Home: Our Entryway In Detail

I love entryways. It is a space where you leave your car keys upon coming home, or set up a welcome bowl of chocolates for guests, or sometimes it is as simple as a single chair where you can sit while you put on your boots.

People tend to forget to put up this critical area of the home. For me, it sets the mood of your entire house. Read on to find out how I set up ours.

[1] Start with a main furniture. Our entryway space began when my parents gifted us with this beautiful buffet table from Crate and Barrel. It is a great piece for our entryway because it has just the right size for our wall, and it has room for storage as well. I also love that it is easy to clean underneath.

[2] Add some height. I put framed photos above it -- around eye-level, and arranged the frames in quadrants just like a window. I just printed out some of my prenup and wedding photos on photo paper (see, this was pre-Allie, otherwise, she'll definitely be in it). Then I used cheap white Ribba picture frames from Ikea. The Ribba is such a good deal. It already comes with matting -- and this makes all the difference in the world.

[3] Include visual interest. On the right is a pendulum clock that I got from Z Gallerie. My husband always tease me about it. He says that it's useless because it is hard to tell time with it. But hey, I love that I can call it functional art. It is also a great way to start a conversation.

[4] Balance the whole space. I used a leather chair and placed it below the clock. It is almost the same shade as the buffet table. Again, I got it from Ikea (Henriksdal, I believe, is the name) for a steal at $25. I remember because it was the first time I found something useful in Ikea's As-Is section. The only problem was that the box did not include any tools and screws, but I figured they were easy to get anyway.

[5] Put some of your favorite things. I love tiffany blue set upon dark woods and white. My only tiffany blue colored book is the Domino (love love love it) so of course, I added a Tiffany catalog. 

I got the bowl at a discount from Ross. I filled it up with Hershey's chocolate kisses -- I used their easter version (lots of pastel blues, greens, silver and pink). 

I don't know if you can see it but there is a couple of round dice on the books. Interestingly enough, it is weighted, so they function as real dice! If memory serves me right, they are from Z Gallerie as well.

[6] Add flowers or plants. I got live white phalaenopsis from Lowe's and put it in a white Ikea pot. I got it there because they guarantee their plants for one whole year. It was my first attempt to care for a living indoor plant. I was still a fool to believe I can take care of it. I tried, but I realized my thumb wasn't green. I think mine came only in black. Eeek. Sadly, after two months, the beautiful orchid became a brown stick. Okay, Lowe's people, don't hate me, but yes, that was me returning a dried stick and asked for a refund. Sorry. Now I refuse to go in Lowe's. I am so ashamed. 

Now, cut flowers are easier to take care of because the life expectancy of cut flowers is so much shorter than potted plants. Haha. Lucky me, bunches of blue hydrangeas were growing in our condo garden, so I cut a stem and placed it in a Crate and Barrel bud vase with water. Just cut its stem a little bit every day, and it will last for more than a week.