Saturday, April 24, 2010

Front Entry gets a spring cleaning makeover



My front entry needed a bit of a makeover.....I wish I'd taken a "before" picture, but I forgot! It was dull and lifeless and the floor just didn't fit in at all. Dustin did an awesome job on the tiling job a few years back, but the "busy" nature of the floor made it difficult to decorate around. I think we've found the right wall colour now...it seems to make the floor look like it belongs....and I love it!! We used the same colour as the wall in our living/dining room (Benjamine Moore's Blue Grass)...it was actually the leftover paint from upstairs. 

We painted one wall in the duck's egg blue colour, and the rest of the walls white. It's much brighter now  and just so much more inviting! I really think the front entry should be a reflection of the rest of the house...don't you? Ours was a depressing room, with a constant pile of coats and shoes all over the place. UGH! 

I had visions of a beautiful big bench/storage seat with a shelf and hooks above for this wall on the right, but alas, it was just not going to work. There is just no good spot for it anywhere in this front entry. The door opens onto that wall and if there's anything too wide in the way, you're tripping on it to get to the stairs. Not fun! 

But never fear...IKEA came to the rescue! This shoe cabinet is perfect!!! It's only 8" deep, so it doesn't block the path to the stairs, and it actually holds quite a few pairs of shoes! I added some Anthropologie glass knobs to add a little colour to it. The IKEA shoe cabinet has "legs" at the front that are just a little too short (I had to rest the cabinet on the little ledge that happens to be there). 




After doing all this, I decided it needed a little "Art", so I started on a little art project with Toby at my side this morning :) (I'll show you his masterpiece in my next post). I wanted something light and uplifting for the front entry. I thought cherry blossoms would fit the bill. The little white bird was an afterthought :). The larger painting (on the left) is still a work in progress, but I'm just getting a feel for it here until I decide whether or not I'll add something to it. I kind of like the ocean/beachy vibe it's got right now, just plain and blue.





I'm not quite sure what I'll do about these floating legs, but I was thinking of adding another piece to lengthen them to the floor, or maybe just cutting them off altogether. Any suggestions?




These next two photos were taken before I added the two paintings. I found this little mirror at the thrift shop and I think it looks cute there, but somehow I prefer the cherry blossom painting. What do you think?

I had an extra ladder chair (it came with the two that I have at my dining room table), and I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I painted it white all over and gave it a new home in our entry.



I think my little bench seat fits in quite well on this wall :) I was going to leave the half-moon table there, but I really wanted to have somewhere to sit when putting on shoes, etc. 




I completely organized the closet, and added some coat hooks on the other wall (forgot to take a picture of them!). So now we no longer have a pile of junk in our entry! There's a proper place for everything.

SO much better! 




23 comments:

  1. It looks beautiful!!

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  2. i love it, i love your picture too - one day i will attempt to paint a picture!

    And i am loving that wall color - so soothing :)

    Have a good weekend!

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  3. Nice work. Love the wall colour and the painting. You are very clever! Not sure what to do about the legs. If you lenghthen, they might look out of proportion, could do a skirting board? Will be interesting to see what you decide.

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  4. Love the colours. You've inspired me to pick up my paint brush and re-decorate my sons bedroom!
    TJ

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  5. It looks soooooo good!!

    beautiful...........hugs from me...

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  6. Fresh and bright colors, lovely! Wishing you a great new week. xo

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  7. You have really worked wonders in that spot, great job! I love your art, how clever.
    Whenever I see the photo of your boys in your header my heart melts. They are so adorable!
    Angex

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  8. I like it with the picture best! I think you must cut off the legs and put something under that is delish and interesting. I love whimsey!

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  9. it looks fantastic- i especially love the painting. the colors are so perfect! you and i have very similar taste when it comes to color palette. maybe i will just come live at your house so i don't have to do any work on mine anymore, but would love it, too! ;)

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  10. Tracey,
    How lovely and fresh your entry way is. I just love duck egg blue it is such a welcoming and relaxing colour. Your Artwork is lovely too. It must be lovely to open your front door and be greeted with such a pretty area.
    Donna xx

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  11. Love the make-over of your entry. I would probably cut the legs off and put a boot tray underneath of it, seen some really cute ones at Ballard designs. I do love having a mirror by the door for quick checks on the way out but I would probably like a bigger darker one.Your painting is so darn cute there tho!

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  12. It looks so beautiful!! And the art is GREAT!!

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  13. Your entry is a beautiful way to great your guests. I love how you got creative with your artwork and the cabinet from ikea, great idea! Can't wait to see what you do with the legs.

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  14. Love the clean,simple look you have going on....lovely!! All the best,Chrissy

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  15. Hi Tracey! it's simply beautiful! I love the soft palette colours you've used!

    Have a nice week!!
    Hugs!
    Mara

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  16. what a beautiful piece of canvas you created ...i love the colors you picked ,the blossom looks amazing with that cute little bird:)..the make- over looks beautiful - i love your style of decorating XX

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  17. Looks great and I love your cherry blossom painting! I vote for cutting the legs off and put a basket or something underneath it.

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  18. Hi Tracey, I love your entry hall! I guess you could tell I am going to say I LOVE the duck egg blue wall- just beautiful!! I also LOVE your beautiful blossom painting, I think it looks perfect on your shoe cabinet. You have done such a wonderful job my dear - so inspiring for me to get up and do something lovely to my own home. Wishing you a wonderful week ~ Tina xx

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  19. My front section required somewhat of a makeover.....I wish I'd taken a "preceding" picture, yet it slipped Assignment Service my mind! It was dull and dormant and the floor simply didn't fit in by any means. Dustin worked really hard on the tiling position a couple of years back, however the "occupied" nature of the floor made it hard to improve around.

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  20. If you are a horse lover and have always wanted to own a horse, it is time to start looking for a horse name. As a matter of fact, horse owners usually give their horses unique names that represent their character, personality, and temperament. The horse name should be chosen carefully, as it will be the identity of your horse for the rest of its life.

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Thank you so much for your comments! I love reading every single one :)

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