New mirror in our foyer area

Remember my post a few months back about our entryway / foyer area? It was a work in progress then, and what I really wanted was to get a full length mirror to make the space look bigger and less bare. Well, I've finally bought my mirror and here's what it looks like mounted on the wall:

It took me a while to find a frame I really liked since most of the mirrors that I saw were in a dark wood finish. So when I saw this gold frame with a kind of vintage feel, it was love at first sight! And of course it was on sale too, so double yey! =)

Anyway, here's a BEFORE shot of the entryway without the mirror. See how bare and lonely the space looks?

And here's the AFTER shot. Look what a difference it makes. I love how it totally opens up the space with the reflection of the living room (and notice how I'd already changed the curtains from my post here? looks so much better now).

The best part about putting the mirror here? I can totally check myself and how my outfit looks before heading out the door! ;p

Work In Progress: Our entryway area

I've finally gotten around to somewhat furnishing our entryway / foyer area. According to design experts, you should really pay attention to making this space look nice and appealing since it is the first and last room your guests will see. This area is where the first view of your home is made so it should definitely create a warm and inviting feeling.

Our house was newly renovated when we bought it so everything came as is. I've always found this area quite tricky since it was too small to really dress up. This is the view when the door is open. See how close the wall is to the door? I really have to choose my furniture wisely or the space will end up cramped.

I wish the wall facing the door was a few feet farther to have more space to put some furniture like a console table and some chairs. What happened after a while is that all our shoes would pile up on the floor so the obvious solution was to get a shoe rack. I wanted something that still looked stylish and I found the perfect one at Mandaue Foam (and it was on sale at 20% off!). It was slim which fit perfectly in the space and it didn't even look like a shoe rack!

I also originally wanted to put a mirror on the wall above the table but this is apparently bad feng shui. The reason it is not recommended to have a mirror facing the main door is because the mirror pushes away all the good energy that is about to enter the house. So I just decided to hang some artwork I had initially bought for the living room.

view when you enter the door

I love everything about these frames/artwork! It's exactly my style.

I love the 3-dimensional quality/texture of the frames

Here's a closer look at the photos. I was drawn to these the moment I first saw them since it featured birds, flowers and Paris! A perfect combination. =)

If it was up to me, I would like to dress up the top of the table with a lamp or some vases. But this is impossible with the two kids running around. So for now, I placed these wooden Matryoshka dolls as an accent piece.

This is the overall look for now. A lot more interesting than it used to be, but still getting there...

I still want to incorporate a mirror in this area to make the space look bigger and less bare. I've decided that a full length mirror mounted on the blank wall to the left of the door should do the trick.

I did some tinkering in photoshop and I came up with an in-situ of my vision below. I totally LOVE how it will look! I just hope to find a somewhat affordable mirror in this size and color. I started looking in SM and the prices range from P6,000 (plain frame) to about P15,000 (ornate frame). Hope there's a sale soon so I can buy one. =)

The magic of photoshop! I hope the mirror I end up buying looks as good as this one...

Anyway, here are some of my design inspirations that I wish I could translate into our entryway in the future.

I really wish our foyer area had more space for something like this. I love how everything comes together - from the ornate mirror with the funky lamps, to the fabric of the ottoman chairs.

Spaces design by Los Angeles Interior Designer Vanessa De Vargas

Nice the how the complex mirror balances the simple table. And I love the statement rug!

Contemporary Entry design by Boston Interior Designer Rachel Reider Interiors

simple, clean, modern

Modern Entry design by Austin Architect Alterstudio

I really like the idea of putting chairs in the entryway

Traditional Family Room design by Atlanta Interior Designer Cristi Holcombe

next project is to find a nice big artwork like this one

Entry design by Birmingham Architect Studio C Architecture & Interiors

Storage and seating all in one. I've been thinking of putting hooks in our wall as well but I think it will just add to more clutter (I can just imagine all our jackets/bags hanging there for everyone to see... don't think so). This is a great idea if you have the organizational skills for it.

Traditional Entry design by Minneapolis Kitchen And Bath Crystal Kitchen Center

Will update you guys as soon as I finish decorating this space! =)