A Reader's Design Dilemma & Entryway Inspiration

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by an old High School friend who reads my blog regularly. She is always supportive of what I do with my design ideas and thought I could give her a little advice on her entryway.

My friend Liz and her husband built their home about two years ago. After they moved in she found out she was pregnant and now has a beautiful little boy. So...she has not had much time to decorate her new place!

Here is what she wrote me:
Help! I need decorating advice!  I attached a pic of my entry way that I have yet to decorate. What are your thoughts on painting the inside of the front door? I just feel like it is so cold looking. I love when people paint them black but I am not sure it would go in my house. Also, I am at a loss on what should go on the walls on either side if the door. Any suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated! 

Don't you love her home already!? I am in love with her ceiling light...anyway here are a couple more pics so you get the feel of her space.

Around the backside of this wall is the door to her basement.

Liz has a great space to work with. We just need to add a little character with lamps, pictures, plants, pillows, a mirror and accessories! 

Here are a few ideas that I sent her and where I think the space needs to go.

Let's start with the console against the wall to the stairs. I am thinking a round mirror to replace the picture. This will help balance the square console.  Also a lot of layering of items such as a plant, tray for phones & keys, a brightly colored lamp and/or lampshade as well as a family picture.

Even though this isn't a round mirror, I love all of the layering and how the antique look balances some of the more modern touches. There are so many different textures that totally work in this space.

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If she didn't want to purchase a new mirror, she could always bring a small gallery wall above the console to fill the space on the wall or the second picture makes it simple with two prints stacked one on top of the other.

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Now on to the bench area in the corner...

The bench has some great texture to it, but I would add a little pop of color with some pillows. Maybe a couple of wicker baskets underneath for a quick removal of shoes. Even a little task lamp would be neat!

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She definitely needs a place to hang coats and/or scarves when company arrives. I would add either a small coat rack in the corner behind the door or some fabulous hooks above the bench.

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If they decided to add a coat rack in the other corner or if they have a coat closet nearby, she might decide to do a gallery wall above the bench instead. I love this corner gallery wall where it wraps around two walls. It really makes a great statement and she could display all of her family photos as well as art prints.

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Last, but not least is that entryway door. How do you all feel about painting that door black? I know it is very popular right now. I am not sure that it is needed, but if she were to paint it black it might look a little something like this.....

What do you think about Liz's entryway? Any other suggestions you might all have for making her space shine!?

I can't wait to see how she works her magic....pics to come!

HomeGoods & Marshalls Finds

I don’t know about you, but I am a HUGE HomeGoods & Marshalls Hunter! I love getting lost in the stores and walking around for hours looking for the best deals. I also enjoy getting inspiration from all of the fabulous items the stores have to offer.

I found these pretty lamps yesterday. They would be just Fab in a rockin girls room.

I also saw these lamps. I liked the masculinity that they could bring to a room.

This woven branch mirror would be great in any room!

I didn’t buy any of the above items. But look at the great finds I did bring home for myself!

I found this office chair & city scape for the Hub's New Downtown Office! Look at that original price on the desk chair. It was marked down just because of a tiny scratch on the arm of the leather chair. SCORE!

I fell in love with these Faux Mercury Glass Lamps! I just had to have these for our Master Bedroom. They are going to be very Chic in the room. (will post pics soon!)

Take a look at this great find! A beautiful cheese/dessert platter.  I am currently using it for some of my succulents. I just love the shape and class it brings in my Master Bedroom!

Wow! This was a great find. I couldn’t take my eyes off of this mirror. Beautiful! It is a cut glass mirror. So pretty…and only $16.99! I knew I could find some place for it!

And….my last find. Just a small ceramic bowl for $2.00! Can’t go wrong….right?

Oh How I love the Hunt.....and of Course....the Find!

What great finds have you found lately?

Amy ©

DIY Weekend Projects- Homegoods Tray & Sunburst Mirror

Wow! Where did the weekend go? It is already Tuesday and I haven’t shown you my weekend projects! It was a busy and fast weekend with two cookouts with friends, a 5-year-old birthday party and lots of catching up around the house (cleaning, laundry, cooking, yard work, etc.).

I did have a little time to be creative and rummage up some DIY fun!

My first project was very simple…but I LOVE! I bought this tray at HomeGoods on clearance for $2.00! Yup….two-dahlas! I was pumped!

As you can see… I am not a fan of the world traveler look. It might work for some…..but it’s just not my cup of tea. This tray would look great in a library with lots of old books, high back leather chairs and an old man smoking a pipe! HA! Just not in my chic bedroom!

So off I went with one of my favorite DIY items…Spray Paint! First, I sanded the tray down and used a rag to wipe all the excess dust. Then I went to town spraying it with High Gloss white paint. The first coat surprisingly covered most of the map, but wanted to make sure it didn’t show at all. So, I waited for a few hours and then put a second coat on.

And…..

Drum roll Please……

What do you think? I Kind of Like LOVE IT! Chic I say!….and Easy too!

This whole project cost me around $4.50. That included the tray, white paint and sand-paper. Awesome!

SECOND WEEKEND PROJECT

I have to admit that this next project was NOT my own idea. I have been interested in this on-going trend of sunburst mirrors. They have been around now for a while and if you know anything about me… I don’t typically jump on the bandwagon as soon as something comes out. If it doesn’t fit in my home or my style, I just don’t go for it.

However, once I saw this sunburst, I knew I could make one of my own and use it in my home somewhere! This mirror was made by one of my favorite bloggers Hi Sugarplum!

I liked how it brought the natural element of wood into a room. So I started reading Cassie’s instructions and knew this was a project for me! The supplies were simple, 2 floral rings from a craft store, one round mirror  and 2 packs of wood shims from Home Depot. (Cassie used the same size shims, I used two different lengths) Then a pile of glue sticks!

Here is a picture of the back after I glued all the shims to the floral rings:

As you can see, I didn't use quite as many layers as Cassie did. I didn't want mine to take up the whole wall in the guest bedroom. I used one layer of long shims, the second layer consisted of the large shims minus 2 inches. I broke them down so they would be a little shorter then the long shims, but a little longer the the short shims. The last layer was made up of the short shims. I wanted to alternate these different lengths to give it some depth.

Next, I took the 7 inch mirror from Michaels and used Gorilla Glue Epoxy on the back and attached it to the front of the wood shims. I then had to wait patiently for 24 hours until it dried! Believe me...that was a long 24 hours.

Then Wha-La......!

Isn't she a beauty?! {Minus the boob fixture you can see in the reflection}

I really like how it looks in this room. The guest room is finally coming together!
A special Thank-You to Cassie from Hi Sugarplum on her awesome sunburst tutorial! I couldn't have done it without you.

What did you all accomplish this past weekend?

Linked up at: Carolyn's Homework Blog