What to do with the foyer????

This is my foyer. It is a really big room and has two story walls and an angle wall where the stairs go up and turn, splitting into one going up to a catwalk for the upstairs rooms, and a staircase going down into the kitchen and family room area. We turned the dining room into a bedroom so I moved our dining table and buffet and an old antique dresser that belonged to my great-grandmother in the foyer. This photo doesn't show the size of the room, that table is pretty big, seating eight comfortably.

I have this wall going up the stairs that is two story. Because it is so tall it just looks like a big blank blob of beige. I have toyed with the idea of putting a wall of frames here. What do you think? I am scared it will look cluttered instead.

This is the buffet that goes with the table. I think I am going to paint it and am looking at a gray color. It is an antique, but needs refinishing. The table has some damage on one of the legs and the top is worn and scratched.

This wall is really hard to figure out what to do with it. I don't like it at all. I want a couple of large florals or Italian landscapes or something, but I can't find what I want. I also want a very large floral arrangement with a red flower added in. I also would like to make a burlap or other floor length tablecloth.

I think I am going to paint all the interior doors a light gray, but I am not sure. I like the look of painted doors with the white trim.

I need something on the sidelights. The morning sun is horrendous and is really bad on my table. It comes in the upper window as well as the sidelights. I have thought about a faux burlap panel. I have also looked at some of the window films at Lowes and am not sure about them.

The wall. So, what do you think.... wall of frames or not? Any other ideas?

These are some inspiration photos of walls of frames. I have collected a lot and some are black some are brown and some have a light patina. I don't want all black since my furniture and accessories I plan to do have more of a country French color scheme. I think the mixture will blend better. I plan to pick up more frames and continue to add to it when I find them cheap.

The one above is a mixture of frame colors. This house was Coastal Living or one of the other magazines. It belongs to Judy Cullbreth and is located in Fairhope, AL. I worked with her mother, Grace at the dentist I worked for from 11th grade until after I graduated.

These are some of the painted pieces that I like. This is what I am looking at to paint my table and buffet.

The one above and below has the doors in a gray tone that I am looking at painting my interior doors. I like the one with more blue in it on the chest above to paint the buffet and table. I actually may refinish the table in wood tone, and just paint the buffet, or the other way around.

I like the colors below. Would love two prints like that for my awkward wall behind the table. Mix that with a large arrangement with red in it on the table. It gives an idea of the painted furniture with colors I am using.

I am planning on painting the banisters black like this.

Decorating the Family Room

I am ready to redecorate our family room.  I put together this inspiration board planning to slipcover my sofa and loveseat. My current sofa and loveseat were bought 11 years ago. With a family of seven constantly on them they are just wearing out. I was planning on just slipcovering them, but my husband would rather we just replace them. I don't want to just buy something cheap since we are on them all the time so I might have to wait until next spring and use income tax money if we go that route.

I have a print over the sofa very similar to the one in this board. I have two chunky candlesticks on the mantle I could paint red like in the photo. I have a leather wing chair and also the leather chair above with an ottoman. I have a scrolled rooster I would like to paint similar to the one in the photo. I would love to find a rug that doesn't cost a fortune. Below are some of the items I have taken photos of while out shopping. They were taken with my phone so aren't the best quality.

This is the fabric I love to make panels for the family room and cafe curtains for the window over my sink in the kitchen.

I am leaning towards a dark camel sofa set. I think I would like to slipcover them in an off white. I would love to hear comments from people who have actually had white slipcovers. It scares me, but everyone says they love them.

Decorating the frugal way

This is how my family room looks now. Well, minus the Christmas tree and stockings since it is the end of January! I bought the couch and loveseat in 2002 when we moved into our house in Florida. My dad owned La-Z-Boy so my sofas, recliners, end tables and coffee tables are all from La-Z-Boy. Everything else is garage sale ro thrift store. The courtains are tapestry panels, four of them, that were in a box I picked up off the side of the road. Yes, they were someone's trash. The rug is a $10 garage sale find. The globes and books and decorative pieces are all garage sale. I am so tired of it!

When I bought it all, the Tuscan look was very popular. Everything was beige, brown, and blah. I am finding that I really like some color. I want this room to be fresher, more fun. I was looking on Craigslist and found the picture below. I think it looks very Ballard or Pottery Barnish. The pricetag is still on it for $200 from Kirklands and she said she paid $129.00. I got it for $30.00.

I actually bought it for my foyer, which is another room in deep need of some decorating. It is too big for the wall. I was not expecting it to be this large. This photo shows just how big it is, my fireplace is pretty big in itself. I have been living with it to make sure it is "right" for the room and am loving it! It makes me happy to look at it. If the kids are very very quiet I can imagine sitting in a comfy chair outside with a glass of tea and a good book. Oh, and I am eating gluten, too since it is my dream.

I am going to make some off white slipcovers for the couch and loveseat to freshen them up until I can afford new ones. I also want to make some new curtains and pillows. I will keep my eye out for a new rug, but they are awefully expensive so will have to keep my fingers crossed. I am also thinking of repainting my lamps a fresh color. I have already redone them once here.

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