At the beginning of the year I started a new series here at Our Fifth House called “Design Dilemma”, where readers submit decorating dilemmas they’ve been dealing with in their homes. Then I brainstorm some ideas to help them jump over their design hurdles. I’m hardly an expert, but I think most times it’s really just about getting a fresh set of eyes on the issue. We all need a sounding board sometimes.
You may remember Corbie’s design dilemma.  She wrote in asking for help with her two-story entry foyer. While her foyer was already beautiful with gorgeous railings, lots of light and plenty of wall space, she was really stumped on what to hang on those walls. Decorating a vaulted room can be very intimidating.
Corbie loved the ideas I came up with for her space, and immediately got to work incorporating them into her entry. Last week she sent me a few photos of how the space is looking now, and I couldn’t wait to show you!
To refresh your memory, here’s a collage of how the space looked before. Beautiful, breathtaking even, but not quite “finished”.
When making design suggestions I think it’s important to take into consideration both the style of the house as well as the style of the people that call it home. The plan I came up with for this space was pretty simple, allowing the beautiful staircase to be the star of the room and using a few key complimentary pieces and ideas to make her entry feel more inviting.
The mirror looks fantastic! I can hardly stand how beautiful it looks with the railings! It also compliments the arched doorway so well! And the fiddle leaf adds so much life in here!
One of the suggestions I made was to paint the recessed area around the front door and in the art/picture nook, in Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze, to give those areas more presence and add interest to the space. Corbie found that Urbane Bronze was a tad too dark for her space and ended up going with the color Backdrop, which is a softer grey. It’s always hard to recommend paint colors online as lighting plays such a key component in how a color will read on a wall. But I just LOVE the way this simple design element made the front door feel more grand. It has so much more visual presence now, and you can really appreciate the beautiful tone of the wood against the grey color. Whereas against the neutral, beige walls the wood just sort of blended in. Now the front doors take center stage, and the paint creates architectural drama in the absence of moulding. Such a simple idea with major bang for the design buck!
Adding that same color to the art nook creates cohesion and makes this design element look more intentional. It highlights the art so well and really makes that piece stand out nicely.
It’s always fun to see design ideas comes to life! Next, I’ll be working with Corbie to give her living room a refresh, and I can’t wait to share more with you very soon.
If you’ve got a design dilemma stumping you in your home and would like some help brainstorming ideas, shoot me an email – Carmel@ourfifthhouse.com. I’d love to help you!
Great ideas, Carmel! I help my friends decorate their houses and the extremely tall two-story walls are one of the hardest things for me to encounter!