder room design maximizes material impact within the compact footprint. The brief identified this space as an opportunity for a subtle statement near the welcoming entry. Horizontal grasscloth wallcovering wraps walls and ceiling in continuous striation, its neutral palette connecting to the adjacent foyer’s restrained color scheme. An arched mirror above the vanity introduces geometric contrast against the linear wall pattern.
In the absence of color variation, the material palette concentrates on surface texture. Wallcovering provides visual interest across vertical planes. White marble forms the floating vanity counter, which appears suspended against the textured backdrop. A circular vessel sink reminiscent of wood bark adds dimensional relief at the fixture level. Black hardware meanwhile punctuates the neutral scheme at functional touchpoints, from faucet to towel rings. Wood flooring grounds the space in a slightly warmer tone, establishing vertical hierarchy through material shift.
Scale decisions also respond to the room’s tight dimensions. The floating vanity leaves floor area visible, which extends perceived space downward. Triple pendant lights drop from above on thin cords, drawing the eye upward and reinforcing the tension. The illuminated divider elegantly zones out the toilet area. These proportional choices prevent the small footprint from feeling compressed.
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Half Bath Interior
The second half bath design shifts storage strategy from open shelving to built-in cabinetry that occupies the feature wall. Three open shelves in pale wood provide vertical storage for towels and decorative objects. A single closed cabinet sits below the shelving at floor level, concealing less attractive necessities. The shelves recess into the wall plane, which preserves floor area in the narrow room.
Framed artwork hangs adjacent to the shelving unit, connecting the powder room to the art-forward entry design. The niches also create spatial depth that flat walls wouldn’t offer in the compact footprint.
The textured wallcovering returns in this powder room, as well as the stone floating vanity counter. This time, it’s in the form of a single rectangular sink. Black hardware and mirror frames provide the sole color contrast against the neutral palette. The clustered pendant fixture positions multiple glass globes at staggered heights, creating a sculptural effect that adds character to the space.
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Front Porch Design
The front porch design manages the clients’ request for covered outdoor seating through a substantial timber structure. Black metal roofing caps the frame with a tall entry-foyer area in its centre, contrasting with the natural wood tone below. This structural system creates shaded zones deep enough for furniture groupings.
Heavy posts and angled braces support extended roof overhangs that shelter multiple porch zones. Concrete paving extends from the walkway onto the entrance and lounging area, establishing continuity between approach and arrival. The overhang depth also protects seating from the weather while maintaining a connection to the landscape.
Lounge chairs and side tables are appropriately scaled to the covered zones. Wall-mounted sconces flank the setup and provide illumination after dark, so that the porch can function as a cozy outdoor room.
Material choices reinforce the modern farmhouse direction established in the moodboard. White painted brick underlines the exterior walls. Dark vertical siding panels juxtapose them, adding tonal variation to the facade. The timber posts and beams read as a raw element with their exposed grain and natural color.
Landscaping integrates with the porch design through layered plantings at grade level. Evergreen shrubs anchor the corners where posts meet pavement. Perennials and grasses fill beds between the porch edge and lawn. Taller specimens in planters add vertical interest near seating areas. The planting strategy softens the architectural lines, also maintaining clear separation between hardscape and planted zones.
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Design Details: Sourcing the Perfect Pieces
Decorilla’s 3D renderings let the clients review finishes and furniture selections from overseas, compressing everything into a streamlined digital workflow. Otherwise, the process would require international sample shipments, coordination calls across time zones, and a significantly longer time investment. In addition, exclusive vendor access through Decorilla brought furniture at trade pricing, which freed budget for millwork upgrades and finish improvements.
Wanda adjusted the design as construction progressed, recalibrating selections when site conditions or evolving priorities mandated it. The collaboration spanned several months of remote teamwork and challenge-solving. The client’s closing note said it all: “Hi Wanda, I can’t believe we are at the end! It’s been such an amazing project.“
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