Reveal Time! The Foyer

I am SO excited to show you the results of our year long adventure! The foyer is like the hand shake of a first introduction, so your hand better be clean and your grip better be firm…but not too firm, I’m a lady.

Remember when I wrote that I would start the renovation with the foyer because that was the obvious natural starting point and my plan was to do this whole thing one room at a time and be really good at blogging and documenting it while I went?  Ha!  Good thing dreaming is free, right?  Too bad raw materials and labor aren’t!  Well…now that everything is finished, maybe we should just pick up where I left off with that happy little thought? Great, I’m glad you agree. Let’s do this!

I love a good before and after, so let’s knock that out and then I can fill you in with the details.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Soooo…what do ya think? Does it make you smile like it makes me smile?! Its light, bright, airy and so inviting. The floors, the stairs and that awesome table. It gives you a hug just walking in!

Here’s a quick sketch of the floor plan before and after:

FLOOR PLAN BEFORE:

FLOOR PLAN AFTER:

The coat closet was huge and a great dumping ground of things…so many random things. However, I had a plan that would eliminate the dumping ground and bring the bathroom away from the kitchen. We moved the half bathroom from the back of the kitchen to where the closet used to be. In doing so, I moved the south wall further south by 15” and changed the door location to be off of the hallway rather than off the foyer….because a beautiful entry table to display pretty seasonal things on was a necessity and well who wants to enter the powder room when the whole street can see you do it? Don’t worry though, when you come over, I found these awesome hooks at IKEA (that totally match the foyer light) and they’ll accommodate your jacket, purse, umbrella and hat.

The stair case, oh this wonderful staircase! The boys probably don’t share my sentiment, this is their timeout spot. Well, my sweet boys, stop letting those demons take over your little bodies and you wouldn’t have to spend about 15 minutes total of your day there! What a difference cutting away the drywall made; it defines the staircase more. Let’s talk about these newel posts. I bought them off eBay and they apparently came out of a 1895 farm home in Illinois. They weren’t in the best shape, but for the price, $250, I knew I could fix them up and give them a new proud spot in our home. Originally, I wanted to stain them to match the floor, but they were in too rough a shape to do that. I added some wood putty, new trim pieces in spots and paint and wow, I am so in love with them!

I selected our foyer light TWO YEARS AGO!!! I have been patiently waiting to put up this beautiful Minka Lavery fixture for TWO YEARS! After I installed it, I waited for dark then turn it on and ran outside. No, I wasn’t afraid of my installation skills. I couldn’t wait to see how to foyer glowed from outside. It did not disappoint! The fixture has three bulbs, so it’s bright! If were invited to our place for a party and weren’t sure which house it was, this fixture would act like a light house. Pull straight ahead, matey. Party off the starboard side. Aye, Aye, cap’n! I found the two table lamps off of Amazon.com. Great price and I love the pop of color. My Mom and Hubs felt they looked like an adult toy…hummm…well, to make them look less “playful,” my Mom helped me spray paint the base and finial gold (they used to be green). I think they look great now.

I found the incredible foyer table on Craigslist and the sweet lady I bought it from cried a little when I loaded it into my car. It was her Mother’s and that she just didn’t have a place for it after they downsized. She said it would always be brought from the sitting room into the dining room for holidays because it has a hidden leaf and will extend to fit the children. We all had the ‘kid’s table’ at holidays meals, right? I promised her that I would take really good care of it and probably end up using it for the same purpose as her Mother did. She gave me a hug and said, “Oh I know you will dear, I can see it in your eyes.” There’s something in both my eyes now…. That interaction is a huge reason I love shopping for my treasures on Craigslist, there is always a story behind each piece I find and when the owners share their stories, it makes me cherish my new pieces even more.

I love how open and inviting the foyer feels now.  I’m excited for the holidays so that I can decorate this space with all the fun things I’ve collected over the years, Halloween especially!  And yes…I know that I still have to hang my awesome ‘new’ front door.  Eventually I will, but I think I’ll put my feet up for a bit.

Cheers!

-AA

Where to find all the fun details:

Ceiling light fixture: Minka Lavery, $269, Amazon.com

Table Lamps, Safavieh Lighting, $144, Amazon.com

Wall Hooks: Ikea, $33, Amazon.com or at Ikea.com

Mirror: Home Goods. Similar one, here.

Rug: Target, sold out. Similar one, here.

Table Basket: Target, sold out. Similar one, here.

Table: Craigslist find, but similar one, here.

Vase: Vintage, but similar one, here.

Wreath: Boutique find, but similar one, here.

Wax warmer: Scentsy.