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!!

Planning a Gallery Wall

The more I look at the floor plan of the new condo, the more I realize how few walls there are to work with. Of course the abundance of natural light will be a huge bonus, but it will take some ingenuity to find a spot for artwork, photography and mirrors. Here is the plan:

• Yellow Wall - Entry Console Table with Mirror
• Orange Wall - Gallery Wall of Photos & Original Art
  
• Pink Wall - Sideboard with Starburst Mirror
• Red Wall - Jackson Pollock, Number 8, 1949
  
• Blue Wall - Media Console & Shelving
  
• Green Wall- Floral Wallpaper
  
• Purple Wall - Chinoiserie Wallpaper

The gallery wall will be at the end of the entry hall, and it is where most of my framed photographs and artwork will hang. I like the impact of a gallery wall layout, as long as it appears neat and draws interest without being overwhelming. My favourite examples incorporate both photography, art, and even mirrors in a variety of frames.

Nate Berkus Design:

Charlotte Moss via Habitually Chic:

Mazen El-Abdallah via House and Home:


Tommy Smythe via House and Home:


via House to Home:


via House to Home:


Tori Mellot via Habitually Chic:


Suzanne Dimma via House & Home:


Michael Angus via House and Home:


Heather Clawson via Habitually Chic

Being a highly organized planner, I decided to try a "mock-up" for a potential gallery wall. Using photos of all my framed photographs and artwork, I grouped them together on a dark and dramatic navy blue wall. This first attempt is very neat, with all of the outside edges aligned.


For the second trial, I tried to let the gallery flow more, even though it goes against my orderly nature. There is alignment within the grouping, rather than around the edges. A vibrant kelly green wall really draws the eye to this gallery.


What do you think? Dark, dramatic and orderly? Or bright and free flowing?