Welcome Home...

It's so nice to receive a friendly greeting at the front door upon arriving home. For me, it's seeing these fresh green walls painted in Para's Aspen Valley. The front hall project started when I added trim to the doors and painted them out last January, and just one short year later I have a completely finished entrance hall. If my memory serves me correctly, I painted half of the hall early last summer, the other half in late October and finally the back of the door to the corridor just last weekend. I know how to take procrastination to the next level - particularly when it comes to painting, since it's not my favourite thing to do.

The photo on the above left is taken from the corridor, and gives an idea of how the green transitions into the navy blue at the end of the entrance hall (you can read more about that transformation here). It certainly is a contrast of colours (which I'm obviously not afraid of), but the trim moulding on the doors and walls keeps the spaces feeling consistent. By the way, do you loooove that table lamp? It's the Alexa Hampton Helios lamp designed for Visual Comfort and it's my new favourite thing!!

The colour may be the attention grabber in this entrance, but the trim moulding is what truly adds character to the space. A modern city condo doesn't always have to be smooth surfaces and hard edges, and the DIY trim moulding sets the tone for my home starting at the front door. I created this section of trim to fit the two gold leaf quatrefoil mirrors which had previously resided in my bedroom.

One last tip: I painted out all of the trim, including baseboards, to maximize ceiling height. The condo ceilings are nine feet, but here in the front entrance the ceiling is only eight feet due to a bulkhead running from the dryer vent (located behind door number one) and washroom vent (located behind door number two) through to the exterior. Painting the trim allows the eye to travel in one motion from floor to ceiling without stopping, fooling the eye into perceiving the space as being taller than it really is. I used this trick throughout the entire condo, painting out trim and baseboards in every room.

So what do you think of the colour? I love that it's bold! Truth be told I'm happy to see the final walls painted and I think I'm done with brushes, rollers and paint trays for the foreseeable future. Insert happy dance here!!

Monday Check Off & A Solid Front Hall Plan

On Friday I posted a "to-do" list for what I needed to get done over the weekend. I love that I did this, because it meant that I didn't end up languishing on the couch thinking "I can do all of those things next weekend". I tackled that list and although it may have been a tad too ambitious, most jobs were checked off.

Let's revisit the list:

1) Pick up paint test pots of 2-3 various shades of blush pink for front hall. Done
 
2) Source brass curtain rod for my mom's ongoing den makeover. Done 

3) Sand & prime trim moulding for two interior doors in front hall. Done
  
4) Prime both interior doors in front hall. Done
 
5) Cut to length all trim for both doors. Incomplete. Distracted by Golden Globes red carpet.

Testing paints in the front hall was interesting. Within seconds of brushing it on, I knew that the blush pink wasn't going to work. The colour was so soft that it didn't show up at all, so immediately I returned to my original plan of Farrow & Ball's Brockhampton Star wallpaper. I tested Para's Aspen Valley in a few spots and I gotta say, I was mucho happy with the look:

The Aspen Valley is a hint lighter than the wallpaper, which is for the

best since the front entry hall doesn't get much natural light:

Here's the plan to combine the paint and wallpaper. Wallpaper is expensive, but with this idea, I'll only need to purchase one roll, keeping the project budget friendly. The plan is to trim out the front entry wall (already done!) and hallway doors (working on it!), paint everything out in Aspen Valley, then install wallpaper within the moldings. Easy peasy, right?

My goal is to get this done and dry before this year's Oscar party which happens the weekend of February 22nd. I think I can, I think I can!!

Work In Progress: Front Entry

There is paint on the front door!! Coral paint!! To be precise, this lovely shade is PARA Paints' Ooh Long Tea*. And since I am bound by the rules of condominium living, let me be clear: the paint is strictly on the interior of the front door. With no natural light and a door previously painted dark brown the front entry felt a bit gloomy, so I decided that a light colour would be best to brighten up the space. Now it feels much more welcoming.

I knew I wanted to highlight the coral in the Persian rug at the front entrance, so choosing the colour was the easy part. The tricky part was painting around all of the door hardware - I'm not bad with a roller, but I'm terrible with a brush. A few touch ups may be required :(

I gathered my Nate Berkus pineapple & Jill Rosenwald vase to assemble a coordinating vignette on the tiny entry table. Did you know that the pineapple is an emblem of welcome & hospitality? The fern is a new addition and hopefully will survive in the low light conditions.

  
By the way, this is where the gold leaf quatrefoil mirrors ended up after I discovered that they wouldn't fit above the bedside tables in the master bedroom. The mirrors also do a great job of making the small entry seem brighter & bigger than it truly is. I'm still mulling over the possibility of adding a fun wallpaper to this area, but until I find just the right pattern that idea is on hold. What do you think so far?

*Thank you to PARA Paints for supplying the paint for this project!!

Up & Coming

There are projects in the works, my friends!!

For starters, there will be colour going up on the doors & walls. I've been in the new condo for nearly 11 months and with the exception of the guest bedroom & the master bedroom, the builder beige walls remain untouched. For the inside of the front door I've chosen a lovely coral, "Ooh Long Tea" from PARA Paints, which will add a fun hit of colour to the entry foyer. The colour was pulled from the front entry rug which I purchased on ebay. Since the entrance sets the tone for the rest of the home, I want to make this area bright and lively. I'm super excited to get this paint project rolling!!

Front Entry Thoughts

Am I losing it? I can't decide if this is a good idea or a bad idea. Follow my thoughts:

I came up with an idea for the front entry of the new condo while lying in bed last night wondering what to do with this Louis XV style lamp table I bought at auction. Estimated to sell for $600 to $800, it was a bargain at $150 buckeroos. I mean, check it out, people, it's inlaid and cross banded rosewood for crying out loud!

Photo courtesy of Empire Auctions Toronto

So I started thinking that this table would be just the right size for the two foot entry wall, and the three tiny drawers would be perfect for dropping keys and hiding miscellaneous clutter. With my thrifted Syroco mirror hanging above, it would make a great little entry vignette.

The only problemo? Waaaaaay too traditional :-(

So what to do...what to do...?

Lightbulb moment!! Chevron!!

Using the table top as inspiration (note the pattern), I could paint one zig and one zag of pink and white on the wall to give the entry a modern edge. Can you picture it? Here, let me help you out:

What do you think? Is is Good? Bad? Ugly?

Edit: After much discussion, here is a mockup
with a Navy chevron. Better, yes?

Sarah's House 4: Entry, Mudroom & Powder Room

This first of this week's back to back episodes of Sarah's House 4 highlighted the front entry, mudroom and powder room. One of the first decisions for the entry and front hallway was to select flooring. Unenthusiastic about the builder's plan to lay standard ceramic tiles from front to back, Sarah and Tommy decided to upgrade the flooring in this area. They chose to spend a small sum ($549) to get a big impact just inside the front door, using cipollino marble tiles to add a wow factor. When I visited the space, I oohed and aahed over these tiles, proving the importance of a good first impression!!

Cipollino Bianco Tile

To create flow throughout the main level, Sarah chose to upgrade the flooring to a pewter stained hardwood. For paint colours in this area, Sarah chose to accentuate the opposite ends of the hallway by using a darker shade on the front door wall and kitchen entrance, while selecting a light, bright, welcoming colour along the hallway walls and up the stairs.

Vintage Pioneered Hardwood
Red Oak Estates Pewter:

Side Walls: Para Paints, SR5, Bubbles:

End Walls: Para Paints, SR58, Elephant:

Since the front hall is wide and long, Sarah was able to place two Jordan benches in the vestibule, along with a gorgeous custom credenza for storage and an occasional chair. A statement piece of artwork above the credenza creates an interesting focal point. Of course again we see Sarah's signature mix of fabrics, although limited to just three in this space, with a crewel, a zigzag and a lyrical woven.

Vestibule Fabric Scheme:

Just off the front entrance, a hall with coat closet serves as a mudroom. Tommy and Sarah select a slate tile for the floors, but because the colour in these natural tiles is extremely varied, they must be careful to choose just the tiles that work well together. On the walls, tongue in groove paneling topped off with a fiery orange paint colour creates an interesting sight line to the powder room. Hooks provide a spot where children can easily hang coats and school bags.

Tartuga Oro Slate Tile:

Mudroom Walls: Para Paints, SR37, Clay:

In the small powder room, there is an opportunity to use a wallpaper that would be overwhelming in a larger space. Sarah chose this bird print for a bit of whimsy and a splash of colour - notice how the birds in the paper are picked up by the paint colour used in the hallway.

Schumacher A-Twitter:

Since the pedestal sink and toilet take up most of the floor space in this room, Tommy goes on the hunt for a small shelf where guests can set down a cell phone or clutch bag. This vintage Moroccan piece from The Door Store is just the right size for the space.

All room photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.

Did you watch this episode? What did you think?