Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Our Foyer Makeover - The Before + Mood Board

Foyer makeover for a sophisticated black, white, gray and teal entryway. Do you have visions of a more sophisticated, brighter, cleaner foyer? Take a look at this pre-renovation foyer and the vision that will guide the decor transformation.

We have lived in our current home for 9 years. When we moved here, the kids were 3 and 5, still just little tikes really. We moved from a decent-sized, semi-detached house to a bigger, detached home with plenty of space and storage. (And then we proceeded to fill that storage up, but that's a story for another day.) Over the next couple of years, we installed hardwood flooring throughout the main level and we painted most of the rooms. (The previous homeowners liked clay and ochre colours. We were going for something lighter and brighter.)

The Before



For all these years since we moved, we have basically ignored the foyer and first-floor hallway. In fact, we have never painted it. Why? Mostly because the foyer leads to the staircase, which leads to the second floor, meaning there's a nice high wall over the staircase that needs to be painted. So we just avoided it. And we pretended it all looked okay. But it really doesn't. We've spent some formative years as a family tromping through this foyer, wearing flip flops, shoes, rain boots and winter boots. Not to mention those wet doggy paws.


The taupe-yellow wall colour has become a source of irritation for me. The standard builder trim is dinged up and dirty. And the front door (which we hope to replace next year) is still its original shade of boring white.


You can see that we have a fair amount of space to work with and there's a lot going on in it currently - plenty of pictures, storage cabinets and doorways to other rooms. Now that our family is older, with a preteen and a teen, I think it's about time for a fresher, more sophisticated look. When we (and visitors) enter our home, I want it to look clean, bright and calming.

Here's a quick video to give you a better idea of what the foyer space looks like "before" the makeover. You can really see the bumps and bruises:




The Vision




The colour scheme for our long-overdue foyer makeover is black, white and gray with pops of teal (inspired by the teal armoire in the dining room that adjoins the entryway). This mood board, above, shows the elements I plan to incorporate in our fresh, new foyer, including:


1. Benjamin Moore Intense White paint - for walls
2. Wallpaper - I ordered Graham & Brown Radiance Teal/White/Silver wallpaper from Home Depot for a small feature wall
3. Metrie French Curves Scene II poplar baseboard
4. Benjamin Moore Simply White paint - for trim
5. Metrie French Curves Ikons/Rosettes - to accentuate the trim on larger, open doorways
6. A teal area rug for a pop of color in the hallway - I am thinking this one
7. Metrie French Curves Scene II poplar crown
8. Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Fixture - I like this one from Wayfair.ca



I think you can see that these elements will create a cleaner, more sophisticated foyer. With all of the new trim, I believe it's going to look like a different house, actually! We are super excited to complete this small reno. If all goes well, we'll be done in November and I'll have a fresh, new backdrop to decorate for Christmas. So far we have removed all of the old baseboards and door casings, moved furniture out and taken down the pictures from the walls. Up next is paint! Stay tuned...

Steps in Our Foyer Makeover

The Before + Mood Board (you are here)
The Progress Report
The Reveal

Thank you to our sponsors!


This foyer makeover would not be possible without the help of these sponsoring companies, each of whom supplied (gorgeous) product. All opinions are authentic and my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life.

Visit our sponsors online:

metrie.com
benjaminmoore.com
wayfair.ca





*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after following these links, Woman in Real Life may receive a small commission. Your price is not affected.

54 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, I am so jealous of all of that space! I love the plan you have for this room the very first impression of your home! Can't wait to follow along! xo

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    1. Yes, it's quite spacious for a foyer Laurie. It does pose challenges in terms of so many small walls and angles but I hope the lighter paint will kind of keep everything looking clean. Thank you! I'm so happy you like the plan. :) Jo

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  2. Can't wait to see it at Christmas!

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    1. Thanks Carmen! We are looking forward to hosting in our refreshed space! :)

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  3. Did you bribe the dogs to pose? Nice pictures.

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    1. Actually I couldn't take a picture without them in it. I'm not even kidding. No matter which way I would turn they would get in front.

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  4. that's a nice lot of space for a foyer! How exciting to be doing a reno. Looking forward to your after pics!

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    1. Yeah, I guess it's basically breathing space, because it really doesn't need to be that big in terms of function. Thank you! Can't wait to get to the "after"!!!

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  5. It's going to look amazing 😉

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  6. Can't wait to see the final look!! I'm trying to bring in sapphire blue and teal more into our living room as so far it's mainly shades of brown. Love your color scheme -and the size of your entry!

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    1. Thanks so much Laura! Sounds like your living room is going to be lovely. I find teal and sapphire blue so uplifting. :)

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  7. this refresh is JUST what the space needed! and it'll transition so well into the rest of your home. I'm excited to watch it all come together!

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    1. Thank you Ariel! Yes, I think it's going to transition well too. Right now the entryway isn't really fitting in so well. I think the new trim and paint will make for a whole different feel. :)

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    1. Thank you Meagan! We're looking forward to the end result.

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  9. Looks great- I love the wallpaper!

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  10. I must say I like the colours of your before but am looking forward to seeing the reveal!

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    1. Thank you Julie! Although it might not look too bad in the pics, the walls are beaten up quite a bit. ;)

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  11. I'm a bit of a turquoise freak, so I really like the colour palette you've chosen for the foyer. Can't wait to see the result.

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    1. I think I'm a turquoise freak too Alison. Thanks. :)

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  12. You have a lovely home, looking forward to seeing the "after" reno pics.

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  13. What a beautiful home! Love the style! I only use Benjamin more paint in my home.

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    1. Thank you Carole! Yes, they have awesome paint. :)

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  14. I love your mood board, everything is so well thought out. I really think the wallpaper is going to look great on one wall. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

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  15. Amazing! I'm a huge fan of Wayfair, and Benjamin Moore is my go to paint brand!

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    1. Wayfair has a lot of tempting goodies for sure! And Benjamin Moore is a reliable choice. Thank you!

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  16. Love what you picked, hopefully you will post pictures when it is all done. Good luck with it! (Judy Cowan)

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  17. Personally I kinda want the pets too :)
    jan

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    1. Haha. I might be willing to give you the one who is out barking at the neighbours as I type. ;)

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  18. I can't wait to see the end product. The ideas look much more calming which is what you need for the foyer.

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    1. Exactly! More calming...and clean (hopefully)! Thank you.

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  19. Looking forward to seeing the end result! I love your sense of style - it's hip and unique! :)

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  20. Love this vision board for shifting the energy of a room! Looking forward to seeing the results!

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    1. Shifting the energy - I like that way of looking it!

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  21. I love how you are bringing it all together!

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  22. I love the colour scheme - can't wait to see the finished foyer. (I've noticed the walls and baseboards in my house are looking pretty dingy; maybe I'll have to follow your example and freshen up!)

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    1. Definitely - when you really start to look at your walls and trim sometimes, it's like, "Oh my gosh, how did I not notice how gross they are?" haha

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  23. Very nice , love the color , i bet your house will looks awesome at Christmas time , :) Treen Goodwin rafflecopter name

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  24. Your vision looks fresh & bright! I think it will definitely update the space & make it more modern.

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    1. Fresh and bright is just what we were going for! Thanks Krista.

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  25. I love the vision board. Great idea.

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  26. Love your roomy foyer, mine is so small.

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    1. Thank you! Sometimes I wish the rooms around it were a bit wider instead...but you can't have everything. ;)

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  27. I love the ceiling light (#8) that you have picked out. I can't wait for you to show an update!

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    1. Isn't it a wonderful light fixture? Thanks for your comment. Jo

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