mi casa: foyer

these home updates are all works in progress {i feel like ive been saying that a lot recently...how GREAT will it feel when at least one room in my house is deemed "complete"}

our foyer is a very small space, with three "exits."  one to the dining room, one to my office, and one to the den.  there is also a small coat closet...our only closet of this type.  the wall immediately in front of you when you open the front door is big enough for a piece of furniture approximately two feet wide by one foot deep by three feet high.  i have had those numbers in my head for six years and still havent found anything i like for this space.

{mls pics from when we bought our house}

 

since we moved in we have had nothing in that space, then we tried an extra small round table we had with fabric {scrap} over it, and currently my old antique desk from my old childhood bedroom.  i love that piece of furniture but its a little oversized for the wall.

ive also been looking forever for a mirror.
i really wanted a louis philippe mirror, but heavens they just dont MAKE them at affordable prices.

Source: flickr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: cotedetexas.blogspot.com via Natalie on Pinterest

i hoped and wished and prayed i would just "happen" upon one at an antique mall or thrift store, but no such luck.
{note-to-self...make affordable mirrors of this shape and sell them.  make a fortune}
however one day while driving to pick up the kids i had ten extra minutes so jacob and i stopped at a tiny antique store on the way and i found this mirror.
i loved the color, the oldness, and the size was PERFECT {and the price was good too...finally}.

now i just need something to PUT it on for good.
im thinking of skirting a table similar to these

Source: lonnymag.com via Becce on Pinterest

Source: themustardceiling.blogspot.com via Andrea on Pinterest

{or having someone ELSE skirt me a table...i DIY-ed my nightstands in my bedroom and while i love them...i just dont seem to have, um, TIME anymore for things such as this...}

our walls were also recently painted.  they were BM greenbrier beige {as was almost our entire house}

and now they are one shade lighter than my office: BM vapor trails

the biggest change in this space is something we have waited years to do as well.
replace our front door
this is the only picture i can find of the inside of our old front door....and it doesnt even show you the big crack down the middle where light from outside found its way in...but it does show you the old paint color and the old, yellow, {pre-refinished} floors

six years ago when i first visited our local southeastern salvage i saw a mahogany door that i loved.  i kept it tucked in the back of my mind until we decided it was time.  and then after ordering and being told it would take five business days, then two weeks, then four weeks since we were ordering side lights too, THREE MONTHS LATER we finally received our front door.
we knocked out the walls on either side of our old door and barely were able to squeeze the 36" door and two sidelights in the space.

it dramatically changed the space and i LOVE the morning light that comes through the high windows.  our foyer was so dark before, and now the light is maximized by the door, sidelights, and mirrors reflection.

i also want a more traditional looking rug in the foyer, and possibly move this rug to the laundry room, BUT for now its fun and does the trick.

it also dramatically changed the look of the front of our house as well.
pic from mls:

pic after painting brick and adding landscape

current pic with {overgrown} landscaping, new front door and lanterns

because we removed the walls on either side of the door where the lanterns used to be, we bought larger lanterns {from lowes} and placed them on the outside brick. 

it makes me smile every time i drive up the drive way!
welcome home :)