Entre, S'il Vous Plait
Photos by Barbara Clare
When Ray and I bought our house, it had no foyer. Once you stepped through the front door, you'd see the wee kitchen to your right and an open, vague area to your left that led to the living room. Every time I walked through our front door, I was confronted by this abrupt layout. I hated it.
Homes benefit from a space that transitions you to the living areas. Foyers provide that essential transition, offering a note of grace.
Though our available space was limited, when I designed the kitchen I made sure to dedicate some of the footprint to a foyer, which included a coat closet and an alcove where we could hang our hats. I knew I would love having a place for our hats and coats, but I could not predict how expansive the entry hall felt.
Now, when folks open our front door they are immediately struck by the spaciousness of the entry. At approximately 4.5' W x 8' L, it's not large, but it's enough space to evoke a welcoming feeling of openness.
I do love our entry alcove. I snugged a slipper holder into it. A repurposed wine rack now holds slippers, rather than wine bottles, for us and our guests. At our no-shoes household, I figured that if I was going to ask guests to remove their shoes, I should provide them with slippers.
Above the slipper rack, we hung a handmade metal hat rack. Being a redhead and an extreme gardener necessitates regular head coverage! It's such a pleasure to walk inside, remove my hat, place it on the hatrack; remove my coat, hang it in the closet; remove my shoes and slip on some slippers. Voila! I have entered our sanctuary.
And the floor? It's Italian porcelain terrazzo. Originally, I thought we would choose a porcelain that referenced the bluestone outside, but as often happens in creative projects, the image I carried in my mind did not look as appealing once I saw it in the space.
Originally, I was leaning toward a quiet, natural Zen look. But that tile died in our space. There's a fine line between a serene, Zen look and, well, simply dull. In our space, the 'Zen' tile was boring.
Viewing the 'Zen' tile next to what had been my second choice, a terrazzo tile, we saw that the terrazzo expressed verve, whimsy, and a bit of fun. What's more, it echoed the speckled mosaic of the river rock outside. Decision made!
I think of it as festive confetti on the floor. And clearly, our pup, Lucy, approves.
In the top photo below, you'll see how the exterior entry area looked before remodeling the kitchen. In the AFTER photo beneath it, note the new front door has been relocated, a new window and another stone step added, all enhanced by the metal roof. To extend our al fresco dining hours, a canopy and solar lights were installed.
A final artistic touch -- a welcoming ideogram of a house warmed by the sun greets all visitors who step through our front door.
