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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

We usually share bits and pieces of our homes here on the blog, but we’re going to try and do more full room home tours as we get rooms “finished up” (are rooms ever finished?) ย First up for me… My foyer. Now, I should explain that no one ever comes in our front door. ย It’s kind of sad since the front door is so cute now. ย (Take a peek at the door here.)

I think you’ve seen this part of the foyer before. ย Chair. Accent Table. Gallery Wall. Wallpaper.

Gallery Wall

I love this little vignette. ย The chair was thrifted, the table is IKEA, the bird is from Michael’s and spray painted yellow, the red frame has the chair material in it, and the lamp’s from Homegoods and is actually broken as of 3pm today. ย (Ugh) ย The chair needs a mini black pillow with a & symbol on it… Hopefully coming soon!

Accent Chair Foyer


Darn that I didn’t dust before taking these pictures. ย The poor bird is in a sea of dust!

Accent Chair Table


Ready to see my NEW FAVORITE THING??
Introducing….
My Big Foot Rug!

Foyer Rug


If you follow us on Facebook (which I definitely think you should) you got a little sneak peek of this rug. It’s from Overstock.com and you can see it here. ย Now, I know the size is a wee bit weird, but honestly the space is weird. ย Square and Circle rugs are muy muy expensive! (Didn’t know I was bilingual did ya?) I saw this big foot and laughed right out loud. ย I knew it was meant to be.
Oh, ย and did you notice… the door is charcoal? ย The Ombre Door Disaster is fixed. Did you miss thatย catastrophe? ย You’ve gotta check it out here.

Foyer Accent Rug

I need to buy a non-slip pad because it’s sliding all over the place!
Here’s the view from the living room into the foyer

Bigfoot Rug

Here’s the opposite view, from the stairs. ย Theย Moroccan-ish mirror is from Target.

Foyer (11)


I’m a dork, and was attempting to do a funny, Miss America wave, but you can’t get the full effect in a picture, so I went to a peace sign, but I’m not that kinda girl, BUT I am the mom of a 7yr old, so I know that Bunny Ears are one of the funniest things to do in a picture, or so Kade insists. ย Are you laughing yet? ย See, Bunny Ears… they work like a charm.

Moroccan Frame

One of the cool things in our house is the foyer ceiling and light. ย It’s a double trey ceiling, which the builder loved, but to us just meant lots of wasted money on molding, although, truth be told, now I do love how it looks. ย (note to self: replace one bulb)

Trey Ceiling


Now here’s my true motive for showing you the foyer from all angles… ย I need help. ย Shocker Right? ย I want to do something above the door. ย I see it from the kitchen, I see it every time I go upstairs, I see it all the time. ย So tell me, what you would do?

Foyer Ideas

Don’t be swayed, but here’s what I’m kind of fixated on. ย I can’t even explain why, but when I look at the door it’s actually what I always envision.
I’m thinking of using my mini-projector and painting the word HELLO in really large, graphic letters. ย I have been trying to talk myself out of it, but I think I’m sold. ย If you have other ideas, please share em!

Creative Foyer Ideas

So that’s my foyer. ย A tad quirky, really dusty, and 99% finished. ย Let me know what you think and then help a girl out with your ideas!


Follow Me on Pinterestย 
 

The comments +

  1. I was going to say word all, i.e. vinyl or painted before you mentioned it! go for it, you can always paint it back if you don’t like it ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Christina says:

    Not to burst your bubble, but I’m not loving the hello idea, since people will also see this on their way out the door on the occasions that they use it.

    How about some cute yellow birds in flight (or roosting in a tree) to match the one on your accent table?

  3. Hi Monica and Jess! It’s your friend, Bernie, the decorative painter. I’d suggest painting the rest of the foyer a shade or two lighter than the darkest gray in your stencil pattern. Then, in black (maybe a splash of red), paint the silhouettes of your family. You know, like those stickers that you see on the back of minivans? Mom, Dad, 2 kids, 1 dog, etc. Maybe give Mom a red purse and red heels. Projector, trace, paint, done!

    And that trey is screaming for something up there!

    • Hey Bernie!
      Thanks for all the ideas!! Man, there were so many awesome ones from readers! I will email you tomorrow with some dates for the birch stencil and I actually think I’m going to keep the table solid. I really want the wall to be the focus. I’m so excited about it!

      Talk to you soon!

      Monica

  4. Anonymous says:

    You should do a large blown up picture canvas of everyone in the family, with their hands stretched out and focused on, with “goodbye” or “Y’all come back” written on the palms like they’re waving goodbye

  5. Melissa says:

    How about hello AND goodbye in several languages (but recognizable by most) angled, straight, etc. Maybe 6 or 8 of them?

  6. Frume Sarah says:

    I too was struck with the sense the “good-bye” would make more sense. Or maybe some sort of travellers’ prayer to bless people as they leave.

  7. Anonymous says:

    come again or aloha. ang

  8. Annette says:

    Hey Monica, I saw on pinterest where you use lines of acrylic-latex caulk every 6 inches let dry instead of cthe anti slip pad. Love te foyer and the little pops of color!!

    • Annette,
      Thanks so much for the suggestion!! I now have it on my to-do list for tomorrow morning! My huge puppy flies down the stairs and slides it all over the place at least ten times a day.

      Thanks for reading and for your help! Have a good weekend!

      Mon

  9. Love the foyer; love that your bird is sitting in a pile of dust and that you have a lightbulb out, but that you posted pictures anyway. ๐Ÿ™‚ my kinda girl! And I was thinking the same thing before I saw your Hello Idea…you need a BIG word(s) right there!

    • Hey!
      Thanks for your kind words about my dusty house! ha! We’re all about keeping it real, so there you have it! ๐Ÿ™‚

      I was set on my big words, but now so many people have given me awesome ideas, I have no idea what to do!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Monica

  10. Too funny – I JUST saw a Pin yesterday with the word HELLO written in yellow above a door. I went back and found it – you can see it on Today’s Creative Blog: http://todayscreativeblog.net/annie-sloan/

  11. Dawn says:

    sorry, no ideas for you-i have the same problem so i can’t wait to see what everyone says….love your chair and table, i’ve been thinking of a bench for my foyer but maybe i’ll go in this direction instead, also love your pictures going up the stairs, i want to do that too!

  12. Anonymous says:

    I think a picture of everyone in your family…BUT just their bare feet!

  13. I think it should be red and maybe a retro EXIT sign….or even an emergency exit since you hardly use that door. But we’ve also discussed the idea via the garden design of adding a walkway from the street so people do use the front door. It’s kinda bad feng shui when there is no welcome to the front door. But we’ll work on that…Otherwise, I LOVE your style and that foyer. It is near to perfection for me. So cool! ~ Candice Price (garden design ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. 2busy says:

    I would put maybe some kind of inspiring favorite vinyl word art or something.

  15. I’m a Beatles fan so the first thing I thought was a subway art version of “you say GOODBYE and I say HELLO”

  16. Kim says:

    Just have to say I love the yellow frame hanging on the wall up your staircase. That pop of color is awesome!!

    • Thanks Kim! I get a lot of questions about it from people at our house, but I love how it catches my eye.

      Thanks for the encouragement and thanks for reading!

      Have a great weekend!

      Monica

  17. Anonymous says:

    I was totally going to suggest putting a “Hello” sign there, but I also like the suggestion of Exit. I love these wooden signs from Etsy, but you gals are so creative I’m sure you can DIY something
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/76818606/xl-hello-wood-sign-made-from-recycled

    or this

    http://www.etsy.com/listing/60873299/shut-the-front-door-18×22-handmade-wood

  18. So many creative ideas in these comments, I can’t top any of them! I love the shut the front door sign above. That’s kinda perfect:0)

  19. Whitney says:

    I love your foyer. I like the idea of a word above the door. How about this style? http://blogs.babble.com/family-style/2012/01/10/string-nail-letters-for-the-wall/

    • Hey Whitney! I loved your suggestion! It’s definitely at the top of my options list!! Even if I don’t do it above the door, I’m determined to find a place for it in my home!! Thanks so much for your input!

      Monica

  20. I think HELLO would look AWESOME!!!! Although I do see the point that you would primarily see it when you were leaving, not entering. I still think it would work, though! Or another quirky saying… like YO! Or even MI CASA/SU CASA. Since you’re all bilingual and all. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  21. What a great foyer space Monica and I love the wallpaper – where did you get it?? I think above the front door a metal / iron wall decor piece would look great! It would add just the right amount of interest versus a picture. xo Jenna

    • Hey Jenna,
      I must admit that getting your thumbs up on the space is a huge encouragement. Jess and I aren’t true designers, so it means a lot. THANKS!

      I def agree that it needs to be something non-picture related, although suggestion of the pic of the kiddos feet made me chuckle!

      Thanks! Talk to you Tuesday!

      Monica

  22. Great foyer, I like all of the eclectic elements, especially the wall paper. What about some pallet word art above the door? I made some and it seems like it might be the right scale for that space … and a good reminder of some of your favorite thoughts for your family to see on a regular basis. http://www.thespacebetweenblog.net/2012/01/13/pallet-wood-word-art/
    Whatever you decide will be really cool.
    Karah

    • Hey Karah,
      First off, I sometimes live vicariously through you. ๐Ÿ™‚ The other day I asked my husband if he’d ever want to move to an island and raise my kids there for a while. He looked at me like I was crazy ๐Ÿ™‚
      Your pallet word art looks awesome! I love it. My husband is a little sick of all my pallet projects, so I think I might have to skip it there, but I’m thinking of doing something on the porch- thanks for the inspiration!!

      Have a great weekend!

      Monica

  23. Marnie says:

    I’m always telling my husband everyone keeps paint cans on their kitchen counters!
    I love the idea of a word above the door, the suggestion of the Beatles hello/goodbye is cool but I also like the family silhouette idea and the retro EXIT sign.

    • Marnie,
      I’m so glad I’m not the only one with their supplies in the kitchen! ๐Ÿ™‚

      LOVE the Beatles idea- it’s definitely on my list of options! Too many good ideas are coming through!!

      Thanks for reading!
      Monica

  24. melanie says:

    Your foyer is so cute!! Id say the families bare feet is neat maybe standing in all diff directions. The yellow birds painted on wall or, ……”It was then that I carried you.” Since theres a footprint on rug? So many ideas!

    • Melanie!
      Wow! Great ideas! I never even thought of the bare feet with the rug. Ha! I also love the reference to Footprints in the Sand, Maybe I’ll even make a little printable to hang if I don’t do it above the door.

      Thanks so much for your ideas!

      Monica

  25. I was going to say the bare feet of your family too! Can’t wait to see what you can come up with!

  26. The Nagle's says:

    How about that cute picture of the kid’s sandy feet that you take each year? I was also thinking Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends.

  27. I love your foyer. Two of the projects on my to-do list are to paint the front door black and paint the spindles and base of the staircase white and just the top of the staircase black. Black is so elegant! Also, I DO have a mallet and polyurethane on my kitchen counter. You mean that’s not normal?? ๐Ÿ˜‰ Thanks for sharing. Love your blog? ~Linda

  28. Beautiful foyer!! I love the gallery wall, what a statement! Above the door, why don’t you add a favorite quote or saying?! Something special for you and your family! Wall decals can be beautiful. Uppercase living has some great things, check out their website!

    I have a blog too, and love you guys and would love it if you’d visit my blog

  29. I love your foyer! I want to tell you that I think it would be funny if the big foot looked like the print of a giant who tried to come in, but couldn’t. So, the rug would have to turn towards the kitchen. And, instead of hello or goodbye how about:
    THINK BIG
    Cute, huh?

  30. I don’t know if you’ve done anything with it yet, but if it was me I would look for a beautiful stained glass window to hang there (if I had the money to spend on them, they’re expensive!) or I’d buy a frame in an appropriate size and *paint* something stained glass-ish.

  31. Anonymous says:

    If I were you, I’d do what you are fixated on… the “HELLO” but use the circular shape from your cool wallpaper and replicate that as your ‘O’ in the “HELLO”.

    Good luck with whatever you choose. I just happened upon your page through Pinterest and am now following you guys. Bucks County, PA? (I’m a Cumberland Co., PA gal). God Bless!

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