Even though we are right in the middle of the Christmas holidays, that didn’t stop Mark from starting a new project around here. It’s something he’s wanted to get done since we moved in here. We have a habit of walking around our house and looking at things we want to do. This foyer project was a big one on the list and Mark has been chomping at the bit to get this one done.
It’s my birthday today, by the way!
Let me share where we are so far and also some inspiration pics that we looked at along the way. We looked, we pondered and finally figured out how we wanted to execute this project ourselves. Mark is really good at figuring things out. I’m so lucky that he enjoys doing these projects and woodworking magic is his favorite thing to do. He has honed his self-taught skills in his last house and now this one. He’s getting better all the time.
{from Stefana Silber}
Here’s an example of what we wanted to do. We’ve seen the box moldings which is basically board and batten and it’s done in so many ways from slanted down the stair wall to straight across like this one. We decided since we have a really tall foyer wall to do the molding about 1/2 way up the wall which really makes a dramatic statement.
Here’s a reminder of how tall our foyer wall is, flooded with morning light. We love our vaulted foyer ceiling, it creates drama when you walk in the door.
This little short wall is also a dramatic spot to add this same molding as you can see in the above photos. Drama galore! We are going after that!
I’m not going to share the whole process right now, but will do that later when it’s all finished. I just wanted to share this with you and where we are at the moment. We wanted to be sure and get the box sizes right so we used green Frogtape to add the boxes so we could visualize exactly how it would look. We bought the materials, using 1×6″ boards across the top and bottom and we used 4″ boards on the inside of the boxes. We also decided to add an extra decorative wood molding inside the boxes for this treatment, because it really elevates it to the next level.
It was a big job, but I’m so proud of Mark for figuring all this out. He’s the mastermind and brains behind our projects that is for sure.
Vertical boards went in first. After we visualized the size of the boxes, he cut a piece of wood for his spacer, so that they all would be equal distance from each other.
Next he filled in and made the boxes with 1×4″ boards.
Leveling everything along the way, it really started coming together.
Looking from the top of the stairs down below.
Next step was adding a decorative wood molding inside the boxes. This is the first time we’ve done this addition to any of our board and batten projects to it really takes it to the next level.
Mark worked those angles just so and made his way up the stairs. Some of the angles were really complicated but he figured them out.
After using wood putty and caulking the big wall, he moved on to the lower foyer wall.
And here it is almost finished.
We decided to hire the painter who painted our cabinets and bar area in the kitchen to come back and spray all of this with his pro sprayer, so we are waiting on him to have a free day to do this. I think that’s really going to look great and take our foyer to a new stratosphere. He’s going to put up plastic and tape everything off so that the house is protected from the sprayer. I know it’s going to look fantastic when done. It will all be painted white, the same as all our trim paint.
This is definitely something that was on the list since we moved in and I can’t believe it’s almost finished now. We love it so much! Stay tuned and I’ll be showing the finish as soon as I can! Fingers crossed it gets painted before Christmas!
Rhoda, this addition to your lovely entry is just beautiful! Mark always does such a wonderful job with everything he has done in your home. You have a gorgeous home and it is so great to see all your personal touches you have added to it. You both have such wonderful ideas and work so well together to finish everything.
Hope you enjoyed your birthday today! May you be blessed with a wonderful year!
Thank you, Mary-Ann, we are thrilled with this one. He’s been planning this since we moved in and now that he’s retired has a lot more time on his hands.
This is the perfect touch to your southern home, Rhoda!! My dad did this to his 100 year old house a few years ago and it’s amazing what timeless appeal it has. You and Mark are really inspiring!! I’d love to do this to our dining room.
I bet that was beautiful! Woodwork and trim sure makes a difference for a relative little bit of money.
Rho,
Your new project looks fantastic. Mark is a master with the saw. Aren’t we lucky to have men that can do all of that wonderful woodwork? I do have to say that you are very brave to have the painters spray with all of your lovely decor out. That’s a nail biter! Without the decor. I know that you will be happy when its done.
Happy Birthday Dear Friend!
Judy
Thank you, Judy. Believe me, I’ll take down those hanging Christmas glass balls and everything will be covered completely. I trust our painter, he did a great job in the kitchen.
Rhoda, you cannot see me, but I’m over in the ‘Ham enthusiastically clapping my hands. What a great idea for the space; it gives a beautiful ‘finished’ look to the stairwell. Mark is a woodworking wizard and master planner; he gets kudos from me. Looking at his ladder – my husband finally invested in a little giant ladder and it is quite the handy product for those hard to reach heights. In the mean time, be sure and cook his favorite meal. The man deserves a trophy! Merry Christmas.
Thank you, Becky, I’m so proud of him. He has really honed his skills in this house and it sure has changed a lot in 3 years.
Wow he’s very crafty! Loving how it’s turning out! It’s going to look fabulous all painted white too!
looks great – belated birthday wishes!
Gosh, Rhoda, you’re right: this will put your foyer into a whole new universe! Kudos to Mark for figuring this all out–that’s a big geometry project!
Hope you had a wonderful birthday weekend. Every blessing for the new year!
Oh wow, that looks fantastic! I really do like the additional cove molding; it really polishes off the overall look. Can tell Mark is a perfectionist, so important in projects like this. Happy belated birthday, too, Miss Rhoda! This new trim work is quite the BD gift.
I love this! Y’all have inspired me to do this in my stairwell! I cannot wait to see it when it’s finished. And happy belated birthday!!
Looks fantastic! Mark is a master with wood, for sure!
We did the same thing in our foyer 3 years ago, on the stairwell wall only. We have a lot of traditional trim work in the house and the foyer is tall like yours, so we did traditional rails and boxes, and did a family picture gallery above it, and it really did amp up the foyer to the next level. It is probably the most impactful thing we have done in the house so far!
I can’t wait to see yours finished!
Happy belated birthday!
Absolutely gorgeous! Happy Belated Birthday!