Before:

This foyer originally contained some elements that I loved.  It was personal because it displayed our family crest which was handpainted onto our walls. I, at one time, loved this mirror so much that it would have been the one thing that I would have taken with me if a hurricane was coming to town!

The gold color on the walls used to be my favorite, “easy to work with neutral”.  Then, one day it all seemed dated and drab to me and I was ready for a big  change! This tends to happen to people in their homes about every 7-10 years. As a designer, it happens to me a bit more often, but I spend my time creating for other people so when I get ready to change my own home, it is a major production. This original  foyer was in tact for 11 years!

After:

Since I believe foyers are the welcoming spot of the home, I think it is important to make sure that it is a good personal reflection of the people who live there. So, I set about creating a personalized space.

In this case, I had my fabulous faux artist (who is always a special part of my design team) come in and paint a French garden on all of the walls.  I am fascinated with European gardens and statuary. I wanted a soft, welcoming version that reminds me of a European trip that our family took a few years ago.

As many of you know, I have a very large family, so my artist friend, placed a tree in the garden that is ever so subtle but contains a leaf for all of the members of our family! In addition, there is an obscure little garden bench that contains my beloved three dogs, Stella, Gatsby and Millie!

Finally, I replaced the mirror with a new stately mirror that I love just as much as the original one. The lamps (that I brought back from Italy) remain, as do a few family momentos…a collection of blue and white porcelain mixed with a few photos.

I love my new foyer just as much as I loved the original one. It just feels a little more current and a lot more relevant to the needs of my family at this time in our lives!