More Paint Before and Afters. Decorating a Foyer.
Paint on the staircase alone changed everything about our entryway.
Yes, the lighting and furniture were updated, but it’s the paint that really made the most impact. To explain it best, I am going to continue with the Q&A Tips from an Interior Designer series with my interview with my friend and Interior Designer, Alicia Weaver of Alicia Weaver Design. Let’s show you some Paint Before and Afters of my foyer.
Here’s the Paint Before of my foyer entryway:
Here is the Paint after:
Let’s start the interview about decorating foyers breaking down the Paint Before and Afters…
Me: OK Alicia, let’s talk next about the Foyer. We’ll start at the beginning. Do you remember how I didn’t like the stone floor? Why didn’t you let me change that?
Alicia: You had a budget and I wasn’t going to let you spread it thin. Even though it was a nice budget, we were trying to get 90% of the house fully done. In that foyer space I knew we could get other things done to make a big change. I assured you that when the front door opened, by adding a new ceiling light fixture, new paint color and furniture that the floor that wouldn’t be a focal point. Everyone’s eyes would be up, and not looking down.
Me: And it’s true. I didn’t focus on the floor at all after all of that. Let’s talk about the staircase. The previous owner had a distressed navy blue railing. What was your vision?
Alicia: We wanted that contrast of light and dark. Every photo you showed me was an elegant foyer with black and white marble floors. We couldn’t do the marble floor within the budget, so we added the contrast to the risers and railing to make the wood floors pop. That way you got the contrast in the paint and staircase without having to redo the floors. You found a beautiful rug for the entry and we dressed up everything else in the space from there.
Me: What gave you the idea to choose a color lamp for the entrance? Do you have an overall vision of entire house when you do that? I remember being so impressed with you when you used that turquoise lamp color in the room!
Alicia: The entrance sets the tone for the house. Over the years of knowing you everything was blue. Your space is a reflection of you and while the entry is very calming and beautiful, I did think it was important to put a pop of color in the space. Turquoise is beautiful and was made of glass. It just brightened everything up. While the colors are calming and serene, there are spaces that have a pop of fun (the art, fun pillows or your office wallpaper). It’s a way to make the space have a little more life.
Me: We didn’t do the foyer all at once. The bench, art and garden stool came later. You always taught me to finish a room fully if you can. Is it OK to decorate a room little by little, like we did here?
Alicia: That depends. Even though you had a budget we did it in phases. I was able to do 80% of the space the first go around. We knew what the goal was, but you had to focus on getting the best bang for your buck. We fixed the overall space for the entry, setting the tone for the house, and blending cohesively with the design. The bench was filler that we could do later. And you had to find art that spoke to you. In the first phase it wasn’t necessary, but we knew eventually we had to finish it in another phase, which we did. But the plan was there.
Me: Well you did a very nice job, Leish. It’s one of my favorite rooms, and you’re right. It does set the tone, as you say, for the house. You’re brilliant!
Please read my other posts about Paint Before and Afters, for more great examples!
xoxo,
kelly
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