Foyer Makeover: From Drab to Fab with Paint

My hand might be permanently stuck in the paintbrush-holding position after this project! But the result? Absolutely worth it.

We’ve just checked another room off the to-do list, as far as painting goes, at least. Our foyer has undergone a major transformation, and I’m excited to share the details.

When we first moved in, our foyer had a lot of yellow. You can see what it looked like here. While I appreciate a bit of sunshine, the yellow was overwhelming in this space. It also had a faux aging finish that made the walls look a little dingy.

It took weeks of on-again-off-again work to get this foyer painted, with help from my father-in-law and Robert. But now that it’s done, I’m thrilled with the result.

We’re painting every bit of trim in the house. The existing almond/beige color wasn’t very flattering, especially after painting the ceilings with Benjamin Moore Simply White. The difference is remarkable!

See the difference that a fresh coat of paint makes?

I’m a huge fan of bright white. It instantly makes a space feel cleaner and more inviting. It’s like turning on the lights and making everything crisp in one swoop.

We also painted our staircase. My father-in-law tackled the crown molding, climbing all the way up to the second-floor ceiling from our landing. Talk about dedication!

For the walls, we chose Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, a very light, true gray. Since our foyer has limited natural light, we wanted to keep the space as bright as possible. We used Benjamin Moore Simply White on the ceiling and trim, consistent with the other rooms in our home.

I’m still deciding what to do about the chandelier. It feels too ornate for my style. We’ll likely sell it to someone who appreciates its antique charm. We haven’t picked a replacement yet, so it stays for now.

I recently shared a sneak peek of a gorgeous entry table I found on Craigslist for the niche beside the staircase on Instagram. I can’t wait to get it in place. The foyer is almost *too* neutral for me right now, but once we add that furniture, new lighting, some wall decor, and possibly a rug, it will have more texture, color, and contrast.

On the staircase landing, we replaced an 80s-style sconce with a black and wood one I found on sale at Lowe’s for $16!

We’re using Edison-style daylight white LED bulbs now, which give the antique bulb look with energy-efficient light. The amber bulbs we had in our last house seemed too dim, hopefully, these will help me avoid any tumbles on the stairs.

We painted the coat closet door and the inside of the front door in Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron to match the other doors in the house. The outside of the front door still needs some work, but we’ll tackle that later. That knocker is definitely staying though!

The only thing that has gotten *worse* is the view into my office – aka the room with the giant pile of who-knows-what. Let’s just say it’s a work in progress.

It’s our dumping ground while we finish other rooms and decide what to keep. I suspect a lot of decor from our old house will be finding a new home at a yard sale. A fresh start feels great.

So, that’s where we are. Still more work to be done, but we’ve made significant progress. In the next few weeks, we’re planning to finish a couple of projects in our living room, refresh our breakfast nook table, and complete our laundry room. Anyone else need a nap?