Home Series #1: Foyer

As soon as you enter our home, you will be welcomed by our foyer. As this being the first thing that you will set your eyes on, we wanted this space to be cozy and welcoming.

When I found the design inspiration for the foyer,  the next challenge was turning that inspiration into reality. I begun by asking myself, “What items do I already have?”. This question gave me the opportunity to see objects in our home in a different light. It is an exciting challenge to be resourceful in creating the look that we are going for.

Having the right console table is key to this foyer, but buying was the least option since we already spent a lot on some big furniture when we moved in. Then I saw our office table from our previous home, and viola! One item checked off the list! Our home office already has built in workspaces, so we no longer need this table there. When we moved it to the foyer, I can not help but pump my fist into the air.  It was a perfect fit! Its wood and metal elements totally set the tone for the space!

Another item that was already available  to us was the mini Bahay Kubo (nipa hut), which has been with us for years. Bahay Kubo is a big part of the Filipino culture and history, and thus having one in our home is a  great way of showcasing our Filipino roots.

With the table and Bahay Kubo in place, it became our guide in incorporating the rest of the pieces following its color and texture.

As the foyer is the nearest to our front door, we placed a battery-operated alcohol dispenser so we will not forget sanitizing our hands before and upon arriving home. Of course it has  to be on theme so it was in white. I love that it has an interesting shape which somehow breaks the visual hard edges of the table and books. By the way, I got this from Shopee and it was so affordable!

The woven basket and arrow key rack are also among my “budol” “add to cart” find from Lazada. The basket is for those  “items from our pockets” (such as car keys, small alcohol bottles and pens) , while the arrow key rack is where we hang our door keys.

To show a bit more personality, we added these coffee table books from my husband’s collection as he is a big fan of The Beatles, Pearl Jam and Star Wars.

The dried pampas in a circular vase added softness to the space. I bought this as a set from Suddenly.Disappear in Instagram. Lately I am so into dried flowers. It gives color and life without having to replace it so often as in the case of real flowers. The white vase perfectly complemented the white alcohol dispenser.

To make use of the space under the table, we placed these handwoven baskets which I bought as a set from Hinabi Manila.  It was love at first sight when I saw these! The seagrass material in neutral tones connected  the baskets to the table and gallery. These also serves as containers for our sanitized packaged deliveries and supplies such as masks and alcohol.

For the focal point of this foyer, my husband and I put together this DIY photo gallery of some of our international travels. I really find black and white photos really elegant. The frames are from Landmark Department store which I bought at around Php180 to Php220 each (depending on the size). Editing the photos was such a breeze as I just used the standard photo editing tool from my laptop, then had it printed in A4 photo paper. I was honestly surprised with how beautiful it came out. To make the gallery feel less formal, we decided to use varying sizes and orientation of frames, that way we can also display some our favorite landscaped photos.

This gallery has been  a great conversation piece, even for our family. Whenever we hangout in the living room and dining room, we often look at these photos and reminisce on each. It is always nice to look at some memorable travel photos especially now that we are quite restricted from doing such.

To complete the look, we added a touch of green by having plants, which are both housewarming gifts, We placed it in pots and stands of neutral tones with some gold accent.

We are happy with how we were able to transform this blank white walled space into something that is warm to the eyes. What made it even more special to us was how the mix of old and new, varying texture and materials worked well together. In the future we might install some track lights to replace the pin lights to really highlight the gallery.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog! I would love to know your comments and suggestions on how we can make our foyer even better. Also, share with us your own DIY home projects! Until next time!