Home DecorFrom Blue to Gray Entryway October 19, 2015Thanks so much for the great feedback on the last post about our design plans changing. I’m really excited about where we’re heading. I just knew I had to give a little explanation before I just start sharing changes because you guys who’ve been following this whole process would be like, “What the what?! Today, we’re going to talk about the entryway. To me, entries and foyers are some of my favorite areas to design. They welcome you home each day and are the first thing guests see upon entering your home. I’m so excited to have a proper entry in this house and to really design it up! If you remember, I shared my plans for the entry and progress here. And here was a glimpse. We were really excited about the tall board and batten and I really wanted a color that would contrast with it. I chose this dark blue: Benjamin Moore’s Bella Blue. As I said in the last post, the blue is way, way bluer in person than in these photos where it looks navy (and I think way bluer on the wall than on the paint chip). As soon as it went up, I was unsure. I told myself the contrast was good and I am using a lot of blues and greens in the house. But even though I loved the old design plans based off of this blue wall…. …I seriously couldn’t get past the blue. It just hit you hard when walking right in the front door. Also, since we have such an open floor plan, it’s really visible from the kitchen and dining areas. I couldn’t stand looking at it. While by itself it is a pretty color, it just didn’t fit. I am going with more color in this house in some ways, but it is still overall neutral. Almost all of the walls are white (except Miss Rosie’s room) and from all sides, this blue just screamed, “Stare at me!!! I don’t fit.” I was wrestling with this and felt horrible to tell Chris we needed to re-paint. There was way too much to be done for that. But then, the sheet rock guys messed up this paint when bringing in big sheets for the addition. It had to be re-painted anyway and I seized the opportunity! We did need some sort of contrast with all the trim, but I knew the color needed to be very light so that it really flowed with the rest of these open spaces. We chose Benjamin Moore Silver Lake. It’s a pale true gray that has enough color to contrast against the trim, but still fits with the rest of the light and bright neutral house base. The trim is the white we used throughout the house: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. This big change in paint color means that the design plans will change some most likely. Though the colorful art would still work for sure! Right now, we’ve just sat a small console table that we had in place for a key and mail drop, but I’m on the hunt for a much bigger table to fill this space. It needs to be really long, to fit my vision and really make a statement right when you step in the door! But it also has to be narrow because while this is a good size room, it isn’t that wide. This room is ten feet long, so while I don’t need a table that spans that entire space, I do want it to take up a good chunk of it. My plan in addition to the long table is still some extra-large statement art and two matching lamps on each end of the table. On the other side of the room, we have a coat closet and a built-in mudroom area. I love this live-edge bench so much. This board and batten and live edge bench were Chris’ ideas and they really, really turned out. In this little area, we’ll hang some hooks at the top of the trim and then some art on the wall to finish off this nook. This wood top just KILLS me. It’s made from the one leftover board we had from the last house when we milled that tree that had to come down in the back and built the live-edge island. The best part about this room, at least as far as pup is concerned, is that she still has her watch post. This is the same door we had at the other house and she sure loves to stay up to date on what’s going down on the street. One last design dilemma in this space is the rug. I really pictured this rug here all along. I got it on eBay and used it a lot in the last house. But now having it in place, it feels lost. It just feels way too small. Especially when you see it from the other direction. While I love that you see straight back to the kitchen from the front door, one thing I don’t love is the expanse of bare floor you see. I love hardwoods, but I am majorly a rug girl. The expanse of floor you see going to the back of the house will likely stay that way. There’s a rug under the dining table (to the right of the walkway) and I don’t want another right next to it. Back in the kitchen, the kitchen runner is on the other side of the island and with the bar stools that’ll come out on this side, I don’t want any kind of rug. So, this entry rug definitely needs more. I’m thinking of looking for a longer runner (maybe ten feet long?) that has a similar style and look to this one, but that will make more of a grand entrance. That’s where we’re at on this entryway, folks! Thanks for following the progress.
Baileywife @ IrishmanAcres says October 19, 2015 at 1:25 pm LOVE the change in paint color! Could you get a natural (sisal, jute) longer rug and layer this one on top? Just a thought! Whatever you choose will be amazing!! ~Kim Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:48 pm I thought about that, Kim! I do love layered rugs! Maybe I’ll try that if I can’t find one. I think I’d like the look of a bigger printed one, but we’ll see. That’s definitely a good idea1 Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:47 pm Thanks so much Cassie! I’m so excited to finally have a foyer/entry! Reply
Austin says October 19, 2015 at 1:37 pm What a heartbreaker on the rug! But I agree, you definitely want to fill that space more. Love the gray! While I thought the blue was stunning (at least in pictures), the gray keeps things feeling light and probably more cohesive with the space. Thanks for keeping us up to date on all the changes! Love how it’s coming together, even bit by bit. π Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:47 pm Yes, it is definitely more cohesive! It feels a little weird to me to not have all white haha, but I know i’ll like it when it’s finished. Atleast I hope! Reply
Melissa hoffman says October 19, 2015 at 3:44 pm Looks beautiful and I can see your vision! I LOVE the live edge bench! We have a a live edge coffee table my husband made for me and it’s one of my favorite pieces in our house. Have you considered painting the front door black? I LOVE the othe door in the hallway painted the same gray as the walls but I wonder if painting the front door black would give the contrast you loved about the blue and it would also pull out some fun contrast in the runner. Just a thought π Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:47 pm Good idea Melissa! I do love black, but we have no other black in the house, so I think it might have the same effect for me that the blue wall did haha…It’s a different gray than the walls, which does make this room a little monochromatic, but I don’t think it’ll feel that way as much once I finish it out with accessories. All doors (interior and exterior) are the same shade. I’ll be talking about them next week π Reply
kristin says October 19, 2015 at 9:54 pm The new paint choice is STUNNING! Love the door in gray as well. LOVE!!! Reply
Summer says October 20, 2015 at 7:17 am This gorgeous girl! LOVE that bench and the wall color is so pretty! Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:45 pm Thanks so much friend! It’s weird…I’m such a white girl that even this bit of gray on the wall feels weird! But I do think I’ll like it when it’s all done. Reply
Suzanne says October 20, 2015 at 9:09 am Please tell me what material you used on your floor is it engineered wood hardwood or ceramic would look tile many thanks Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:45 pm Suzanne, it’s white oak hardwood! I’ll be doing a post soon π Reply
A says October 20, 2015 at 2:29 pm LOVE the grey! What about three rugs in a row…..yes you’ll need to tape them down but they could be colorful stepping stones and stop before the dining area. Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:44 pm Interesting idea, for sure! I’ll look into it π I always like doing things that are unique! Reply
Kristina says October 20, 2015 at 6:27 pm The dark blue was gorgeous but definitely didn’t fit. The gray looks fantastic! What color is your door? Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:44 pm Thanks Kristina! Yes this is a much better fit. All doors are Benjamin Moore Iced Marble π Reply
Sara says October 21, 2015 at 1:27 pm Love the grey. It’s what we have on the walls in our house – I actually got the landlord to paint the walls before we moved in and he let me pick the color! woot! love the Rosie peek a boo in her bumbo on the kitchen island. i’m glad I’m not the only one who plops their little one wherever they can as they move around the house! π Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:42 pm Haha, no Sara! She loves her bumbo and I use it all the time. What will I do when she outgrows it?? Reply
Kelsey says October 22, 2015 at 8:23 am Everything looks beautiful! I just had a question on your board and batten – we just did board and batten that looks almost identical to yours (height, spacing, glossy white paint, etc.) in our dining room and from a distance it looks great. As you get closer though it (to me) looks terrible because every little imperfection seems to show up and maybe even be accentuated by the glossy paint. Every nail gun hole that we filled with wood filler, every “seam” where we had to join two boards (typically along the top board), everywhere the battens aren’t exactly flush with the top or bottom boards. It’s so frustrating because we worked so hard on it and really tried to pay attention to every detail to get it looking good and still we have all these little imperfections that are noticeable from even three feet away. I’m just wondering if you ran into any of these issues and might have some solutions? We used sheets of 3/4 inch mdf that we ripped down to construct the baseboards, battens, and top board. Any thought would be appreciated!! Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:41 pm Hey Kelsey! Great question. I am so sorry to hear about that!!! That’s so sad, especially when you worked so hard π So we used real wood in here because we had the same issue you’re mentioning about MDF in the last house. It wouldn’t fill well and create a uniform painted finish. Glossy paint will definitely accentuate stuff too. My husband is the extreme perfectionist when it comes to finish work, so he actually glued the boards everywhere that he could so there were very little nail holes to fill. Then, he caulked every opening and line and sanded a ton. This paint is a high-quality semi-gloss, but our painter sprayed it, which I think helped with the finish too. We hired almost all of the painting out this time since we were working with such a fast deadline and it was amazing! We had painting, haha! Reply
Melissa Sorci Taft says October 22, 2015 at 11:04 am Hi Lindsay! I can totally get changing the color once you have lived in the house ad are striving to bring it all together. I LOVE the live edge bench seat! Suggestion: put a larger rug under your dining room table. A general rule of thumb is to have a rug big enough so the chairs do not fall off of it when someone is sitting. This is better functionally and aesthetically. It would also give your eye something to see when looking into that room to break up the expanse of wood. A runner in the hall would be awesome – hopefully in your beloved oriental style. This is a great space! Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:38 pm Melissa, I usually follow that rule, but am trying my cowhide under there for now which I know people use different rules for those with the unique shape. Not sure if it’s going to stay or not. I will definitely use a bigger one if I change it up π Reply
SANDRA says October 22, 2015 at 4:36 pm It looks great, loving the color on the walls. I’m just curious, is the color on the door the same or different than the walls? I might’ve missed that. Either way, beautiful work. Reply
Lindsay says October 23, 2015 at 1:37 pm No you haven’t missed it, Sandra! I’ve got to do a post on all of our doors. All doors (interior and exterior) are painted the same shade of blue/gray and it is different than the walls in here. It does look a little monochromatic right now, but it’ll be a pretty backdrop once all of the other details in here are done π Reply
Ann says October 24, 2015 at 8:54 am I just bought the Briony table from Joss and Main – and OMG you must check it out – would be STUNNING for this entry! Reply
Monica says October 24, 2015 at 5:47 pm I love your entryway! The gray is beautiful! I love your rug, but I agree it does look a bit lost. Can’t wait to see more! Reply
Annie says October 29, 2015 at 10:54 am I LOVE the new color. I was thinking about doing something similar with board and batten and then a blue on top in our back hallway. Hoping to tie it in with all the blue and white ginger jars in our kitchen/ family room. Also, do you have a great dane? I can’t tell if she is black or blue? We have two blue great danes! They are truly magnificent creatures and so good with kids! They have the gentlest souls! Annie- All Things Big And Small Reply
Annie says October 29, 2015 at 10:57 am I also meant to say I love the bench. That wood is amazing! I love how it brings warmth to the space! Annie Reply
Louise says January 22, 2016 at 11:57 am It’s gorgeous! Great job! I think I saw that the doors are Iced Marble can you tell be what the walls and trim are. I love the way the trim pops off that perfect gray. I found this post by searching happy grays π Reply
Lindsay says January 22, 2016 at 12:13 pm So glad you found us, Louise!!! Yes, the doors are BM Iced Marble. The gray on the top of the walls in the entry is BM Silver Lake and the white trim is BM Chantilly Lace! Reply
Christine says January 14, 2017 at 6:30 pm I’m a lover of strong colours so love the blue but the grey is absolutely stunning as is the panelling. I love your dog too. Just found your blog and will definitely be back. X Reply
Dianne says March 28, 2017 at 5:44 am Love your door , can you tell me who it made by? Where u purchased it? Reply
Lindsay says March 28, 2017 at 4:48 pm Thanks Dianne! Home Depot! We went to the door desk and asked for a solid wood 12-light door π Reply
Glo Meza says July 25, 2017 at 5:22 pm I am glad to change the color selection. This Silver Lake is fantastic! Great job!! Reply
Heidi says April 26, 2019 at 2:53 pm I love this!!! Amazing job!!! What is the color of the front door and closet door in the entryway? They pair so nicely and look like a version of sea green. Thanks! Reply
Marisa Shinn says August 1, 2019 at 11:47 am Can you tell me what that rug is called so I can find it or something like it online? I love it!!! Reply