My foyer is one of your favorites, and one of mine too! I knew I wanted to make it lighter, brighter and more transitional for a while now. The new decor pieces would have to fit that look, plus blend with my chandelier and console table that I love. I am so happy with the way it's coming along!
The mirror, art and lamps are all new. They might be modern, but still blend with the French look of my home. I have a new bench coming soon that will go underneath the art.
I've been eyeing this mirror forever! I love the star detail between the panes. I think the lamps are a great complement and so unique.
I love the way my chandelier by the front doors blend with the new decor. I still need art for that side wall. I have also been considering some type of wallpaper and/or ceiling treatment in that area as well.
The art upstairs will be going back to the master bedroom so I need to buy something new for that wall as well. I might even paint it an accent color like a blue-gray. I also want to continue the French wall trim treatment down the side of the stairs too. There's always so much to do!
I don't know if you can see it, but I love the way the foyer blends with the dining room behind it in the mirror. It flows so well despite the newly added modern accents. It just goes to show carefully blending styles and colors can give your rooms so much more depth.
I feel like my foyer is your favorite room in my house! There's been a "bring it" mentality that goes on in my head because of it. I actually thank you for that because I can get a little lackadaisical if I don't have motivation. My design clients get treated to well thought out designs, but when it comes to my own personal spaces I will procrastinate on what I know that needs to be done. I get excited about my home all over again just by bringing in a few new things or even moving items in from other rooms during the holidays. It's exactly what I do for my staging clients so it's nice to give myself the same treatment.
This year I was motivated by these beautiful lavender mums. I didn't know where I was going to put them, but I immediately wanted to pair them with white and light green pumpkins somewhere. My design approach during the holidays is to combine different colors/styles until I get the exact combination that resonates with me at that moment. Besides the color scheme, I knew I wanted something a bit romantic. I've been shying away from transitional decor and more into a pretty, French look lately. I'm sure this will pass, but I want that feel for now.
I wanted a garden stool next to this chair as soon as I started putting this together. I found something online within ten minutes, and had it delivered two days later. I still find this technology amazing. I had a pager in high school for goodness sake!
I am working on my backyard and kitchen next before I give you the full fall tour next week. I am anxious to be done because it's going to be so busy with homecoming for my older son. He has a parade, he's nominated for homecoming court, a football game and a dance to go to all next week. Then there are so many festivals at home and at our beach house in Galveston. I also want to make all of those pinned fall recipes you can find on my Pinterest board under "food." I know you follow me for interior design, but I consider myself a homemaker first. I honestly believe that makes me the best at my job!
I am so excited to reveal my new chandeliers! Our ceilings are so high in three of our main rooms that we needed very large chandeliers and an electrician to hang them...aka expensive! This is why I put it off for the three years we've lived in this house. Even though I didn't think we were going to install chandeliers this year I decided to go ahead and pick out the decor for each room of my house. It's something I do for my clients before I buy a thing. I realized I needed to treat myself like a client and have a plan for every room. That way I can go ahead and make purchases a little at a time without worrying I will make a mistake or went over budget. It turns out if I had just looked a bit harder I would have been able to find the exact lighting I had in mind all along at a fraction of the price of large retailers (not to mention my designer discount). Also, I found a highly recommended electrician that charges much less than many people I used in the past. It's a little disconcerting to realize I could have had chandeliers years ago, but I am happy to have them now!
Let's start in the dining room!
I think this chandelier was made for my furniture! The color, style, and size couldn't be more perfect. The funny thing is I kept coming across it in my online searches, but it just didn't look that great in photos. I had stopped by a local furniture store for a client and happened to see it there. I was instantly sold! I had no idea it was so substantial in person. The size of it still makes me take a second glance every time I walk past it. Honestly, it didn't look that well made in photos either. That couldn't be further from the truth. It is so well-made! The beads, mother of pearl and champagne finish couldn't be more beautiful.
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Here are tips for hanging chandeliers in rooms with high ceilings. Many designers will tell you to hang your chandelier 30-34" over a dining table, use a method of adding the dimensions of the room to find the height of the chandelier in inches you should buy, and to keep the width 10-12 inches smaller than the width of the table.
Throw all of that out! That's only good advice if you have an eight foot ceiling. I don't know a soul with an 8 foot ceiling! It makes no sense for us with new homes and skyscraper ceilings. Well, the configuration of the height of the chandelier is fine. When you buy a very tall chandelier you are also going to get unexpected width because most of them are made for foyers. It is completely okay to have a chandelier the width of your table. The reason why it is recommended to keep the chandelier width smaller than the table is to avoid your guests from hitting their head on the chandelier as they stand or sit. If you have taller ceilings you can easily just hang your chandelier higher. It also takes up the void of space in the upper half of your room. I prefer to use the rule of thumb of hanging the chandelier in a room without a table in this case, which is at least seven feet from the floor. In my case, I hung the chandelier six feet from the floor since the last 12 inches tapers in toward the table. The candles that are in danger of my guests noggins are seven feet from the floor. This isn't recommended advice I have seen anywhere FYI, but it's basic math. Once you research the why for the "chandelier rules" it is shocking how outdated they are. I hope this helps all of you with tall ceilings like mine!
Let's move to the foyer!
I absolutely love this chandelier! I picked this one out before our house was even finished three years ago today. Yes, three years ago today is when we moved into this house! It was very pricey at the retailer I saw it at all those years ago. After looking around recently I realized I could buy almost the exact chandelier at a much more reasonable price. I could not be happier with it! It is so dramatic and beautiful. The photo does not do it justice!
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The living room chandelier is also another one that I chose before we even moved in. I looked around to see if there was anything I liked better, but I always came back to this one. Just like the foyer chandelier, I found it for much cheaper than a popular brick and mortar store sold almost the exact one.
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I hope you enjoyed the new lighting tour! I am sure I will have more photos for you soon!
The closer I get to getting my home completely decorating the more I love to add seasonal decor. I typically only use fresh florals and candles. It doesn't take much! This year I decided I to deck out my blue and white vases with palm fronds. My current home doesn't have palm trees to cut fromnlike my last one so I bought faux ones. It was such a great choice, especially with all of our summer trips we had planned. It was nice to have one less thing to water!
I know I always say it, but "blue and white goes with everything!"
A little pop of orange and an elegant glass pumpkin is all this room needed to welcome fall. You might also notice the new lamps!
I didn't include it on my fall post because I was debating whether to keep the lamps here. I repurposed them from the dining room because I needed more light here. We have a chandelier in the entry with absolutely no way to replace the burned out bulbs because of the height so I haven't been turning it on as much.
I don't show this view very often because it's still really bare. I'm hoping after Christmas I can remedy that with wainscoting on the second floor wall, new chandeliers and decor that isn't borrowed from other rooms. The bench is from the bedroom and the chair is from the dining room. I think it's time the entry got it's own furniture!
The bright side is I can definitely live with the way it looks for now!
