Have you ever walked in to a Foyer-less home? It feels like being pushed in to a party where the only person you know is the host and they are way at the other end of the room and you feel, well.....lost! Okay, I know that was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. The Foyer is such an important part of your home and sets the tone as guests walk in and also welcomes you when you come home from a long day of work, etc.. Here are the basics to designing a Foyer that speaks to you and your personal style.
Step One: Decide the tone you'd like to set, warm, quirky, happy, welcoming, etc..
Step Two: Choose one-two staple elements you'd like to use. There are a few staple elements that are commonly used on a Foyer console table, but consider it a guideline rather than a rule. One main staple piece is either a lamp or large vase, this piece grounds the table and sets the style tone for the room. Another staple element is to use greenery and some sort of basket or tray, to collect keys, loose change, etc. This particular console table has drawers so it's not as important for this table.
Step Three: Pull all of the elements you think you'd like to use and lay them out in a space close by (pull many more than you think you'd use, so that you have lots to work with).
Step Four: Get to work.
In the above example I started with this sunburst mirror and large ceramic white vase with a faux arrangement. This particular arrangement gives height and helps to ground the mirror. Since both pieces have a farmhouse feel, I decided to use some old photography, the wood swing has sepia tone in the photo that mimics the wood tone in the sunburst mirror (the quirky element is the VW Bug photo on a block of wood). The vintage painted wood candlestick brings navy blue in to the color scheme and also adds texture. With so much white and wood tones, I needed another material element so I brought in metal with the star, which is also kind of quirky.
When styling an area or piece of furniture, you want to start with the largest elements first, usually the lamp or large vase and then add layers. As you style, consider color, theme and the mood you are trying to convey. Also make sure to add different textures, shapes and materials to keep it interesting. After choosing your lamp or vase, decide on whether you'd like a mirror or artwork in the space. Depending on the length of the table you may be limited in the amount of artwork that can be layered. In either case, layering can be a great way to show depth and personality.
In the above example, I knew I wanted to use the rope lamp and the hello chalkboard (which is actually an old guillotine vegetable slicer). Since the rope lamp was a bit short for the space, I added a tall glass vase with a faux arrangement and the hello chalkboard, both bring your gaze upward. The vase is glass so it balances the weight of the two elements, as the rope lamp is a bit heavy in appearance and adds another material to give interest. Again, I chose to layer with photography, the sepia photo of bottles on a wall brings in the color of the rope in the lamp and the single daisy photo brings in the black of the chalkboard. All of the elements were more masculine, so I added the white flowers and then my quirky element a hindu tribal figurine.
Next, decide on the greenery you'd like to add. Greenery or plants, even if it is faux is so important to add warmth and life to the space. Faux plants and flowers are not what they used to be and often times it is hard to tell the difference between the faux and the real deal.
Other important things to consider is your focal point and how the eye travels within the space. Height is usually an important consideration as well. More often than not, you'll want to use height to trick the eye in to thinking the space is larger than it is. A great way to do this is with a vase of faux flowers or greenery (one of my favorites to achieve height is to use curly willow tree branches in my floral arrangements).
In my third design I chose a lighter, brighter feel. I started with a white pineapple lamp, which was rather tall and a bit more traditional. I wanted to create an airy feel, so I stuck with the white theme and added texture thru materials. I love the clean look of this farmhouse sign, but wanted to jazz it up a bit and bring the focal point to the saying, so I added a metallic frame to emphasize the saying. Next was a few dark green palm leaves and I added white and twig balls for texture in a log bowl (that could be used to house keys if need be). Lastly, to highlight the metal in the frame and add a pop of texture, I added the quirky hand with fingers crossed in a shiny, bright silver.
And lastly, the final touch is to add one to two items that have meaning to you, preferably something that is quirky and fun, that will either make you smile when you walk thru the door or will prompt your guests to ask "where did you get that!" The ultimate compliment, by the way! And that's it! Thanks for reading and check back often for more styling tips and home decor ideas.
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