I have always adored settees. They are just like the Goldilocks of seating: not too big, not too small — just perfect. And among my favorite areas to see them will be in entryways. More so than a chair or bench, they supply an instant invitation to sit in and get comfortable. They also make an ideal spot to flake out and wait for guests, Halloween trick-or-treaters and others to arrive at your door.
These entrance settees, vastly different in style, all add a very important sense of warmth and hospitality for their environment.
Meyer & Meyer, Inc..
To my mind, nothing puts forth an atmosphere of welcome just like a comfy place to sit. This high-back, tufted settee will help to create the formal entrance feel less imposing and much more relatable, particularly with the casual throw and toss pillows.
Warmington & North
Large-scale furnishings comfy up this narrow entrance hall. Even the settee and the zinc-topped games console, contrary to an unfussy backdrop of wood planks and textural weaves, create the small space immediately inviting.
Mark English Architects, AIA
A battered chair located at a garage sale, refreshed using a lemon-yellow seat cushion and a sprinkle of candy-colored pillows, adds a stroke of sun for this entrance hall.
Matthew MacCaul Turner
An entrance settee at a luxe fabric such as silk or velvet adds an air of pure luxury. Pillows that are bolster-style and sleek lines give a hint of art deco glam to this model.
JMA INTERIOR DESIGN
Although I am usually a fan of overscale bits in voluminous rooms, I think the opposite strategy works here. A low-slung, luxury velvet settee and sideboard keep the focus on the magnificent barrel ceiling and decorative painting, which are the actual stars of the space.
Jennifer Backstein Interiors
I love the idea of pulling a small cocktail table or tray table till an entrance settee. If you are lounging with a book or chatting with a friend, you have an instant spot to specify a cup of coffee or another beverage, and the table can also function as a perch for a handbag, gloves or a parcel as you prepare to head out the door.
CIH Design
I am not sure I could live with flashy decor similar to this for long, but the round settee — which reminds me of a Victorian kissing bench — does possess a certain grandeur. Its shape is well suited for the rotunda-style space; a more angular style may have felt at odds with the curves.
Tucker & Marks
Updated with fabrics that are subtle, this 18th-century Italian settee provides a dash of warmth and elegance to its serene setting.
Charmean Neithart Interiors
Curved-back benches such as this one exude a fantastic, adopting welcome. The caning helps to lighten its appearance so that it does not appear too weighty with this glowing space.
Coggan + Crawford Architecture + Design
I could not resist like this: a settee created from three mismatched seats, attached and merged with paint. What fun! Doesn’t it make you want to get to know the people who live here?