Making An Entrance

I love a fun entry into a home.

Our new house needed help defining this space, so I got creative. 

The main outside color of our new house is great - it's a warm gray that I'd like to stick around. 

However, the shutter color was a shade of crimson...I was not a fan. 

But, I was a fan of the double front door...just not the color of them. 

And that little ceiling fixture was so tarnished that it needed to be replaced.

Here's our front step right after we moved in.

The potted ferns came with us from the other house - I love the color and they've been loving the shade here and the rain we've had!

Below

And here it is now. 

I found the black lantern for next-to-nothing and had a local craftsman wire it as a ceiling fixture for me. That saved lots of moo-lah, and I love it. 

The front doors got a little Palladian Blue action, as did the small bit of ceiling. 

The lanterns came home with me from Heery's Too one afternoon, and the two door mats are from Ikea. Here, you can see the new black shutter paint too.

These adorable little pink prickly roses are popping out at the entrance too.

 And here you can see a better shot of the converted lantern as well as the blue ceiling. Love the difference this makes. Next Spring, we're hoping to add some landscaping around here...I've got boxwoods and ferns in mind. :) 

 For inside the entrance, I knew I wanted a table to define this space. Maybe not something that was permanent (maybe one that can be moved around), but something for entertaining and in a fun fabric. 

This pretty terra cotta skirt on the octagonal table kept nudging me in this direction on Pinterest. 

And I have loved this vignette for a long time. The painting and wall sconce really grab me. 

In addition to my two table vignettes I had in mind for the entry, I kept leaning towards black doors. Every magazine I opened seemed to have these in one spread or another. And the gorgeousness only continued on Pinterest. 

Thus, concludes my "plan" for this space. 

But, before all of the fun could begin, the basics needed to be tackled. 

Tearing down the odd half wall in the dining room, refinishing the hardwood floors, and a maja paint job.

Here's a few snaps of the space in progress...

Oh, and I had to include the waaaay before....before we bought the house.

And now, for the "during" and "after" once we got our hands on it.

I've had this skirted console since college. It's been a great piece and super versatile. Sooner rather than later, I will have to have a new skirt made for it since my cat loves it as a scratching post. 

These egg prints are off the dining room. I found the prints at Scott's a few years ago and framed them myself.

The black doors were a definite. I love the way they turned out! This house does not have a ton of architectural detail in the way of special moldings, woodwork, etc., so the black doors add an awesome amount of interest.
The color is Wrought Iron by Benjamin Moore.
All of the walls and trim are Mascarpone by BM too.
I am totally lovin' the contrast between the dark doors, off-white walls, and dark floors.

For the round-ish table for the entry, I had my hubs cut an octagonal top for a bit of a break from the traditional round ones. And I LOVE the pleating detail around the sides to show off the repeat of the ikat pattern. A $10 orchid from Ikea surrounded by a few design books adds character.

My hubs helped me hang the picture light over this Klimt art piece. My parents brought this back to us from their travels and I am obsessed with the colors. I studied this artist and painting in Art History, so it's fun to have the print on my walls now. The acrylic lamp is from Target, the planter from Anthropologie, the moss ball from Michael's, and the bird cage from an antiques shop.
I received this pretty mustard urn for a wedding gift - it's from Pottery Barn. The palmetto fronds were a gift from my brother, picked from family land. I like the piece of home they give, and mixed with the bamboo shoots provides a fun organic touch.

I love little trinket vignettes.
They give a fun place to display things that mean something.
The Anthro planter is one that was used at my and my hubs' wedding 3 years ago. The little Target bowl houses coins left over from my travels, the tiny bronze box was a gift from my Baboo years ago, and the magnifying glass an anniversary gift from a sweet friend. 

I am so pleased with how this turned out! The entry is now much more defined and inviting.