Friday's Feat: Frances' Fabulous Funned Up Foyer!!

Okay, now that I have your attention with all that fine alliteration…;)

My friend and client, Frances, 

asked me recently to "fun up" her front foyer.  

Here's what it looked like when I started:

 She had just placed the barrister cabinet in the back, but wasn't liking it there…

It's a family piece and she wants to put it in a protected place.
The rugs aren't working here..
They're from a previous house,
and finding news ones are on the "to do" list.

Here is the area to the right of the front door.
Frances would like more of a statement here
with perhaps a new lamp at the window that opens out onto the front porch.

The window on the right side has been converted to a mirror, 

with victorian style coat hooks on the outside woodwork...

 Behind the front door is this empty wall….

Hmmm….
why not a wall coat rack here?

Out of the way, convenient...

The foyer has a beautiful staircase, 

with lovely woodwork beneath...

But then there's this little partial wall under the stairs...

And smack dab in the middle is this heating vent cover

that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Gotta do something about this..

I have a thought for this space,
which at present  is actually 

quite large but unused.

It involves this awesome sofa that's currently in an upstairs office.

(Frances wants to convert this room
back into a guest bedroom..my next project!..

So she was thinking she'd have to part with this piece.)

I think this sofa would look totally stunning 

in the foyer tucked in that space!

 We can then move the barrister cabinet 

into the adjoining living room, on a protected wall.

It fits perfectly here,
but Frances isn't sold……
she thinks maybe it "brings down" the living room

because it's so dark and somber.

Nothing a little facelift can't fix!

I used grasscloth to line the backs.

It really breaks up the brown,

and provides a great neutral backdrop

for her art pieces.

And while we're in the living room, 

we moved the little round table from the foyer here.

I found a great zigzag lampshade for the alabaster lamp.

Looks great!

But I digress! 

Back to the foyer…

With a little manpower, the sofa has claimed it's new spot!

Looks great!
Love the lines of this sofa
and now you can see them
when you walk through the front door!

Next, new rugs!
I found those runners at a local home improvement store…
Two are just the right length for the entire foyer.

A trip to a fabric store,
and I found some fabrics that really work to tie together
all the poppy orange, greens, and blues!

I whipped up several pillows with down inserts.

This little console table was a piece that I did years ago with decoupaged art.

Now it has found it's perfect place in the universe!

I spray painted this vintage lamp. 

The poppy orange color

ties in with the sofa…

I added a few of Frances' and Lud's pieces…..

they look very happy.

Next, I swapped out the art in the foyer to

work better with the new arrangement and furnishings.

Oh, and may I draw your attention to the

heating vent? 

Because now you don't notice it!

I cheated and painted the little partial wall in the same color 

as the woodwork to disguise that vent.

Now your eye doesn't rest there, it just feels like

a backdrop for the furnishings!

Just to the left of the sofa, 

I added a sweet little thrift table I painted white.

And on top, this incredible aqua glass lamp!

I love how the lamp 

mirrors the still life painting I hung above it.

When it's lit, it casts this wonderful aqua

glow in this little corner.

So incredibly cozy!

Moving to the front of the foyer, I

 removed the hooks from the woodwork on the mirror,

and touch up painted the trim.

 I used the hooks, and an old twin headboard,

to make this custom wall coat rack 

which I hung behind the front door.

At the front window, 

we positioned this piece that was in

the living room: 

An antique oak organ bench.

Below it, I placed a copper boot tray...

 On top, I found this fun little giraffe lamp 

with zigzag shade from Shades of Light.

Totally unexpected…

but the quirkiness and scale of it just WORKS 

on this petite table.

And I added a small pillow to the chair here 

to add some softness to the wood.

I must say,

 this makeover really makes me smile...

When the lamps are all aglow, 

I believe I can here a big fat "WELCOME!"

What a wonderful first impression of

Frances and Lud's beautiful home!

Don't you agree?

One Bench + one Rug = One Moroccan Style Footstool

Twice a year, in the spring and fall,

several dealers in the Greenwood/Crozet, VA, area,  

get together for their famous 

Girlfriends Antiques and Home Decor sale.

Usually at the Old Trail Golf Clubhouse…

This year, I found two little treasures:

This old bench with old red paint patina….

Love the primitive lines..

And this cotton printed rug:

 Of course, I did not need another stool/bench, 

or a rug, 

but, well,

I just saw these two together.

 I felt obliged to marry them!!!!

 I found a piece of scrap foam that I cut to fit the top...

 I didn't have any batting, 

so I just used a piece of an old quilt to top the foam...

I cut and stapled all the edges under the lip of the top.

 Then I did the same with the rug…..

 I stitched up all the corners because the fabric was too thick to staple.

 After sewing the corners, 

I added a decorative gimp along the four sides 

to cover the raw edges.

 One of the legs was a little ka-ka.. 

so I fixed that with a little wood glue.

Next, I had one of these while the glue dried;)

 Isn't it sweet? 

JUST as I envisioned!

I'm beaming all over...

 Here it is in my booth at Greenwood Antiques and Uniques.

 It was one of several items 

I sold during last weekend's Open House.

I miss it already!

But just knowing it's out there, 

under someone's tootsies,

makes it okay…

to let go…

I guess...

Another Spray Paint Lamp Makeover

I can't resist a nice, solid vintage lamp…

 There are too many ugly ones in the world, 

and I consider it my privilege to be able 

to make one of these babies shine again!

Look at all this delicious metalwork!

 Whewee, I can't get this shade off fast enough!

 This stuff is the bomb for lamps….

getting in all the little crevices can be challenging

with a paint brush...

 I bag up and tape off everything I don't want to get painted...

 Let the fun begin…….

 Beautiful...

Here it is all complete with a new Target lampshade…….

I have Stevie Wonder in my head looking at it...

"Isn't she lovely?

Isn't she beau-ti-ful??"

And speaking of lamps, 

check out this discontinued Regina Andrew one I have for resale!

Aqua blown glass base.

Either of these is for sale. $85.

Which is your fav?

Enjoy your weekend!!!! 

Winter's a'comin'!

Pair of Teal French Side Chairs

Oh, my, I've been a lazy bones since Halloween….

with the blogging anyway……

My costume must have worn off on me….

But no,  it's back to the grind….

Here are a couple of sweet little chairs 

I bought in Hopewell a couple weeks ago.

 Love the lines….

the cane backs……

The upholstered seats were actually just

plywood pieces that were covered and placed on top…

not even attached.

 When I removed them, I understood why….

cane was in disrepair.

Not a problem for me because I'll use the plywood

to make new seats and attach.

 

This transformation began with a custom mix of Annie Sloan

Chalk Paint colors to get this wonderful teal color.

 Here it is base coated.

 Next I used Paris Grey to paint the cane chair back. 

Over the teal base coat, I dry brushed Old White. 

 Looking good!  

I didn't bother painting the cane seats since I'll be covering them.

 I love how the dry brushing hits all the little details in the wood.

I used the last of this grain sack fabric to do the seats..

Will have to get more…it's my favorite.

 And you know me.  

I don't like matchy-matchy.

So I changed the direction of the fabric for the 2nd chair.

Coupled with this tiered little table,

it would make the perfect ensemble in a

foyer, bedroom, etc.

Don't you think?

For sale. $195 for the pair of chairs

$75 for the table.

Package for set: $235