There are a million things we want to fix and renovate in our home. Some things were obvious… update kitchen cabinets, replace windows, replace floors, etc. But the subject of this post, a hallway, wasn’t ever on our list of priorities. It was however, an annoying little hall with a dropped ceiling and all around pretty dysfunctional. One day when we were like, OK… WE HAVE TO START RENOVATIONS, my husband took a hammer and started tearing into this space and it ended up being such a great decision. It’s one of the first places you see when you come into our home, and it also spurred dining room and loft updates as all of the spaces are connected. At the office, we debated for a bit on whether this space is truly a “foyer”. In the end, maybe it’s not, but it is where we welcome guests. Plus foyer sounds better than hall, so let’s stick with that;)

In the past, we had random things in here including a giant wine cabinet. Because the space was already so claustrophobic with the low ceiling, adding a large piece of furniture was not the answer and made it feel even darker and smaller. I hoped people didn’t pay attention as they walked through this area of our home. And most of the time there were boxes and junk scattered about because part of the area was a strange empty place under our stairs. Since you see this right when you enter our home, I wanted it to be an inspiring little vignette that we could transform for entertaining if needed.

The first thing we did was raise the ceiling (will get more into renovation details in a different post next week though!) followed by retexturing the walls. I added a credenza that turned out to be much shorter than I expected (i’m actually horrible at reading descriptions when shopping online). But I loved the pattern and material so much that I decided to make it work (coupled with the fact that I also hate returning things). I knew the best option was to make the space more art and decor focused than trying to make it super functional. So we added 2 sconces to border a large piece of art as the central focus of the space. Art was my main focus here, so I headed over to Minted to pick out a few pieces. I love their variety and the fact that it comes framed if you choose the option. I chose an oversized piece to be the centerpiece and added a few smaller pieces that would accent it by leaning on the top of the credenza. I am a serial re-decorator so I didn’t want to hang too many of them. I like to change things up often and keeping the art leaning against the wall allows me to do that. I also think that it makes the space more relaxed which we want all throughout our home.

Art Pieces Featured

The credenza ended up being the perfect spot for our record player as well. This “foyer” is sort of like the center of all of our spaces. From here the living room, kitchen, dining and formal living room all stem off. Having the record player in this central spot has been really nice when we are hanging out at home or have friends over because you can hear it from anywhere. Our record collection also fit perfectly in the cabinet beneath it.

To the left of the credenza was the strange little nook that sits under our open stairs. I added a folding screen for color and texture, a chair and a side table. I think it could be a nice spot to sit down and take your shoes off after work or for guests to sit at when entertaining. Better a rarely used space that looks beautiful than a pile of boxes I need to return, right?

I didn’t want to add too many accessories, so I stuck with a few of my favorites; books, candles and flowers. Remember, this is pretty low, so I had to be strategic about what our dogs might want to grab off of here as well! I stacked a few books in the darker color palette, added my favorite candles and some candlesticks for drama, and finally tucked in a few bud vases for color.

Other Accessories I Used To Style this space

So, to sum up what I would recommend if you have a similar hall that you are interested in utilizing:

1. Keep your furniture skinny, you want to feel comfortable walking through these areas and not like you are moving around furniture.

2. Go vertical. Hang art to bring the eye up and balance out the furniture below.

3. Think of items you don’t use often, but want on display. These in between spaces are great for showing off your favorite things like we did with the record player.

How have you transformed awkward spaces in your home?

All art provided by Minted

Images by Kimi Domino