Pass through spaces such as foyers and hallways are often the most neglected areas of your home, yet they can be beautiful and carry peace and warmth if you design them well and keep them clean. Design your pass through spaces to welcome you home and help you feel comfortable no matter where you are at in your home. Here are some tips on how to achieve a cared for and about look in your pass through spaces.

Tip #1: Paint it.

Painting your pass through spaces, particularly your foyer, a different color from adjacent rooms can help you create an inviting and intriguing feel in your home. Using warm colors or colors that will contrast well when looking through a doorway into a pass through space help create invitation as well as visual interest. Painting is the most inexpensive tool you can use to create a cared for look for any space in your home. Painting tells people that you care about a space and that you've thought about it.

Tip #2: Light it.

Lighting can help you create a mood or emotion in your space. It can also create drama and visual interest. Pass through spaces deserve to have their lighting paid attention to along with the rest of your home. Use lighting that can be adjusted in brightness. While you want your pass through spaces to be well lit so you can see where you are going, you don't want it to be glaringly bright. Lighting can help you create a "high impact" look as well by using decorative sconces, chandeliers (if the ceiling is high enough to support one), and spot lighting particular accents or artwork on display. Lowering the brightness of typical lighting can help you create a sense of peace as you walk through these spaces in your home.

Tip #3: Enlarge it.

Pass through spaces are typically just large enough for someone to pass through comfortably, but you can visually enlarge the space by hanging mirrors. Visually enlarging a space helps create peace and visual interest without the mess of knocking down walls. Hang mirrors to reflect attractive features on the opposite wall and to help circulate light through the space.

Tip #4: Enhance it.

Our homes are a place where we can put our personality, likes, and interests on display. Include your pass through spaces when thinking about where to hang artwork, family photos, displays for mementos, and displays for sculpture. A striking piece of sculpture on display on a foyer table can bring beauty and importance to a space that is normally barren of interest.

Tip #5: Green it.

The life of your home is always brightened when there is plant-life around. Bring some green into your pass through spaces as well. Not all plants grow out. Some grow up and are ideal for using in smaller spaces where traffic flow is important. Don't neglect your pass through spaces and give them life in the form of green things.