Small Entry Solutions

In writing the last couple of post about Entry/Foyers and welcoming signs for our guest I came to realize that not all people will have an entry hall or foyer in there home. If they do have an entry it might be very small.


I thought it would only be fair to do a post on small entry halls, or no entry at all, and what to do with them.


I went looking through my files, and online, I think I found a pretty good line-up of examples of ways to deal with small spaces.


This is a very small corner and yet the homeowner has used every inch of space. We have light, flowers, mirror and even an umbrella stand. Each piece makes a wonderful statement and the two urns underneath the console table are gorgeous.

 via

Another very small area, and yet it has all the components of a good entry. I think the mirror could be a bit larger. 

Wallpaper

via

Adding wallpaper to the walls in an entry can make it feel separate from the other areas. If it is a shared wall to your living room, use molding to divide the space by putting a border  of molding around the wallpaper in the form of a panel.

Statement Art/Pieces

Using statement artwork can make a small entry to be a stand-out!!

Here they have used some great statement pieces. The artwork is nice and large, and unusual. The zebra rug makes it’s own statement. There is a place to sit in a small chair and even ambient light from a candle with real cherries for a pop of color and life.

via

The homeowner has chosen to use their very narrow entry as a gallery wall for family photos. What makes this work so well is the large matting that has been used and notice how closely they are hung together. This makes it seem like one large piece of art and keeps the eye flowing gently.

Reflection

Although this entry is obviously large it is showing a concept that I think any entry can use. The over scaled floor mirror. Of course you would have to use a mirror that would fit on your wall, but think of using a floor mirror to open up the space and place a narrow console table in front to place a vignette.

via

 I love the above image. It uses the floor mirror in back of a clear lucite table. Since the table is clear it does not take up any visual space. Keep that in mind for small space decorating. Use an open legged piece that you can see under to keep it more open. You can see it also allows a place for a very small stool to sit on to remove your shoes if need be.

A very small wall that makes a, "Wow" statement. The homeowner has chosen to incorporate the mirror into the wall treatment with moldings. This could be a great way to make an entry when there really isn’t one. I love everything about this entry. It shows small can look Grande!!

Speaking of mirrors how about an actual mirrored piece of furniture. If you notice all of our entries have fresh flowers or fruit. There is also a source of ambient light with candles or lamps.

Things that Inspire blog

A small wall and it is beautifully appointed.

The Practical side of things......

Crate and Barrel Paterson bench

If your entry needs to be more practical choose a unit like this. It offers a mirror,storage and a place to sit in a very small area.

 Crate and Barrel Addison bench

This is another image that shows a very interesting and useful element. Notice how the mirror and the chair railing are a ledge that items can be placed on. This is a very practical entry utilizing a great storage piece and useful mirror.

via

This idea is for my friend Erica at Tiptoe Butterfly blog. She wanted a solution for shoe storage. I think this is a great piece from Ikea for a practical and very useful storage piece that takes very little space. Notice the hooks on the wall for purses, backpacks etc. Very practical indeed!

Carve out Space.......

 I love the way they created a niche to sit in. It is almost like a little hideaway.

  This homeowner borrowed some space between the studs in the wall to make a little alcove and added a ledge. This is a great idea. I would have mirrored the alcove to really open up the space.  A great way to carve out some extra space.

 Statement floors or rugs......

Another way to make an entry when you don’t actually have a designated space is to add a statement rug to delineate the area.

via

Very small area with everything you would need. The fun striped rug gives the area more importance and life.

via

I have shown you formal, practical and casual all done in a small space.


In all of the above spaces there were certain elements and issues addressed. Try to keep in mind:

• Lighting: over head and ambient in the form of candles or lamps on dimmers.
• Mirrors for viewing and for opening up the space. Big is better in this situation.
• Separate the area with the use of moldings or a piece of furniture.
• Use a live plant, flowers or fruit to bring life and color to the space.
• A large piece of artwork or an unusual piece of furniture to make a statement.
• A statement rug to delineate the area.
• Something for storage if you need to be practical. A piece to hold shoes, keys, mail etc.

With all this information I hope it has opened your decorating mind to new possibilities for you very own small entry hall.

"Enjoy the Process" Of:

Looking at your Entry/Foyer with new possibilities.

Kathysue

Just A Few Good Ideas!!

I love a good idea don’t you?!! Ever once-in-awhile I will run upon something and I  will say to my self, “That is a good idea!!”

Since it is the weekend, and hopefully you are able to relax a bit I thought it would be a good time to share a few of the ideas with you all…..

 via

I don’t know about you all, but I think this is brilliant, and a great way to store ribbons. Can’t you just see yourself using this at Christmas time to wrap your gifts!! I am definitely going to do this one!!!

 via

What a darling idea for your bathroom. You could use a pretty clear vase, or any clear container that you like. Using a votive holder as the stopper to hold cotton swabs is adorable. One container serving two purposes!!

 via

I don’t know about you, but I always have something to go to the cleaners, a special gift that I buy ahead of time, and items to be donated. It would be great to have a designated station for all the items that I have shoved into my closet in various spots. Another idea I would like to do right away. I would put it right outside my family room door going out to the garage.

 via

This is just too clever for words!! I am not a big fan of  metal hangers, but this would be a great way to hang your flip-flops for easy storage. 

 via

This looks like a great idea to me. I am not sure it will work for me, but I am sure going to put some thought into it. It looks so organized, and pretty handy to grab and take to the counter.

 via

I think a chair like this on your porch with your address numbers would be a nice touch for your porch.
These are just a few of the ideas that I have found. I love blog land, there are so many resources of wonderful ideas to make our homes look better and run more smoothly!!

Have a wonderful, restful Sunday,

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Finding new ideas to make your life a little more enjoyable!

Kathysue

Adding Architectural Details To Add Character To Your Home!!

We all know that in good design it is all about the details. I look at the main architecture of a space as the base, but when it comes to embellishing our homes with architectural elements it is like adding the jewelry to an outfit. 

I am an advocate for making the inside of your home look and feel like you want. We can not always afford the perfect beach home, or a Victorian, or a modern masterpiece, to name a few, but we can make our environment speak to those looks.

I will have to admit I am one very lucky lady that I have a talented husband who can add elements to our home that I love. Over the last thirty-some-odd years we have added many personal touches to our 1970’s Californian suburban ranch home. 

We all know that this style of home basically came as a box with no embellishments at all. If it was going to have character, we had to add our own.

I thought today I would share some of what we have done to our home to make it our own personal style.

All of the treatments are doable and affordable. Any of the moldings can be purchased at any molding supply or even big box stores like Lowe's or Home depot. We are only limited by our imagination and creativity.

First let’s start at the front door…………

You will notice I have a full French door. Notice the molding and the bulls-eye corner blocks at each corner?  You will also notice a frame molding is on the ceiling. Another simple treatment is the shadow frame wainscoting. This adds a bit of formality to my entry and also gives a nod to the Traditional style that I like.

To the left of the entry is my living room. We have added crown molding and a framed treatment with a medallion on the ceiling.

This is the entrance into the living room where we added corbels to each side of the opening. Can you tell I would love to live in an older home?

The simple frame molding on the ceiling adds so much character for so little money. When doing this make sure you stand back and look at it from a distance to determine how far from the edge of the wall you want to go. I did this by using blue painters tape and moving it until it looked right to me. 

In this image you can  see we used the same dentil molding that is around the room as a cornice board to hide the top of the roller shades.

Next we will go into the kitchen. I still have the original birch cabinets that my father-in-law built over 30 years ago, but we have embellished them a bit. A easy face-lift to do.

This use to be a fluorescent light box, remember those. We took down the fluorescent lights and added different moldings to the box. I purchased a mini vintage chandelier and added a medallion. Now I have a pretty ceiling to look at instead of that horrid fluorescent light box.

We also added a cornice board on top of the kitchen window to hide a privacy shade that blocks the afternoon sun.

My cupboards in the kitchen had no molding what so ever. Before we had them painted we added a small crown and a skirt molding to the bottom of the cupboard to give it some character.

We also added legs that are actually $2 shelf brackets. See the tiny molding at the bottom of the cupboard, that little inexpensive piece of molding just finished off the look perfectly. A shadow box frame was added to the end of the cabinet. 

This shows the skirt molding at the bottom of the cupboards.

I love adding architecture to a home, it seems to give it so much more character. I know many of you on the east coast have lovely older home that already have built in character. Living in suburban California does not always give us the character built in that we would like.

Have any of you added some character to your home with moldings? Can you believe what an amazing affect it gives to your home?

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of how we added some moldings to make our home look and feel like the home we have always wanted! If you would like to see more of my kitchen you can go to the side bar and click on the picture of my kitchen and it will take you to a post that shows the different ways I change my kitchen for the seasons!

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Adding character to your home with molding!!

Kathysue