UPDATED: 2/18/18
While I do love my foyer, I’ve thought a long time about making it a little lighter and brighter for spring and summer. Doing just that, our new “spring” entry now flows with the rest of the house and gives a taste of what the rest of our home will bring. Y’all come on in!
I really only made a few simple changes in this small space and it came together quickly. I am not kidding when I say that I first shopped for new fabric last Tuesday and then took pictures to share with y’all just one week later.
I fell head over heels in love with this fabric online and would you believe that it was prominently hanging right inside the door at Lewis & Sheron and for a fraction of the retail price?! I had no idea that it was a Sarah Richardson fabric until I saw it in another colorway on her Instagram the day after I bought it. That made me love it even more. It is called Latticely in Aquamarine (also seen as Celosia in Aquamarine). It was still quite expensive so rather than going with another tiered or ruffled skirt, I opted for a much simpler straight skirt with just two box pleats to minimize the amount of fabric needed.
This is a really tiny space and I hunted for two years for something to fit it before my boys lovingly built this one for Mother’s Day years ago.
I think I have a mirror in every room of my house. Our home was built in 1964 and, while it has loads of windows, it only has 8′ ceilings. Mirrors brighten everything up, are easy and inexpensive to find, and make a room seem much larger than it is. This one is an antique that came out of Mother’s home. (She too has a penchant for mirrors and is always rotating through them, which totally works in my favor.)
Plates are another favorite accessory. The ones around the mirror are from my formal china – Butler’s Pantry by Lenox. This pattern was brand new when we were getting married and had some sort of issue that made it craze very early on. As a result, Lenox replaced every single piece of my 16 place settings (AND serving dishes) right around our first anniversary. I was left with loads to decorate my walls with! I thought about switching them out for a split second but thought any color or pattern would just be too busy for my liking.
My pair of Aiden Gray lamps are from a shop near our old house. I wanted them for eons after Sister bought them for Bird’s nursery. I couldn’t believe my luck when the store was going out of business and I snagged them for a song. The glass risers are from Wisteria and are another favorite accessory piece.
While I didn’t switch out any of the key elements, I did update the accessories on the little table.
I found this gorgeous mercury glass marbled candle holder for $12 at a local shop and knew it would be perfect for flowers.
If you haven’t watched it already, you can find my easy DIY flower arranging tips HERE! This process never fails me :-)
Now, when I was shopping the house for something new to put here, I just kept coming back to a pair of ceramic dogs that I’ve had for over a year but never found the right spot for. You see, up until yesterday they were a bright blue and, I’ll admit, I really super-duper like things that match. I got a wild hair, picked up a paintbrush and gave them an update. I realize that some may cringe at this but why have something you’re not using?! They make me so much happier now. {See How I Painted the Dogs HERE} I added more variety to the height of things on this table with a book from my beautiful little Puffin in Bloom set. *affiliate link*
When we updated the house eight years ago, outside of paint most of the the reno work on this room revolved around the stairs. When we bid adieu to the original bow carpet I couldn’t find a replacement that I loved and could afford, so we simply stripped everything down and had it painted. The stairs are not by any means perfect, and you still see lumps and bumps from the carpet glue. But we love them so much that eight years later I have no plans to put a runner down. We used an oil based black paint and then a clear coat. Honey touched them up a few years ago when they started to look a little scuffed. The numbers are vinyl stickers ordered from this etsy seller. They are 4″ tall and can be done in a variety of fonts. Total cost was $17.
The chandelier came from our previous home and actually lived in the pantry there! And the crown jewel of the whole spring look, if I do say so myself, are these extraordinary hand painted chinoiserie shades. It was like a light bulb went off last week and I knew I wanted something like this. I called up Mother and she immediately agreed to try her hand at them. I headed off to Michael’s with my fabric swatch and matched the colors for her. Back in Savannah, she picked up the paint and four blank shades at Lowe’s and got to work. She first sketched them out on paper and then painted them on my four shades. (I’ve used these same shades before for painting and they are a great choice at under $6 a piece.)
The last thing I changed was the rug in the entry. I needed something with more of the spa blue / aquamarine colors I have throughout the house as opposed to the regular powder blue. After purchasing the fabulous Decor Market rug for my master bedroom and then working with them again on Whit’s room, the first place I looked was Decor Market. Sure enough, I found just the right one AND they were sweet to send it to me on the house! This rug is linked directly HERE, but I love everything in their patina and passion collections.
It’s already Elsa approved :-)
Overall, my very favorite change to the entry over the years was replacing the solid wood door with custom door with four panes of glass. It really made all the difference in brightening things up – both inside and out! I get asked a lot about the source and, unfortunately, the contractor we used for repairs before moving in had it made. He has since left the industry (I heard he builds movie sets now) and I have not had any success in getting in touch with him.
I will definitely switch back to my fall / winter look when I start decorating for Halloween and Christmas. If you want to see that and the sources, look HERE. (Can you see how much Elsa loves this spot? It is so sunny and affords a sweeping view of all the neighbor dogs on their daily walks. Ha!)
Pop back by tomorrow and I am participating in a Project Design collaboration where I am sharing 4 easy ways to update your entry, along with a slew of other great bloggers! {VIEW POST HERE >> 4 Simple Ways to Update Your Entry}
The Delightful Home {Dixie Delights Home Tour}
How I Painted the Staffordshire Dogs
DIXIE DELIGHTS DELIVERED
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