1st Day of Fall! My 5 Day Foyer Entryway Makeover!

Yes - the First Day of FALL!  I love it!  Autumn is such a perfectly perfect season.  Here in the Midwest, it means warm sunny days and cooler nights.  Carolina blue skies serve as the backdrop to Mother Nature's glorious show of changing colors.  The picture above is me walking on the campus of the University of Notre Dame on game day last year.  As I write this, I am once again in South Bend, Indiana as we prepare for the epic showdown of the Irish vs. Michigan tonight.  Ponchos are packed and mittens - YES mittens!  It is going to be raining and in the 40s in the stadium  -  I can't wait!!!

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My foyer is in a state of AWFULNESS.  Quite a while ago, I went through weeks of removing SO much wallpaper with scrapers, steamers and a lot of blood, sweat and tears and the now the walls are in need of some serious medical attention.   I also chopped up the ceramic tile and one layer of underlayment and removed the carpeting from the stairs and upper level foyer.

This project was way down on my list as I still have to finish my dining room and kitchen.  But with the holiday season creeping onto the horizon, I have decided to take 5 days and try to complete a foyer makeover and I couldn't be more excited.

I cannot believe I am going to show these pictures but ok - deep breath - here we go...

This is my blank canvas I have to use.  After I removed the wallpaper, I sanded some of the walls and I had the primer tinted yellow for two reasons.  First to see if I liked the color for the walls before committing to it and secondly to provide a yellow undercoat since I knew my walls would be in the yellow family.  The flooring which remains is simply underlayment - lovely, right?  :-)

The light was brass and I painted it black hoping to offer some improvement.  It didn't work.  The light needs to be addressed but I will figure something out.

The 1970s mirrored closet doors aren't as reprehensible to me as they are to some people.  They are in great shape and they open up the space so I think I will keep them.  My plan is to stone this wall but it is a 3 week wait once ordered and I am also waiting for it to go on sale so hopefully by Thanksgiving this side of the foyer will be done.  Fingers crossed.

Here is the staircase with the carpeting, padding and staples removed.  On a whim, I painted the railing white until I decided I wanted a deep mahogany post and top rail.  Which means more stripping and sanding to come.  The green paint on the wall is from where my Dad painted stripes underneath each seam of wallpaper in the event of shrinkage - genius at the time, but just more stuff to sand!  :-O

Here is the underlayment which is the flooring.  I have an idea for this but that won't be until about day four or five (or eight or nine - LOL).  My head is spinning with ideas but I must stay focused!

This is the main wall when you walk in the door and it is pretty damaged from the wallpaper.  The paint patch on the right is my final color decision.  The primer was like lemon yellow and awful.

The most damage is on this wall going up the stairs.  You can also see my experimentation with painting the railing white and then black.  UGH - all this needs to be sanded and stained.  I HATE sanding and stripping.  I just have to keep telling myself I it will all be worth the cramping fingers and icky, smelly mess.

 This is the view from the front door - LOTS of work ahead of my but I am excited for the result.  Even if I just get the walls painted, nail on some molding and fix the stairs, it will be a HUGE improvement!

Check back for my daily diary of my progress.  PLEASE offer input, ideas, opinions and criticism - I need all the help I can get.  So go enjoy a glass of apple cider as we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and a most wonderful time of year.   Thanks for stopping by today. (and GO IRISH!)