Are You Making A Good First Impression?

What is the first thing that one sees when they enter your house??  How do you feel about the way your house greets you? How it greets your guests??

Is it pretty? Or just pretty unremarkable? Maybe it is something that you would rather not have anyone see at all.

For my clients, their entry (pictured here) was just "milk toast," a space that despite its stunning Victorian-era high ceilings and dramatic millwork, didn't really have anything to say.

AND it lacked the functionality that this family with three small children needed. All those tiny shoes take up more room than you think.... 

I knew with a punch of color, and some simple changes, this entryway could have enough drama and organization to make everyone happy.

A lot has changed and the space now feels completely different...

With choosing a deep blue for the walls that would compliment the adjacent rooms, a crisp white for the trim to create contrast, and an eye-catching ceiling light fixture, we were off to the races...

A new rug with the same palette, and the homeowners own blue and white pillows repurposed from the master bedroom pull everything together. The new large mirror reflects light and gives you one more chance to straighten your tie, touch up your lipstick--or maybe just make sure you don't have food in your teeth--before you dash out the door...

The rustic bench that had always been a welcome place to sit down and pull off boots remained, and to add much needed storage we put in this clever IKEA shoe storage cabinet...

I have recommended this small but mighty piece to many clients. The top drawer holds keys and smaller items, while the two bottom "drawers" actually tilt forward so that shoes slide in vertically--holding twelve pairs of shoes or more!  So useful, and it takes up so little space. 

And its functionality doesn't end there. The shoe cabinet also acts as a front hall table that holds flowers and a petite lamp--giving the room a sense of place and additional charm.

Your entryway needs to impress YOU--this isn't about keeping up with the Joneses, but it is about making sure you feel welcomed home when you walk through the door after a long day. Beauty and functionality are things that make us feel good in our soul...and what is more important that that when we are at home?