So many houses these days have them. So, I chose a two-story foyer for the latest installment of my “give & take” series. A tall entryway can seem grand at first—but can become a real challenge to decorate. Here’s how Jeri’s foyer looks now:
> Unsure how to decorate such a tall space, especially the wall going up the staircase.
> Entryway feels “boring.” (Her words.)
> Doesn’t love stair railing, but it’s not in the budget to replace for now.
> Would like a “layered, comfortable” vibe to welcome guests.
I have to agree with Jeri. This space could use a little life, and I would do that by adding some fun color and pattern. The furniture and wall accessories seem to feel too small-scale for this space. I would use a taller, bulkier storage piece in a rich color and pull the eye up by adding colorful artwork going up the stairs. I would also suggest painting the wood banister black for an inexpensive update.
Black and white staircase inspiration:
artwork 1 // artwork 2 // artwork 3 // navy campaign chest
yellow bowl // rattan chair // pillow // jute rug
More “give & take” posts:
Affiliate links used.
Love these suggestions!
Emily, this is stunning! I love this series, and your ideas are just spot on. Love everything!
I love your ideas but a $3,000 chest seems really unrealistic! I would love to see more affordable options in these posts.
I just knew someone would say something about that :) I’ve been adding the disclaimer (until now) on these posts that these are purely inspirational. I’m not working with a real budget or even exact measurements–just giving my first impression of what I envision. I like to provide actual sources for what I show, but I think many of us (including myself) could take these ideas and shop for similar pieces, or even something secondhand to paint ourselves. If I were being paid to do an actual design project for a client and working within real parameters, I definitely wouldn’t be able to pull together ideas quite this quickly…
That makes sense. Again, I love your ideas! I love finding sources to affordable options but I know that takes time. Thus the never ending battle I guess most of us face. So little time, so little money! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Yes–definitely a struggle for me, too. (Although I do love to hunt/shop!) Thanks for understanding :)
She doesn’t make as much money off the affiliate links if everthing were cheaper:)
Oh sweet Amy, if you knew how little I actually make off of affiliate links… You’re welcome to source for yourself (as I mentioned) or just skip these posts altogether :)
You are class and grace personified. Thank you so much for providing us with inspiration — I definitely look forward to your posts!
Thanks, Jeanie :)
I am loving this series! We’re about to purchase a home that has a foyer, and you now have my mind filled with ideas for adding interest to the space. I’m decorating in my mind before we’ve even bought the house! Haha!
Thank you for this series. It is one of my favorites, and I love it! It is so nice to see your practical and pretty ideas for decorating dilemmas that most of us can relate to!
I have a similar foyer and found an armoire on Craiglist. With art/accessories on top, it really fills the space nicely and provides storage. Just another idea for Jeri!
Yes, I like that idea! I think her space could definitely handle the weight of an armoire.
Thanks for these ideas. I too, have a two story foyer that I think could use some inspiration. We took the carpet off of the steps and added a product called stare-treads (there is also one called e-z treads). They are real wood treads that slip right over the treads that were once covered with carpet. Those treads usually are made of particle board or at the best wood that has knots and marks and doesn’t accept stain evenly. We stained them to match our hardwood and then stripped and stained the handrail too. We originally had the red oak stain similar to the picture above. We now have a rich, dark brown that looks so much better. I have a larger, bulkier piece that would look better in the foyer itself. Artwork is probably my biggest challenge. I like your ideas and find that if I keep a list of ideas handy, I can usually find something. Thanks!
Good info on the stairs. Thanks for sharing.
Jenny BC, Love the stair tread idea, thanks for the details.
I have one of these types of entryways with a stairway. What worked for me is hanging a quilt on the large wall. It is a rather modern quilt, but could be any style, of course! It is extremely striking and I get tons of compliments on it.
Great inspiration, as always, Emily! I love these posts- thank you. I just bought a beautiful Ethan Allen chest of drawers for $25 that I plan to paint. I love the navy color of the inspiration piece you linked to- perfect!
I don’t think I’ve ever commented before, but you need to do this series MORE OFTEN!!! I get so much information out of them for NORMAL houses. Love them!
I don’t comment as often as I’d like, but just had to say that this series is awesome! Your ideas and suggestions are the BEST!! Thank you for sharing your advice and all of the inspiration!!!
Agree, really enjoy this series. Has anyone ever followed up with an “after”?
This is a pretty new series, but I’m hoping some will share once they’ve had some time to work on the space. That is, if they liked my ideas :)
I love the series and it’s purpose. It truly inspires creativity and imagination. Thank you for sharing your talent and sources with us:)
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for this! I love your style and your ideas. This is a great series–especially this foyer one because I have a two-story foyer with a big wall that’s been empty for three years! :) If you won’t mind answering, when you say “big” for the three pieces of artwork, about how big should they be? (I clicked over to the OKL links and see that they sell the pieces in different sizes…I was just wondering what sizes you would suggest for a two-story foyer.) Thanks very much!!
Without knowing the size of that wall, my guess would be to do #1 and #3 in the larger sizes offered and to do #2 in the smaller size.
Thank you!!
I love this series! I feel like everyone can get some sort of takeaway on better design, even if they don’t have that particular type of space. It’s so inspirational – thank you!