Finding My Style in the New Year (Entryway)

Last year at this time, I had just touched my toes into the waters of home decorating.  I didn't have a clue about most of it.  Obviously I knew what I liked at first sight, but I wasn't sure what to do with it really, once I got it home.  A chair was a chair, a couch, a couch, and so on.  I didn't have a clue to how mix elements to really create a beautiful room.  After a year of studying images, and listening to advice from many sources, such as professional designers, bloggers, and friends, I feel like I have finally found my style and ability to decorate my home to reflect it. 

With the new year I am craving a calm home environment.  Knowing that I will be spending 20+ hours a day in the house each week leaves me feeling a bit claustrophobic, but I have to tell you, with the updates we have made recently, and the new décor setup I have completed, I am feeling very relaxed, and satisfied.

Once all the holiday décor was put away, I opted to decorate with a very neutral pallet, that will transition over the seasons.  Take our new entryway setup for example. 

We  have owned this foyer table for just about a year now, and it has functioned very well for us.  The two drawers offer us much needed storage in this space.  The lamps have been up since the end of summer, and fit the space perfectly.  The table isn't very deep, so I chose them for this space, because of their size.  One on each end offers light upon entering each end of the hallway. 

I chose the picture because of the calm colors, and mirrored frame.  It reflects light into the space during the day, which is nice since this hallway can be a bit dark at times.  Also, it fits perfectly on the tiered stair wall, and allowed me the opportunity to use only one piece of art, instead of many, which I wanted visually.  Remember, I wanted this space to be calm.  Almost spa like.

 

 

I had intended on using two of these hurricanes on the table, but as fate would have it, Rordan broke one before it was even out of the bag.  Luckily for us all, nobody was hurt and the mess was easily disposed of.  I actually like that I ended up with only one, although I'd like the $12 that I paid for the other one, back.  I filled it with a package of coastal vase filler to tie in the décor from our living room.  To even out the space, I placed a candle holder next to it.  It holds tea lights, and I can't wait to actually light one, one night and see how beautiful it shines.



 



 I wanted to bring in some more natural elements, and did so by using a faux flower arrangement.  This offers easy maintenance, and as a plus the flowers are beautiful, and really pop against the wall color.  For extra storage I placed a glass box in the middle of the table, and a small bowl on top of it.  For now the box is filled with a starfish figurine, but if I ever need the space I can easily remove it and place whatever items inside that need to be stored.  The little bowl is perfect to hold car keys and small items.  For a decorative touch, I added a small crystal figuring to the space.

 

The large baskets were placed on the second shelf of the table, and are wonderful pieces to fill the void, as well as offer storage for shoes, bags, or anything really that you want out of the way. 

 

And that's that!  A space that I am absolutely in love with visually, and functions well for the family too.  It took me a long time to find my style, but I really feel like I have accomplished just that.  If you are on the same journey, don't give up.  My advice is to really analyze the space you are dealing with, take your personal likes and needs into consideration, and come up with a plan that works for both.  It can be a bit intimidating, but I can bet you will love the process just as much as I did.  Now I have a space that I actually don't mind living with for quite some time!  That's something I never really thought I would accomplish.

 

I'd love to hear about your decorating journey, so if you have a moment, leave me a comment! 

 

Thanks for stopping by! ~Iris