23. Email Question ....

i'm working from home today due to this crazy snow storm we're in the middle of and i'm totally catching up on my postings for the first day of February :)

yesterday i received an email from a reader of my blog and i decided to answer his question on my blog here today.

question
"Hi Jennifer,
i have a design question for you...in my foyer/bottom of my stairs i have an 8 foot mirror, and in front of it is a ghost chair and huge glass base with dried branches. What can i add with these trio to have some umph!!! Please help!!!

answer
ah the foyer and stairway.
i know many people who have problems working with the foyer and or stairway, mainly because it's usually a smaller space to work with and being that these spaces are frequently used as paths of travel, you don't want to bombard it with unnecessary furnishings. however, with that being said, these areas are also a great way to showcase art, chairs or narrow side tables while mixing and matching different styles and elements of design!

my motto is "keep it simple"
in your case, you already have a large 8 foot mirror and a ghost chair at the bottom of the stairway, two visually non distracting elements. without knowing what your space looks like (ie: are the mirror & chair facing the staircase, how do the stairs fall, is there any other openings to any other rooms around the stairs/foyer etc...) it's really hard to give advice but the basic idea is this... keep it simple!

if you have a very narrow space, you can use the three elements you already have in the space and add drama or umph as you like to call it by doing these simple things. make note, a large mirror not only creates the illusion of space but also makes a decorative statement. use the illusion of space and play with it.

1. add color! the mirror will reflect the color and the ghost chair will blend into it. a vase is a great element to play around with, you can always switch up what you put inside the vase to reflect the season or even your mood!

2. add texture! wallpaper is a great addition in foyers/stairs. also a stair runner will not only provide a safe footing when asending/desending but it's visually appealing and adds great texture/warmth to stairwells. a beautiful rug will do the same thing for a hallway/foyer.

3. art! art it up. i'm a huge art lover and nothing makes a space feel more personal and homey than art reflecting the owner! whether it's hanging on the walls, sitting on the floor or just scattered about, art is the perfect "I AM" statement.

i'll leave you with a few inspirational images to get your creative juices flowing. if you get a chance i would love to see images of the space!



images from Livingetc