Bright and Eclectic Foyer

Welcome to the second room tour in our new rental, a bright and eclectic foyer.  (I’m knockin’ out the small rooms first!).  

In Japanese homes the foyers are usually lower than the rest of the house.  This is for the common practice of removing your shoes before entering the home.  Keeping your shoes and outside gear in the foyer prevents the house from getting dirty but also stepping up into the home allows you to be aware you are entering into someone’s private space.   Our foyer is lined with shoe cabinets and storage for this purpose and we enjoy taking part of the tradition.  Along with the shoe cabinets, a couple of baskets and containers along with a umbrella holder are necessities for keeping clutter at bay.  

Pretty treasures (or dead critters, however you look at it!) from our little beach are also displayed as soon as you come in. The space is perfect for creating a gallery.  A few of my art pieces and other paintings and photos line the shelf.  The built-in bookcases in the foyer were the first thing to be decorated when our moving boxes arrived.   They are one of the best features in the house.  

I’m obsessed with color coding books and and styling shelves.  You can find rental tips for decorating bookcases here and more tips for bookcase styling and decor here and here. 

Everything placed on the walls were hung with command strips to avoid holes.  (The walls are made of concrete anyways, so it requires more than just a hammer and nails!)

My most recent project in the foyer is the Fan Wall.   It’s one of my favorite spots in the house.  

The door to the left is the closet under the stairs.  It’s great for backpacks, rain jackets, and everything else that would normally be in a garage, if we had one….

There it is!  If you turned around you would be facing the open concept living/kitchen area.  To the right is the laundry room and downstairs bath.  To the left is the pretty wood stairs to the second floor.

In other news, I have an exciting announcement.  I’ve been invited to take part of House of Hoff’s Summer Series!  I can’t wait to see what all of the talented women are creating for the summer and of course to show you my nifty project that has me currently covered in hot glue. 😉

Images: Leslie London