So, uppon hiring him, I had no furniture. At all. After hiring him, I asked him to furnish the entryway. Weeks later game timewise, its barely furnished, whereas I have finished furnishing most of the house, currently hunting down a few last items needed to finish. And if he isn't done with the entryway when I get back I THINK I might just chop his head off. Or fire enough bolts into him from my crossbow to make him a human quiver. Or feed him to a dragon. I'm not sure how ill do it, but I think I might just kill him.

How much furniture does an entryway need?

Save the game, kill the steward, hire the housecarl that came with the house as steward, let him finish furnishing the entryway, then try loading your save game before you killed your steward and see if the entryway is furnished. That worked for me when Lydia proved incapable of furnishing an entryway. After her brush with death, she is still Braggens steward for Heljarchen Hall, but she was very lucky to survive.

There are tables, display cases, weapon racks, and IF you let your steward furnish, a nice mat and rugs along with a nice bench. The rugs, mat, and bench you can't build yourself.

Also trophy mounts on the walls, and shelves too.