foyers Archives - Emily A. Clark

Scaling Down the Design: Draper James Entry

Jul102018

This one has been around for a few years now, but I’m still so infatuated with the whole look of Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James stores. The Nashville location was designed by Pencil and Paper Co. (and photographed by Leslee Mitchell). Although it’s a retail space, there are a lot of good takeaway ideas. I’m attempting to pull several of the elements and scale down the design to help you envision how it could translate into a picture perfect porch–and entryway–for your home.

-Did you know you can order a canopy in a box? Could be a cute idea for a side entry door. . .

-A glossy exterior door (in any color, really), dressed up with a brass door knocker.

-A pair of faux boxwoods in classic planters is no-maintenance and never goes out of style.

-A navy (faux) grasscloth peel and stick wallpaper sets a dramatic backdrop for a gallery wall. Consider papering only the first wall you see (like in image below) and painting adjacent walls a bright white.

-A smaller version of the lighting used over the counter in the store would still make quite the statement in an entry.

-A blue, white and yellow gallery wall can be pieced together using a combo of art prints, digital downloads and even diy abstract paintings. I’d keep frames white and add a touch of gold with a simple mirror.

-A tucked away ottoman and striped rug add more pattern.

-Keep accessories simple and light.

Scaling Down the Design: An Eclectic Entryway

May162018

I’m bringing back my “high-end design for real life” series with a new name today but still centering around the same concept. (The title always seemed a little long. . .) It’s all about studying grand ideas from grand homes decorating with grand budgets and applying it–in a practical way–to our own homes. (You can catch up on my previous posts here, here and here.) Today, I’m tackling the colorful and eclectic entryway of Atlanta lifestyle expert Danielle Rollins. I was mesmerized by her home and this small peek of her foyer.

One Kings Lane

Since most of us don’t have a sprawling entryway (or husbands who will jump on board with birds and botanicals covering every square inch of our walls), this is how I would scale down the design. I love all that’s going on here and also pulled some elements in from her living room as seen in the photo.

Have any other designer rooms you’d like to see “scaled down”? Send me an email. :)

Our Colonial House: Blue and White Entry

Apr262018

As a follow up to my earlier post on choosing artwork for our blue and white entryway, I’m sharing pictures (and sources) of the rest of the space so you can see how it all works together. In our colonial style home, the front door opens to a small area where you can directly see the stairs, the living room, dining room/office and (green) kitchen. That’s a lot of pressure for one little spot so I did my best to make it colorful, fun and hopefully, welcoming.

And before you ask, I did use faux topiaries on my front porch. ;)

I found the pedestal table at an estate sale shortly after we moved in. (Apparently, similar styles are hard to come by, but I did link to a round one that’s close in size below.) The patterned stair runner has been one of the best decisions we’ve made. It shows (almost) nothing.

Further proof that decorating a house takes time. This was shortly after we moved in three years ago:

Another “before” shot. Removing the carpet and replacing/painting the railings instantly made the house look younger. (So many of you have asked for the black paint color name and I don’t have it. . . We had our contractor paint it as part of the upstairs renovation last year, and that was one of the details I left up to him.)

The view from our kitchen (shortly after we moved in and now). . .

I included this mostly just so you could admire my dad’s ‘stache circa 1976.