You know how they say first impressions matter?
And yes, they might be referring to people most of the time. But, we like to take it to the next level and say that first impressions matter in your home (and your company even!)
I mean—think about it.
Let’s say you go to an interview and the company you’re interviewing has a disgusting front office, rude receptionist, and complete and utter lack of any evidence that human beings work at that establishment. But as soon as someone comes down the elevator to bring you up to the actual offices, they’re luxurious, modern, and downright glamorous. You couldn’t help but be thrown off, confused, and even discouraged from wanting to be a part of the company in the first place. I mean… if you have pride in the entire company, why would you neglect the front office—the first space everyone travels through?
Am I thinking too deep into this? Maybe. However, I genuinely feel that first impressions matter (to some extent of course!) That being said, we wanted to make sure that our foyer in our New York City apartment had its own personality and spoke for itself when we’d walk in it.
Foyer’s are interesting spaces. They are, in our opinion, one of the most difficult rooms to decorate in your home. It’s not really a space where you hang out or do any specific activity, but it usually is the first room you enter when you walk in your home. You want it to be welcoming, relaxing, and a breath of fresh air—especially after coming in from the craziness of the outside world.
When we first moved into the apartment, we started by covering up what was once a massive mirror wall. Prior to us touching anything, it was literally just a giant mirror in the foyer. Believe it or not, it made the space feel cold and gym-like, so we had it removed and put drywall where it used to be. And that made all the difference for us.
So here are a few ways that we styled our foyer and we hope that it can inspire you to get creative in your own foyer!
- Wall molding
This was something that completely changed the walls in our foyer. We really fleshed out this topic in an edit called The Best Way to Do Renter Friendly Wall Molding that we highly recommend you check out if this is something you are wanting to do! When putting up wall molding, it was such an easy way to add interest to the walls without doing anything too crazy. It added so much depth and felt like it was its own art piece within itself.
- A pop of color
This was also a huge game changer! A slight pop of color with a muted green paint color truly made our foyer stand out differently than any other room in our home. We also really delved into this topic in two paint edits here and here. Anyway, as we’ve mentioned countless times here, paint can completely change everything. (So you definitely want to pick and choose wisely!)
- Credenza as a centerpiece
We added a credenza as the centerpiece of the space, which doubles as adding depth and charm (more on that post here), and hidden storage. On our credenza we styled it very traditionally and cozily (is that a word?) by placing two large lamps, a mirror, a beautiful vase with flowers, and an Architectural Digest coffee table book.
- Adding lamps for lost light
I mentioned this a little above, but we wanted to add these lamps to recover some of the light lost from removing the mirror wall. And we’ve touched on the importance of lighting throughout our journey together, but allow me to repeat—lighting is SO important. It can add to your space by giving it it’s own moment, rather than a space feeling drab and bleak without any source of light coming through.
- Adding an antique mirror
Although we removed the entire mirror wall we had previously, the room still very much needed a mirror (just on a much smaller scale!) The antique mirror not only provided a place for us to check our hair and outfits before heading out for the day, it created a warmth and comfort that the room was lacking. We are big advocates for mirrors (especially antique ones).
- Finally, adding a coat rack
This was something we had no idea we would use as much as we do. Initially, we got it for a decor piece. There has always been something very old New York about a coat rack to me for some reason, so it just seemed to fit. However, we use it every single day. I’ll throw my purse on it, a hat, umbrella, and shockingly—I’ll hang my coat up on it! We absolutely love it. We love pieces that are both functional and adorning to our apartment, and this is certainly one that adds to our space. And, of course, it’s a great place for guests to hang their coats as well!