Making an entrance

Lately I’ve been studying photographs of center halls, foyers, and entrances.  Why, you ask?

Well, because our front center hall is almost empty.  Let me explain by first noting one of my favorite quotes is from fashion designer Bill Blass.  While being interviewed about one of his newly remodeled apartments he was asked what his favorite thing was. 

He replied, “The last thing I bought.” 

That pretty much sums up why our things are where they are in our house.  The last thing we bought can trump any existing item and will usually be placed in a focal spot.  We have a couple of those ‘museum’ spots in the house.  When we find something we can not live without, it usually starts out in one of these highly visible places.  That is unless it has a very specific use.  So, if I ever get that automatic flushing toilet it will go immediately to the bathroom and probably skip the ‘museum’ location!  The same goes for our bed.  When we bought a new Baker bed, it went in the bedroom; naturally it would have looked odd in the front center hall.  So it will remain in the bedroom unless we choose to move the bedroom to another room or a better bed shows up on my doorstep.

Because of the way our home is designed; many of the rooms can serve multiple purposes.  The dining room has been used as a living room and library.  Years ago I was told it was used as a bedroom.  I’ve used the front parlor as the living room, a library, dining room (not to mention that it’s where the bodies were laid out back in the day) and I’m now thinking it would make a great ‘salon’ media room.  So you get the point – it can be a free for all and one new ‘must have’ item can cause an enormous cascading affect!  Adding to this thought process, is the fact that I do not believe in a single decorating style.  I think if you have things that you love and those things express your creative point of view, they will work together in different situations.  That philosophy allows me to rearrange ad hock!

We bought a set of nine framed original etchings at the Park Avenue Amory antique show a few years back.  The idea was to hang them together in the front center hall.  They actually stayed crated for almost two years due to the renovation, so they took on an even more prized status once finally displayed.  But, for some reason which I can not fully explain, they have now made their way to our small media room and hang over the sofa.  The Philippe Stark Ghost chairs that floated near the etchings have made their way to the side foyer on either side of a white cabinet, thus leaving the front center hall almost empty, even though no new prized possessions had arrived to replace them.  There’s still a marble top ornate console sitting along one wall, but I have my eye on that and it maybe moving to the front parlor - again. 

I believe the most visible public rooms of a home should be the most dramatic and set the tone for the rest of the house and currently one of our most visible rooms is empty!  So, I’m looking for inspiration and comments, and the comment that I possibly need decorating therapy would not be appreciated! 

If you have any ideas let me know.

photography credit:

House & Garden 2005
Francois Dischinger

Traditional Home 2009
Peter Vitale

House & Garden 2006
Martyn Thompson

Metropolitan Home 2009
Annie Schlechter

Southern Accents 2002
Thibault Jeanson

Southern Accents 2003
Jeff McNamara

Veranda 2009
Peter Vitale