Diane hired me a few months ago to help her with her foyer. She was never happy with its cave-like feeling and really wanted to make it warmer and cozier with some additional elements brought in. So, I came up with this inspiration board and now I’m excited to show you the finished product, since Diane faithfully executed almost every single element from the board. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see AFTER pics of my Inspiration boards! Thrills me to no end!
And here’s the much better, AFTER: 
The cave-like quality has been helped greatly. Do you see the major changes?
- Trim was lightened up to now contrast with the pretty damask tone-on-tone wallpaper, which Diane liked and didn’t want to take down. I actually really love this paper. It adds a nice texture to this space.
- Stair risers were painted white
- New bookcase, which is much more substantial than the old piece.
- Chunky mirror over the bookcase throws some light around
- New rugs (runner and rug inside the front door)
- Framed prints of her 3 children now grace the stairway
- Vinyl lettering welcomes guests
- 2 New bird light fixtures really add some punch in this small space
BEFORE
And, AFTER. Don’t you love the new piece? 
BEFORE
AFTER
And the rest of these are AFTER shots. I love the rugs Diane found for this space. Pretty colors on a black background. And the addition of simple, but colorful artwork on either side of the door is great. 
Looking back at the front door. 
The runner is a great touch in this hallway. 
The Welcome vinyl and the bird light fixtures really adds to the ambiance. 
Job well done, Diane and thanks so much for letting me work with your space! It’s so much fun to see these boards come alive. It makes me giddy!
Here’s what Diane had to say about our collaboration:
Rhoda,
I cannot thank you enough for all your advice. The one thing I love about the foyer is the texture – with hardwood floors and stairs and so many doors/entries off this foyer – I could never warm it up. Now it is so inviting and warm, the textures of the iron lights, the rugs (particularly the long runner down the hall which I never would have thought of doing), the vinyl lettering, the cane collection in the pottery umbrella holder and the “to die for” bookcase which took 6 months to arrive. Painting the stair risers lightens up and enlarges the feel of the foyer. Also, I took down that half wall that you saw when you came in the front door (it divided kitchen from family room area). That opened up the view when you walk in the front door. You really have such vision.
I just have to tell you how happy I am with your design. I have lived in this house 13 years and most of the time, I can hold my own in decorating. I have even helped several people with decorating, but I was so lost in this little foyer that I could not make it come to life – I was stumped for years! And to walk in and feel how warm it is and I LOVE seeing pics of my precious kids on the wall – I adopted all 3 of them from Russia and they are God’s greatest blessing to me. Keep up all your good work, I know we will be doing another room soon. To anyone who hasn’t worked with Rhoda, I would say not only are the results fabulous, but the process is so much FUN – when I had ideas, Rhoda either agreed and encouraged me or she graciously pointed out alternatives that might work better. I felt so comfortable with all the decisions in pulling this foyer together and that comfort removes all the stress of decorating. Hugs, Diane
If you would like to get an online consultation and Inspiration Board of your own, click over to my Design Consultation page for all the details. I’d love to work with you too!
Here are some good reading links for you this weekend:
How to Blog (Better): Miss Moxie’s guide to blog design for non-designers.
Want to learn more about Twitter? Social media basics: Twitter terms
Want to win $100? $100 Question: NieNie wants to know your favorite lullabye.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Rhoda,
Great job in guiding your client in lightening up her foyer. It is definitely a very nice transformation! Truthfully, the only thing that seems out of place is the vinyl “Welcome” saying. I think it is distracting to the rest of the design. A pair of small botanicals prints with the same dark frames that she has used in the hall would be better. Add fresh green mats behind the dark frames for a small pop of color….it could even be pineapple prints if she is trying to say “Welcome”.
Au Revoir!
Great changes. Painting the steps really brightened up the space. The scale of the pieces you used fi tthe space much better than what was previously there.
Believe it or not I noticed the missing half wall in the kitchen (WAY down the hall) first. LOVE it!!!
Great job, both of you!
Wow, what a difference…both of you did an awesome job! Love that bookcase too!
Wow! It looks really beautiful now!
What a gorgeous transformation. Love the bookcase and the painted risers work wonders for giving the entry a much brighter feel. Beautiful. Hugs, Marty
This is beautiful! I remember truly loving this board design. She did a great job bringing your design to life. My favorite change is how much warmer the wallpaper looks with the new trim paint…and, I really like the welcome lettering, it’s a whimsical, eclectic touch!
What a difference painting the risers and trim made in brightening up the space. I love the little bookshelf. Great size for that wall. Oh and the knee wall. I felt there was a difference but had to go back when Diane mentioned it to see where it was! How did she fix the floor when she removed it?
Anita, It was amazing. Once we removed the wall, the wood “top” filled” in the hole (left by the wall removal) almost exactly – had to trim about 1/2 inch off one piece. So son and hubby used that top to make the floor level and to transition from kitchen to family room floor. I bought a new area rug that covers where the two different floors meet. I need to eventually redo the flooring in that area, so did not want to invest in a temporary fix, which the flooring company wanted $1,000 to do
. Like Rhoda says “It is not perfect and that is okay”.. Hope that helps. Diane
Oh my gosh! I LOVE that bookcase! I am going to have to find a similar one because I’m not gonna be able to stop thinking about it! And the staircase! What a major difference! Hope you have a great weekend! ~andrea
Andrea, That bookcase is by Heather Brooke and I called the manufacturer and asked them who close to my zip carried their line. Then I called that store and they special ordered for me. It saved me a ton of money as there was no shipping. Hope that helps. Diane
ok…you are about to push me over the edge to paint my stairs! They are beautiful!
Love the changes. My favorite part is the stairs. Love it!
Great job, Rhoda. I see you really warmed up her space. I love that they also removed a piece of furniture in the den that helps your eye travel all the way out to the back. All the light really seems to bounce all around. Those light fixtures are amazing!!
Rhoda, fabulous job and what a great enlightening change!!
Karena
Art by Karena
Gorgeous! Love how those stairs really pop out now. Love that bookcase! I’m going to see if I can locate something similar!
Rhoda, it looks fabulous! Diane, you must LOVE it! I am like you, most times I can totally handle decorating on my own (I almost have enough credits for my AA in ID) but occassionally it doesn’t hurt to have a fresh eye look at things! I am also in LOVE with that bookcase…your determination certainly paid off!
Rhoda, this is a really good example of your work! I love the fact that this woman is a very capable home decorator herself, but she employed your help on this room which had her stumped. This is a great idea, really–sometimes we all just need a fresh pair of eyes to look at a space.
Rhoda, this new foyer looks fabulous. I was just wondering where I could buy one of those fabulous welcome messages – are they available on line as I live in sunny Australia???
Suzy
I love the redo! Where did you get your rugs and the light fixture? Ya’ll did a great job!
I think I’m most impressed/pleasantly surprised at how changing the trim color really made the wallpaper look awesome! And the light fixtures are wonderful. It all looks great.
Wow! I love that wallpaper! I am really considering giving wallpaper a try. The only experience i’ve had so far is scrapping it off but now that i see yours i think i might be ready to take the plundge!
Rhoda and Diane, love the transformation! You’ve both done a great job! Where did you find the rugs? They are perfect for the space. Thanks for sharing!
LOVE the stairs. What a tremendous difference. I have started seeing a few stairs cases with the risers stained, and if that is a new trend, definitely do not like it. This looks so much brighter. I also love the Welcome sign and the new trim paint. Really brings out the wallpaper, which looks great. Fabulous job, Rhoda and Diane!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the changes! Wow, really welcoming and traditional. I’ve pulled up carpet and painted my stairs and that project is ALWAYS a million bucks! So enjoy seeing the before and afters. I love Rhoda’s style and it looks great in your home.
What a HUGE difference…I only have a question..I fell in love with the runner…where did that come from? This would be a foyer to be very proud of!!!
i love the huge difference. i really like the welcome vinyl. i was wondering where to get such a thing? i am too wanting to paint my stairs.. just by seeing the transformation here and what you did with your own.. i really like your style!!! thanks so much for the insporation!
It looks very beautiful