First Impressions

Q: How Can My Home's Interior Make a Great First Impression?

For many homes, the foyer is the first interior space you see after coming through the front door. It's a crucial transition point from the outside to your indoor environment, and our show hosts Nicola and Irwin discuss ways to make a memorable first impression when decorating a foyer. Their tips and advice will help you create a dramatic, inviting, and entertaining space that will greet you when you come home and welcome all visitors. This episode covers the origins of the foyer in the French theater, color hierarchies for foyers and adjoining rooms, creating a sense of drama, adding functional and convenient features, the importance of lighting (and why many foyers have lanterns hanging down from the ceiling), dramatic and inviting themed displays, and how to welcome guests when you're throwing a party. And we tell you how lice became one of the most important factors in designing the features of early foyers!

Update on March 24, 2010 by Design2Share

Using mid-century modern furniture throughout your house is all well and good, but it shouldn't look like you've paid $50 for a sideboard from a thrift shop. Your vintage furnishings should look richer and more luxurious than they looked the day they were made.

Tastes have changed, and you need to keep up with these changing tastes. We like a sense of luxury and fine furnishings express that best. That Danish-style teak sideboard, typically made of better wood than is currently available, will look amazing if it's beautifully finished. Think of it as giving your fine furniture a face lift. With spring here, it's time to freshen up your home!

A professional furniture restorer is really the way to go. Typically, a piece is cleaned with 0000 steel wool and paint thinner. The original patina/finish should remain. Then it is polished and finished so that it has a rich patina and feels very smooth. Sometimes the pores are filled to give the wood a French polish look. Go to Angie's List, casaGURU, or a good home vendors website to find a furniture restorer you can trust that's convenient to where you live.

It's A-OK to try a do-it-yourself project on a smaller, less expensive piece of furniture. Products to help you restore your furniture are available at Home Depot, Lowes, or local hardware stores.

Update on March 24, 2010 by Design2Share

More Foyer Decorating Ideas

Tracy Porter has some fun insights about foyer decorating we thought you might like to hear more about!