THE HOUSE DOCTOR - MY HOME, MY HOBBY

WHY DO I WRITE THE HOUSE DOCTOR?
(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)


I will freely admit it; my home is also my hobby!  I don't feel a bit guilty in saying that to you - not even materialistic, because of the way that this hobby has evolved in my life.  I didn't chose it; it chose me.

I've lived in these walls I call "home" for many years now, and at one point I actually contemplated trying to give them up.  I spent much time in prayer about that and God changed my mind for a number of reasons; for this season of my life anyway.  Who knows what plans await later?   I have so much of my heart and soul tied up in the process of making a house a home here, that it just didn't feel right to give it all up; at least not yet.  

It took a long time after we first moved into this house for the walls and the floors to start to look familiar. 

 I would walk inside the door and say to myself "Do I really live here?"  Then one day my soul began to feel safe and secure about the place, and I had that "knowing" feeling that one should have when they cross their own threshold. It was that feeling that says "Home."     I knew the time I had always longed for had finally arrived.

Not so many years ago, we (like so many others in America) traveled through some really rocky financial territory that lasted for a period of several years.  My husband was unemployed for a few years, and my own working hours were cut back to almost-part time instead of full time.   When it came down to actually being able to keep our home or learning to live in a drastically different way, we had to make some very hard and very practical decisions.  In the process of working our way through this unexpected "bump in the road" we totally changed our standard of living and learned to live on much less.  

We now eat differently by cooking mostly home-grown nutritious and healthier meals at home instead of spending so much time eating out.  

We have also learned to work and play different.  We are not traveling as far or as often as we used to, but have come to appreciate the areas around where we live by rediscovering all the activities and entertainments our own home town has to offer.  We have a whole new appreciation for the wonderful nearby parks and quaint local landmarks, not to mention the wealth of activities and things we have discovered we can do right in our own front and back yards.  

Living more local has us walking and exercising more often.  Enjoying our outdoor spaces has us drinking in that good old vitamin D that keeps us smiling more often and makes us happier people.  

We have found It is just more convenient to plan most things about life in our own space and with our own local community.  

History has come more alive to us during this transition, especially the history of our own hometown.  There is a lot to be said for community and knowing your neighbors.  The extra time we were forced to enjoy at home made us slow down enough to really learn a few details about the lives of the people living in our own subdivision.  We had previously been too busy rushing back and forth to work to actually notice many of them.  We actually took time in those days to invite them inside our home just to enjoy a cup of coffee and/or a long conversation in the kitchen, living room and outside on the back deck.  We suddenly realized how many interesting and unique people surrounded us, and we became even more thankful to be living right where we were at the time.  

We also felt very blessed to have slowed down enough to take the time to enjoy some of the many outreach programs and entertainments offered by several of our local schools and churches.  They are wholesome, entertaining and fun! Most all of them feature activities the whole family can enjoy together; yet most all of them are good for a single person too. Most everything available showcasing all the local talent has been free or very low priced.  The fellowship we have shared by participating in these local events has been wonderful. 

We had not even thought of these local outlets as resources of activities for our family in the past; except for normal church attendance with our own groups and our own church.  We branched out and explored all of the local gatherings.  We crossed all denominational lines and cultural boundaries and explored those little places and gatherings we had never had time to notice before.  The libraries and community centers and events opened our eyes to new ideas and hobbies.  My freelance writing world expanded and my husband became more interested in designing our outdoor areas and planning little gardens for us to enjoy around our house and yard.  We found new friends that shared much of the same interests.

Adjustments were made out of necessity that turned into good lifelong habits. We have even been carpooling (with each other) to work.  One vehicle is much more efficient than two; you simply have to adjust your schedules a bit.  Now we save energy by better planning as we combine our trips to the stores and our errands about town.  We have found the extra time this creates for us later to be a great blessing.  We can go to the library, or curl up with a good book, or watch a movie with our neighbors, or spend time with our own grown kids and grand kids.  

We now shop locally and look for bargains.  We tend to think of necessities; not desires.  We would much rather put money in the pockets of our local neighbors than spend at a big glitzy department store chain.  We recycle whenever possible.  Why waste anything when it can be recycled and reused?  

We carefully compare quotes on services for insurance and home repairs and other such "routine maintenance" things that are necessary before we pick up the phone to order services.  It is amazing what you can save if you just take the time to look around and compare prices.  It is also amazing what you can educate yourself to do on your own.   We spend time making our own repairs or doing preventative maintenance instead hiring others.  We make it a habit to deal with things as they happen and not wait until the cost will be much higher.  In other words we are paying more attention to our immediate needs in daily life, and this is cutting down on the little disasters that could happen in the future.  Small things stay small and do not tend to escalate because we have learned to pay attention to them and take care of them while they are still small things.  

We now take our lunch to work and save that much gas and food money all through the working week.  Because of this, our health is better.  We have more time for other things and often use our lunch hours to run those routine errands instead of wasting our weekend family time on chores.  We save money too by eating healthier and leaving off the fast-foods.  

We have enjoyed learning to frequent second-hand stores and stores like 2nd and Charles who barter.  We found our clothes budgets can stretch a long way and be so much more cost effective when we simply organize our  clothes closets in a way that leaves everything coordinated and easy to find when it is needed.

We are trying to transition to container gardening.  That will help our grocery budget and preventative health maintenance even more.  

We've incorporated money-saving techniques into every area of our spending, and that has allowed us not only to survive within our home; but the thrive.  We seem to be living a lot better on a whole lot less than back in the days when we actually had more to waste.  It seems that God used this unexpected motivation to find ways to afford to keep our home to teach us better ways to live; ways we should have been living in the first place.  So sometimes when I think of the blessings of my home, I consider the things and life-lessons the home has taught me.  I am often amazed when I stop to think about it.

   

After needing to be on the receiving end of things for a few years, we learned so much about appreciating and taking care of what we already have, and find ourselves being so much more grateful for every little blessing that comes along and surprises us.  Now it is our goal to be helpful to others going through the same situations.  Life has been FULL of pleasant surprises in the middle of all the unexpected adjustments.  

We looked up one day and realized we were really making good progress, and we had enough hope after that to set a goal to keep ourselves debt-free enough to be on the giving end of things going forward.  God has blessed that attitude.  Our main motivation was keeping home ownership, or staying in the place that we felt God had led us and to keep living in the spot where He had helped us to plant roots.     

In all of this learning process, I've discovered a whole new joy in the blessing of having a home-base, be it ever so humble, flaws and all.   

Whatever state you find yourself living through, home IS home, and there is a sense of security that comes from having a place to call "home," a place that belongs just to you, no matter how large or small or old or new.

The moment we made the solid decision to stay put in our home, I knew I would probably live out my days here; surrounded by what makes life what life is for us.  None of the THINGS do that, but I am speaking about the memories that we have made here, the smiling faces, the story telling, the meal sharing, the friendly gatherings, the love that is shared in a million little ways daily in this place and space that we call home.  

In all of this loving and sharing though, there are some "things" that seem more meaningful to us than others. The things we have kept in our home are symbolic of the things that really matter to us in our life.  

You see, my home is more than my home; it has always felt like my castle.  Contrary to what many believe a castle doesn't have to be large and majestic to be a castle.  It simply has to be owned by a loving owner who takes pride in the ownership.  Your castle can be large or small, owned or rented or shared with others.  It is still your castle; the place where you make a difference in the world.   I would have a castle anywhere that my family chose to live, so this could all change at a drop of a hat and I would STILL have my castle.  It isn't actually even the physical place; ;but the attitude of the place.  My castle is simply the most current place where my family lives, loves and plays.  For right now, it seems we are staying right where we are.  Hence, the hobby of making a home continues, and it is possibly evolving into the  never ending hobby of making my house a home forever.

Arnold Bennett once said "Only a very exceptionally gifted mind could cope singly with all the problems which present themselves in the perfecting of a home."  I couldn't agree more!  There has been nothing perfect about our "nesting" experience.  

Mr. Bennett  expressed more of these opinion's in his book called "The Home As A Hobby."  In this book he describes the different aspects of a home and one line of his writing says "A hundred things are just a little wrong and a few things are dreadfully wrong!  But no matter.  The apparatus somehow works.  The desire after perfection has failed.  The home has become immutable.  There the home is, it will do, it must do!  But for the true artist with real life as his or her canvas, a golden opportunity awaits!"  

This describes exactly why my home is one of my hobbies, and why I love to write about that hobby in this section of my blog called THE HOUSE DOCTOR.  A "house" needs to be "cured" by love and care until it can become a "home."  That is what a house doctor practices.  It isn't exactly the science of decorating; it is the science of loving a house into a home. I look upon all the imperfection of the place as a golden opportunity to express the art of living life.  

The unfinished things are simply symbolic of the promise of a new day. 

Any outsider might step inside the door and only see the problems and the flaws, but I see the possibilities that exist in this very personal space.  

This is an instinct I was born with, and I am of the opinion that most others are also born with the same trait.  

With careful thought and consideration anyone can develop this way of life. I think Jesus must look at us all in such a way.  He most likely does not see the flawed, sinful people that we actually are today, but I think He sees the wonderful, loving, living, thriving people that God has destined us to be. He must see us through eternal eyes.   I want to look at things inside my home in that way too.  

Art is expression, and your home can be your canvas.  

Mr. Bennett also said:  "Nobody has the right to be bored in a half-made home.  A home which is not a fair expression of us at our best, a home which lacks what it might have, a home which is in any part more ugly or in any part more uncomfortable than it absolutely need be." 

So I have approached my home as a hobby, and not a chore.  

It is also a luxury, not a necessity.  

I have this temporary tabernacle that I walk around in that is my PERMANENT home on earth.  It has everything that I need; but my home is like the icing on a cake.  It brings more pleasure.  

I could do this living that I do anywhere (a hotel room, an apartment, a tent, a cardboard box under the overpass), so I'm not idolizing this particular place; it is simply the place where God has chosen to put me right now.  I have a feeling I could carry on the same hobby if I lived in an alley in the street.  My part of the alley would take on a certain charm of its own, I'm sure! 

 Perhaps you can identify with these feelings.  I hope so.  I've seen many living examples of this illustration and they never cease to take my breath away.  Some people have an art from within their soul that just spews and doles out beauty where ever they exist. I am blessed with friends and family who do so.   I pray for this quality to be more developed within in my own life! 

So; making a home isn't about collecting things and spending money, it is about recognizing the souls and spirits of those who live inside a space and perform the daily act of coming and going and living their lives there.

My husband now has a fairly stressful job working long hard hours.  He comes home tired and ready to rest in the evenings.  When I ask that same question that probably a million other wives ask their husbands at the end of each day; "How was your day?" I love his untypical answer.  He doesn't say a thing about how hard his day was; he simply smiles and says "I'm home!"  That makes me feel like we are accomplishing some worthwhile goals in our place of residence.  You know you are making progress when you can smile at the end of the day and say "I'm home!"  

Like many who love sharing their homes with others, I find myself with this never ending desire for pure unadulterated hospitality, such as Abraham showed the Holy Trinity when he was first visited at his tent.  

Abraham brought forth his best, even when it was inconvenient and unexpected.  

He was always prepared to do so, at any moment, at the drop of hat.  I just feel my home must be that way too.  I don't always achieve this, but I hope to get better and better at it as time goes by.  I look at this trait in other people and consider it to be a wonderful form or art.

So many of us approach fixing up our homes as a feat that requires too much physical labor, psychological exercise, and financial resources.  I try to reverse that thought and instead of making these things a dreaded and expensive chore, I think of them as a continuing work of art.  

It is a hobby, not a chore. 

 It is organic and evolving.  

Progress is never overnight, and I expect that things will never be finished and tied up like a pretty little package with a bow on top.  

A home is a life-long, ever-evolving project that never ends.  

It is a life-process and not something that has to happen all at once in one day, or week or year.  Some of the projects in our home have been evolving for twenty years now.  Progress is more like a metamorphosis than a planned event.

The art of making a home is simply a way to enjoy the abundance that God grants to us.  This abundance of life is free for the taking.  It isn't something that you go out and buy.  It is more about activities than spending, and it is a whole new way for your mind to think about change.  You can resist it, or you can relish the beauty and refreshment of it. This is not about spending money, but this is about having quality inside all minutes of your day; in all circumstances of your life.  YOU bring the quality; not the things.  YOU make the place a home not a house.  It is all about caring and being thankful for what you have been blessed to have and reaching out to share with others along the way.

You can chose to take the easy road and allow yourself to become materialistic in this venture.  You are almost guaranteed in this case to eventually get bored with your choices; or you can chose to be gently caring for your home, and always feeling refreshed from the slow, steady, constant process of moving ever forward.  

For years now I have been cleaning out a building full of accumulated junk.  Just things that have piled up over time, but this building, once empty will help me to keep my house fresh and alive.  

That may sound strange, until you know the concept that I've been slowly building over the years.  

I have collected decorative items that express the different seasons of each year that God has given; spring with all it's holiness and bright colors, then the red white and blues of Memorial Day that lead into Pentecost and Independence Day, then summers with patio fun in the sun and times at the beach, then fall with those lovely colors of the changing leaves and expressions of thanksgiving.  Last, but not least the lights of Hanukkah and the splendor of a traditional Christmas that celebrates the conception of Christ and The Incarnation.  I love all of these seasonal expressions of beauty in the times that we go through in our daily lives each year.  

As I'm working on that building, cleaning and organizing, I'm also subconsciously letting God work on my life.  He is cleaning, changing and organizing right along side of me.  Whatever happens to my home seems to happen to my soul too.  God is always teaching me to enjoy the "seasons" of life. 

Now, I've finally put each season's expressions into labeled boxes to be stored in their own section of that storage building, until it is time again to bring them out each year in their own season.  I see this sort of like the memories we make in life.  Sometimes you remember them and fondly pull them out of their boxes and they make you smile and cheer up your day.  

More than that, I've got those memories from seasons where I have used these things with my family and friends over the years now etched over my heart. 

It is not the things that matter, but it is the excuse that the things present to enjoy time with others and the reasons to develop relationships through times spent together in every season of life.  

It is not at all about hoarding, or buying, or storing up like a squirrel getting ready for winter.  It IS all about sharing and loving all the special moments that life presents. 

I tucked this plan into the back of my mind years ago when I chose the main furnishings for our house, I kept the colors neutral with creamy white sofas, beige rugs, simple straight lines, wooden floors, white walls with traditional art for the main spaces that do not change.  All of this blends with everything else I chose to add during each changing season.  The neutral backdrops make this easy.  Seasonal pillows against solid colored bedspreads and white sofas, just loving and making full use of the effects of the freshness of whites and using solid black in some furnishings and tabletops just the same way.  Grays and beige here and there make decorating easy and natural.  All of these neutrals make a perfect backdrop for any season's decor.  The house becomes the canvas to paint the changing seasons of our lives upon.  The artwork is constantly changing just like the seasons of the year.

So every season I pack up the things from the past season, label appropriately, and store until the next season comes along.  I do this year after year.  Each new season I pull out the next season's things and enjoy them for the next several weeks.  It works beautifully.  I feel like I get a whole new house every season. Each time I pull out the seasonal decorations I feel like I'm greeting old friends I haven't talked to for awhile.  

When I first started this particular decorating process I had no grandchildren.  Now  I have three!  This has turned out to be a fun way to help the grand kids to enjoy our home when they visit.  

I've especially loved watching my granddaughter from infancy till almost three years old walking around the house every time she comes to see whatever G-Ma has changed this time, and to learn more about what season of the year we are enjoying. It becomes a great teaching tool for holidays, holy days and family traditions.   If she catches me in midstream decorating when I've taken out all the old and not yet brought in all the new, she seems to get worried until I finish.  She is always watching to see what is next.   It has been so much fun watching her reactions.  She gets so excited to see all the new seasonal changes as they happen.  This year it has been fun to watch and see that she DID remember what we had last year and she loves knowing she gets to do that season all over again.  It will be interesting to see what she does with her own home one day.

For many people all of this packing up and pulling out might feel like a dreaded chore and seem to be a lot of extra work.  For me though, it is like Christmas all year round.  

The pulling out of new and boxing out of the previous season occurs gradually, a little at a time the old season dissolves away, and slowly the new season appears and we follow on with the paths of our lives.  

The idea is to LIVE into each season and to grasp and appreciate it's own unique beauty.  

It really doesn't take a lot of effort this way.   I don't have to run to the store every time I want to be "seasonal" either, I simply reuse the same items over and over each year.   

Some nails in the wall are good for switching items each season.  My door wreaths and welcome signs in the foyer change with the seasons.  Some tabletops are good for changing decor when the dates change.  Some dishes are perfect for a time, then their seasons change too.  (This makes cooking the same old recipes over and over a lot more fun and inspirational.)  Of course, I have also created my own "seasonal" cookbook too that (you guessed it) has special recipes for each season. of the year.   I've incorporated photos into the pages of the seasons that our family has enjoyed certain seasonal foods and I've printed out those recipes with those photos.

Everything always feels fresh and new, and if you follow this process over the years just adding a piece at a time here and there, it is very cost effective and inexpensive. 

And so it is that I find myself still focusing on this old hobby of finding inexpensive and creative ways to make a house a home.  I love writing about it and sharing those adventures with others. I never seem to run out of ideas, and I just keep on sharing them with all of you, in this blog called THE HOUSE DOCTOR.  

If you find it all interesting too, just keep reading "THE HOUSE DOCTOR" articles that I always post on Tuesdays.  I'll be posting pictures as the seasons come and go and things change at our place.  I'll also be posting guest posts of other people's houses that are enjoying being "seasonal" too.  Sharing these seasonal ideas and concepts in our homes is so much fun.  

I would love to hear about your ideas and suggestions too!   

What are your seasonal ideas for making a house a home?  Each person I speak with has a new and exciting angle for accomplishing this.  It is truly a fun form of art to explore and share together.

THE HOUSE DOCTOR - MAKING THE INSIDE FOYER SAY WELCOME

(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

THE FOYER ENTRY

If you are going to have a home that is friendly and hospitable, you need a welcoming foyer on the inside as well as a welcoming look on the outside.  

We are pondering how to change this small front porch area
to something more interesting and inviting.  I decorate it for the seasons,
but we are pondering some architectural changes - something for
another article yet another day.  Today I simply want to bring
you across this threshold and have you step inside through the entrance.

Maybe you do not have a formal entry.  Perhaps your front door just opens into your living room or another room of your house.  No worries, just focus on where the line of the eye falls when you first step into the doorway.  The theory works the same.  We want to say welcome to whoever crosses the threshold.

Way back when we first moved into our house I started to get a feel for how I wanted to decorate our foyer. 

 As I have mentioned many times when I've shared my own remodeling stories; we bought our home because it had six bedrooms, one for each child, one for us, and one for a guest room.  It was rare to find a house in our budget range that had six bedrooms; so when we did - we decided to live with anything that didn't please us and aimed to change it later.  

Later finally came.....It definitely needed something!  


Here is a "before" photo that I took on one of our first Christmas Holidays in our house.  Please excuse the sleeping beauties; just notice how uninteresting and blank the foyer area appears:

ORIGINAL FOYER BEFORE CHANGES

In transitioning our home I wanted our foyer to say:  “Come on in, you are welcome here!”  I also wanted it to reflect (like my blog) the way  I live with a seasonal flair.   That being the case; you will note that my foyer now changes with every season of the year.  Maybe yours does too, or maybe you choose to let your house only change with the different seasons of your life; whatever makes you feel complete and at home inside your house works best.  I just happen to enjoy the seasonal flair.  However you decide to present your home, just remember that the foyer will be your guest's first impression.  It needs to speak.

A CHRISTMAS FOYER AFTER THE REMODEL

In the words of Kristin Armstrong; "When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised change, I feel something stir inside me.  Hopefulness?  Gratitude?  Openness?  Whatever it is, it's welcome."  

Welcome is still the focus here as we cross the threshold from the outside to the inside.  

Welcome and wonder......what is in store for someone coming home from a hard day?  What is in store for someone  coming to visit for the first time?  What is the mood in this home that makes me want to come inside and join in with the fun?

A SUMMER FOYER AFTER THE REMODEL

The foyer entrance makes that statement, so we must be careful how we let it speak.

A foyer that displays no particular season, just the flavor of the owner, the paintings that show the changing season, the titles of the books, the modern expression of the bookends, the bright cheerful little plaque that says "love." 

It  simply adds extra interest when you give your home an expression of your own personality as soon as someone crosses the threshold;  so think of the things that make your life full and interesting and try to incorporate that feeling in the foyer.  For me, it is the changing seasons of life.   This little spark of personality, added to a bright, cheerful, clean, uncluttered welcome will make the guest feel wanted.   It will help them to know and understand you better.   It will also encourage them  to be more curious about what lies beyond your front door.   An interesting touch that works well in some homes is to mix the old with the new.  A little unexpected event as you come inside the door.  A tiny little surprise to catch your interest.

There are so many simple, either inexpensive or free, little things anyone can do to make their entry interesting and welcoming.  Do you have a favorite arrangement of flowers?  Do you have a quirky little umbrella stand?  Do you have a favorite piece of artwork?  You simply must make use of your imagination and creative abilities.  A front door, foyer and entrance hall should say to any guest crossing the threshold; "There is more here than meets the eye, come further in and get to know our home."

One way to begin the creative process is to analyze your space as you enter the doorway.   What does your eye see first upon entering?  

In our case, we originally had an eyesore in our living room.  There was an ugly outdated square window cut in the wall between the kitchen and the living room.  You could stand at the sink in the kitchen and look out to the living room while you washed dishes.  That was the ONLY good thing about that window!  It was downright ugly.  I hated it.  Your eye fell directly on that space as you entered our front door!  It was ugly, unimaginative and boring.   

I definitely wanted to change this awful window wall, and eventually we did.  It took a lot of effort to change it because it involved also  remodeling the kitchen on the other side of that wall in the living room.  It was worth the effort.   I think we achieved the desired effect by removing the old outdated window wall.  The photo below shows the OTHER SIDE of the square window, from the kitchen point of view.  The window wall was a good excuse for totally remodeling the kitchen, which also needed an overhaul.   

At any rate, my eye coming inside the foyer from the front door was falling on that window from the LIVING ROOM side of the wall and my first thought was always the same; UGH!

OLD  KITCHEN SPACE BEFORE WINDOW WALL CHANGES

The window above the sink was the MAIN problem, and I'm sure you can spot a few more!  I stuck a plant in the window until we could get to the  remodeling.  This wall looked even worse from the other side  as you were entering through the foyer.  I tried to never take pictures of it, so I don't have many to show here.

NEW KITCHEN SPACE WITH NO WINDOW WALL AND MIRRORS.

We used mirrors as back-splashes and completely covered the kitchen side of the space above the sink where the cut out window was with mirrors.  It gave the room a much larger feeling, and made everything look so much more modern. The other side was covered with sheet rock and painted to match the surrounding walls of the living room.  I'll cover the remodeling of this kitchen later, it will be a fun article.  For now, I wanted you to know we covered up the square hole in the wall that you could see from the foyer AND the kitchen.  It made a huge difference!

This photo shows the kitchen doorway that you see from entering the foyer.  It shows a little bit of the remodeled stairway from the foyer.  It is only fair to include Jason in this picture of the remodeled kitchen, since he did help my husband lift those heavy cabinets on the top while they were being installed!  I'll include a whole article later on how we remodeled the kitchen, but the point right now is to notice how different the house became simply because we covered up that 1970's out-dated square cut out window in the wall between the kitchen and the living room.

LIVING AREA TO RIGHT OF FOYER BEFORE CHANGES.  YOU CAN BARELY SEE THE
LEAVES OF THE PLANT I STUCK IN THE CUT OUT WINDOW ON THE SLANTED WALL.

LIVING AREA TO RIGHT OF FOYER AFTER CHANGES

OUR DAUGHTER ERIN VISITING IN THE FALL

So, I started my ideas for the entryway with how I felt when I entered my front door.  I felt bad about that window and we changed it!  Look for obvious eyesores that distract from the beauty of your home and find a way to change them.  Don't let the ugly things grab the attention of the one entering before they notice all of the other beauty that surrounds it.

At our house;  I was looking straight ahead into a foyer hallway that led into a kitchen area.  This kitchen entrance had a blank wall on the right and your eye followed it into a living room area that continued to a dining area.  To my left there was a smaller blank wall just inside  the doorway with a stairwell just past the entrance that led one downstairs and a hallway around the stairwell leading to upstairs bedrooms.  

I'm going to show that old photo again of the "before."  Note the ugly stair rail, the stairs that just look like a drop-off hole in the floor with a rail around them, the old worn out parquet flooring on the foyer floor just inside the door, and the beige carpet everywhere else.  Note the dingy yellow walls, the "blah" decor, the dark curtains and the floral furniture.  Notice how the doorway was stained to be so dark, along with the stair railings.  There is just NOTHING interesting about this entrance.  We began to slowly make changes.  We started with a fresh clean coat of white paint everywhere.  It opened up the rooms and made it much more cheerful.  The foyer side of the door was painted white, and that made a HUGE difference.  We took down the draperies, and we ripped up the old flooring.  

LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD IN FOYER AFTER CHANGES
NO PARTICULAR SEASON

New artwork and a sail boat for a summer foyer.

;;

Granddaughter playing on new floors.

I change this tiny area to the left of the entry door every season.  The new white paint makes almost any color I want to use work.  This was Valentine's Day and we were having a baby shower, hence, the Winnie the Phoo painting.

I kept thinking of where my eye fell when I walked inside.  On the right I could see a sunken living room with cathedral ceilings leading into  a dining area.  

THAT VIEW REMODELED AND DECORATED FOR THANKSGIVING.  THE ARTWORK ON THE BACK WALL WAS A CHANGE BECAUSE IT BECAME A NEW FOCAL POINT.  WE NEEDED TO MAKE IT LARGE, SO WE ACTUALLY COMBINED FOUR SIMILAR PAINTINGS INTO ONE MODERN ARRANGEMENT.  WE WENT FROM  AN OLD OUTDATED LOOK TO A MORE MODERN LOOK AND MIXED IN A FEW CLASSIC PIECES OF ART AND FURNITURE.  I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT REMODELING THE LIVING ROOM IN ANOTHER ARTICLE.  JUST WANTED YOU TO SEE PART OF THE VIEW FROM THE DOORWAY OF MY FOYER.  

IN THIS VIEW DECORATED FOR CHRISTMAS, NOTE THE PAINTINGS HANGING IN THE FOYER AND OVER THE STAIRWAY THAT WE ADDED FOR INTEREST.

IN THIS  VIEW DECORATED  FOR SUMMER,  NOTE THE CHANGE OF DECOR IN THE FOYER FOR THE SEASON.  THIS ALSO SHOWS HOW WE REMODELED THE STAIRS MORE AND THE CHANGE TO HARDWOOD FLOORS.  SEE HOW THINGS WERE LIGHTENED UP WITH THE WHITE DOOR, THE NEW PAINT AND THE LIGHTER, ALMOST NEUTRAL CURTAINS AND OF COURSE, THE WHITE SOFAS.

Originally all of the walls in the main part of the house were painted an out-dated dingy yellow color that did nothing to catch the rays of light coming into the room from the two long windows that flanked the moss rock fireplace.  My first thought after replacing the window wall was to eliminate the feeling of darkness and lighten up the room.   One day we even want to replace the mossrock fireplace with something lighter and more modern.   If you are do-it-yourselfers like us; it is good to tackle the things you can accomplish now and make a list of things to budget and plan for later.  That way, even after you become comfortable with living with your first and immediate changes, you won't forget the whole picture.  Taking your time about tackling the big projects is a good thing.  The longer you think about how you want them to work in your home, the better they become when you finally get around to crossing them off your list.  

There was an ugly outdated wagon-wheel chandelier hanging in the living room from the crossbeam.  I do not have a photo, but it was ancient!   It had to go!  It did not fit the lifestyle we were cultivating here.  We replaced it with a more modern ceiling fan.   One day we hope to replace the fan with a large new chrome light fixture in a modern style that matches the light fixture we added to the dining room area.  That is still on the bucket list, but making the transition to the affordable and more modern ceiling fan met our current needs and fit our budget too.   It was one simple inexpensive way to transition to the style we were trying to achieve.  That one little thing went a long way toward making the change of the mood in the room.

Originally, nothing spoke of peace and tranquility as you entered the front door.  We achieved a change by lightening things up and making them more modern.  Now things look light and airy and friendly when you walk inside.      

Nothing said welcome in.  We changed that fact by adding cheerful decor and using a better blend with the lighting, more modern decor and some new furniture.  

Nothing looked loved or cared for.  We changed that by painting, remodeling the stairwell, putting down the hardwood floors and changing some of the furniture, artwork and accessories.  

Originally, except for a few photos of the kids on the hall wall, there were no details that reflected the personalities of the homeowners.   None at all; just boring yellow paint and beige carpets.  Ugh!  Now our guests will notice we like art, enjoy the seasons and want to entertain people in our home.  The little things speak out for us now, where there was no conversation going on at first.  

ONE FALL DECORATING SCHEME WE HAVE USED.  

WE THOUGHT THE WINE GLASSES READY FOR USE ADDED TO THE WELCOME IN ATMOSPHERE.  WE USED THIS DECORATING SCHEME ONE THANKSGIVING.

Another thing to consider in remodeling a foyer is to look around for any obvious physical and safety problems.  

It is funny how the solution to your decorating problems sometimes turn out to be your best accomplishments.  These unique things often tend to  provide interesting focal points.  One practical change that turned out great in our foyer was the way we created a visual barrier between the foyer floor and the sunken great room/living room.  People were always stepping inside the front door and  not noticing that the floor to the living room was sunken one step down after you entered the foyer.  It was very typical for one to fall as they approached the living room/great room area.  This really bothered us!  We had to have a way to make people notice there was a step down into the sunken living area.  Those falls were getting embarrassing both for us and our guests!

The solution was quite simple actually.  I merely painted an old chest antique white and put it behind the sofa that had its back to the foyer.  The visual effect of seeing where the chest was on the floor  as you entered the foyer helped people to understand immediately that the floor of the great room living space was sunken.  No more guests falling down as they entered the living room!  That always helped our visitors to feel more at ease.  I was very happy about this simple, inexpensive little change.  Plus; the chest could be decorated and changed in a million little ways every season.  What fun!  It became a focal piece between the living room and the foyer.  I wrote about painting this old chest in another article and describe how I painted the chest antique white and the hardware for it was spray painted black.  The contrast added interest and it looked wonderful!  Now my daughters argue over who gets it after we pass on.  That will forever remain a mystery.  

PAINTED CHEST BEHIND SOFA WAS A BEAUTIFUL SOLUTION TO A SAFETY ISSUE.

ANOTHER FURNITURE ARRANGEMENT FOR CHRISTMAS TIME - WE HAVE SOME CHAIRS WE OFTEN  CHANGE WITH THE SEASONS.  KEEPS US FROM GETTING TIRED OF THE FURNITURE AND KEEPS GUEST WONDERING WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO NEXT, BECAUSE OUR HOUSE NEVER LOOKS THE SAME TO THEM, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE USING THE SAME STUFF OVER AND OVER TO DECORATE WITH, JUST ROTATING IT WITH THE CHANGING SEASONS.  THAT YEAR I USED ANGELS INSIDE THE FOYER WALL INSTEAD OF ASLAND (MY FAVORITE).

VIEW OF CHEST/SOFA TABLE DECORATED FOR CHRISTMAS.  FROM FOYER VIEW.

A LITTLE INTEREST JUST INSIDE THE FOYER DOOR LOOKS NICE, ESPECIALLY ON HOLIDAYS.  THIS PHOTO SHOWS THE STEP DOWN BETWEEN THE FOYER AND THE SUNKEN LIVING ROOM.

So where the eye fell on entering the foyer became more beautiful with a new wall space, and where the floor levels changed became safer and more welcoming by rearranging the furniture. 

MY GRANDSON IN FRONT OF OUR NEWLY PAINTED WHITE DOOR.  OF COURSE, HE WOULD MAKE ANYTHING LOOK NICE!
  

 Now in order to improve the foyer area more we needed to work on what happened in the space to the left of a person entering the house.  I wanted this  space to say "Welcome to our home" in some unique way.  I found an old, much used, but just the right size secretary at a moving sale.  We put it on the wall just inside the door to the left.  It has been very handy there and holds all the little odds and ends that everyone is always piling around, so it solved a clutter problem.  Now it is full of tacks, a hammer, a screwdriver, some pencils, pens, paper and crayons, nails, etc.  We don't have to go searching all over the house for tape or such things.  The little secretary neatly hides it all for us.    I decorate it  seasonally with something bright and eye-catching.  I have a different painting for each season that I hang above the secretary which sets the mood for the rest of my seasonal decorating.  I think these pieces work together to say "welcome" right away and they tend to create a more festive atmosphere.  No more blank yellow wall on the left of the door!  Mission accomplished in that area.  

SUMMER LOOK FOR FOYER SECRETARY.

DECOR WE USED  IN THE FOYER ON TOP OF THE SECRETARY  ONE ADVENT SEASON.

SECRETARY AT ENTRANCE ONE YEAR AT CHRISTMAS TIME.

HOW THE FOYER LOOKED BEFORE WE BEGAN TO REMODEL (EXCUSE THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES!)

Originally upon opening the front door everywhere I looked, my eyes fell on empty boring walls that needed painting and old worn out floors and ceilings.   When my eyes followed all the way through the view past the living room to the dining room everything looked out-dated and dull and dark.  When my eyes focused straight ahead from the front door they landed on an outdated kitchen that also looked too dark and needed light.  

When my eyes went to left just inside the door I noticed a broken down ugly stairway with worn out carpeting and no personality that gave a glimpse of an equally boring den below.

It was probably about seven years ago that we started all of these on-going changes.  We did not hire out the work; but did every inch of it ourselves in our spare time.  The ONE little thing we hired out was the installation of the granite counter tops in the kitchen.  We even installed the cabinets ourselves.   

We took  a few "before" pictures and studied them carefully.  We formed our vision for the future and made a plan.  Step by step the house slowly began to evolve from the entrance/foyer onward.  Once we thought it all through we began to see some sweet and pleasant changes.  These were things that the whole family loved and also things that were not very expensive, that we could handle doing by ourselves.  We were not trying to keep up with the Jones' or out-do all the home improvement programs on the internet; we were simply trying to make what we owned be the best it could be without going head-over-heels into debt.  We actually enjoyed working on these things and this bacame a hobby that we indulged in over the years instead of a hurry-up-and-finish stressor.  

If you are going to take this approach, I'll warn you it isn't for everyone.  You must be the kind of person who isn't ashamed to have company in the middle of a remodel, and one who knows how to go on with life as usual without missing a beat even if things aren't exactly perfect all the time.  Occasionally things are going to get VERY dusty.  You just learn to live with it and clean up after.   Living in a house where you are remodeling as you go will truly teach you some basic values about human relationships.  Those who still love to come over for a visit in the midst of this mess are those you want to keep around forever.  If they admire you for making lemonade out of lemons, they are friends who will be better than gold as you age.  I love sharing the progress of my life, no matter what state or stage it is in; so none of this bothered me too much.  If you are a total perfectionist; better to hire a contractor and pay for a quick, easy full-package deal!  

I also want to stress that fact that I have been blessed to be married to a man who can do anything with his tools.  He has met every remodeling challenge and his construction skills have been amazing.  He also knows a lot about the electrical and mechanical working of a house.  On my own, none of this could have been accomplished.  We have made a great remodeling team; with his mind and my energy it has all been slowly but surely coming together; and we have the aching backs and bones to prove it!

With that said; the simple little changes we made took a LOT of time and elbow grease.  It took a lot of patience as we lived with things out of order for several days, sometimes even for years, while we built a new stairwell, added hardwood floors, redesigned a kitchen and updated and changed the slanted living room wall.  We removed popcorn ceilings too when we painted.  That was a LOT of work!  We changed some furniture and obtained some carefully chosen artwork.  

Crossing over from carpet to hardwood floors really made a difference.  The old carpet came up and the hardwood went down.  We measured, bought hardwood and hauled it home, rented a hammer gun and a nail gun (I'm against gun control, especially if you are remodeling) and started pulling up the old carpets.  We nailed down loose and creaky sub-flooring.  No more creaking!  

We covered the floor surfaces with builders felt.   We laid and nailed each board using the proper equipment one at a time.  I brought the boards into the room and my husband nailed them down.  We worked like an assembly line.  Then we made a lot of dust sanding everything.   At least we had the forethought to cover the furniture, and/or remove it from the areas we were sanding.  We rented a sander from the hardwood store.  We stained the floors after sanding and cleaning and covered them with a polyurethane finish.  We planned a few days somewhere else while the floor stain and finish dried.  It looked awesome!  Such a change!  It really cheered us up and we were able to do it all ourselves without paying anyone!

Now standing in my doorway my eyes fell on hardwood floors instead of stained carpets.  The clean, modern, stylish new floors led into a newly renovated kitchen (another article for another day.)  

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THE ONCE DREARY HALLWAY NOW LOOKED MODERN AND ELEGANT.  

The next thing we tackled was the ugly staircase in the foyer hallway .  We took out the plain old  carpeted staircase and  completely replaced it with sturdier and firmer boards.  When the skeleton was built we added the newly stained treads (to match the hardwood floors) and the white rails around them with a stained railing topping them off.  We trimmed out the stairwell area with sheet rock and molding and painted it all a crisp, clean white.  We added the newel posts and the railing around the opening from the upstairs to the downstairs den.  The newel posts were previously stained to match the stain on the hardwood floors.)   We placed spindles we painted white evenly under the new stained hand-rails.  This was a drastic change and it looked great!  Everything suddenly seemed so fresh and new.  The old rustic stairwell now seemed more modern and looked much more elegant.  The details that had been boring before took on a new personality and a perfectly charming look.  The new stairwell added a lot of character to the look of the foyer.  

Eventually we painted and trimmed all the walls around the staircase white. 

Now things were certainly looking a lot better when we first stepped inside the front door! 

To my left I now could see a welcoming painting and a cozy little secretary decorated for the current season.  

If I followed my eye further to the left I saw a pretty modern stairwell and nice new stair railings that matched the newly installed hardwood floors.  

Beyond that I saw a newly painted hallway with two strategically placed oil paintings.   All three paintings in the upstairs hallway are of trees.  We wanted people to get the feeling they were entering a forrest.  The white paint gave the once dark hallway a feeling of light and added a lot more cheerfulness.  The hardwood floors worked so much better in this hallway.  

PORTABLE BAR DECORATED FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Now when my eyes looked straight ahead from the foyer I saw a white framed doorway that opened into a modern kitchen with a solid wall to the right of it.  The ugly square window has now  been covered, and all anyone sees from the foyer is a normal slanted wall between the living area and the dining area.  Leading into this new wall  area was a space furnished with a portable bar.  It now shows off some carefully chosen classic artwork which is  framed in black to match the frames of the artwork in the rest of the upstairs living spaces.  
This new piece of art was plaaced over the bar area as another focal point when entering the foyer.

This portable bar was a good purchase because it gave us some space for storing dishes for the dining area.  We had no room for a china cabinet in that area, and the portable bar filled the bill for storage as well as being available to serve as a bar when needed.  

The portable bar always decorates nicely for Christmas too. 

PEOPLE LOVE OUR NEW STAIRS ENOUGH TO HANG OUT ON THEM..... THEY OFTEN GET CONFUSED FOR JUST ANOTHER PART OF THE FURNITURE!

TWO SLEEPY HEADS PLAYING ON THE NEW STAIRS.

Looking down from the foyer area in new stairwell.

If I now stepped inside my front doorway I would find if I looked directly to my right I could see a whole new living room with modern (no more popcorn) cathedral ceilings, a nice fan and hardwood floors. 

 I could easily tell that the foyer floor and the living room floor were different levels as my eye followed the sunken living room on into a step up again to an open dining area.  

The long wall of the living room and dining room now had appropriately sized and more modern styles of art work.  This new art had become one more focal point upon entering the foyer that had been improved.

The redesigned stairwell made a huge difference, both to the upstairs area of the house as well as the downstairs area.  (You would be amazed at the stories those stairs could tell if they could talk.)  What a busy pathway in the home they are!  The painting over the upstairs hallway just above the stair-railed enclosure added some new interest.  It cheerfully filled a once long blank space in the hall.

THESE DAYS I TYPICALLY CHANGE THE FOYER RUG EVERY SEASON.  THIS IS A RUG I USED

 ONE JULY 4TH.

Once these changes began to evolve and take shape, I started using the front door of the house again because it just made me feel good when I came inside the house after work!  It is amazing what a few simple changes can do for your attitude toward your home.   

Now a living area that was once dull and uninviting has turned into a warmer place full of light, peace, harmony and love.  We now have  a place that says:  "Please come further inside our door and get to know our family a little better!"

NEW HARDWOOD FLOORS SHOWN IN THIS PHOTO WHICH WAS TAKEN ONE SPRING BEFORE WE ADDED THE AREA RUG AND IN A TIME WHEN I WAS USING ANOTHER OLD CHEST THAT I SOMETIMES LIKE TO USE AS A COUCH TABLE.   (IT MAY GET A NEW COAT OF PAINT ONE DAY TOO.)  I KIND OF LIKE THE UNCLUTTERED LOOK OF THE NAKED FLOORS HERE, BUT I EVENTUALLY OPTED FOR THE AREA RUG.  NOW THAT WE HAVE WHITE WALLS AND HARDWOOD FLOORS, I LOVE A LITTLE SPLASH OF YELLOW, SUCH AS THE ROSES DISPLAYED  IN THIS ROOM.  

As you can see from the photo above, Olivia was a great help with our decorating decisions.  She is constantly re-arranging our work and changing things up a bit!

THIS SHOWS HOW WE USED A FAIRLY NEUTRAL YET COLORFUL AREA RUG TO ANCHOR THE LIVING ROOM.  IT ALSO HELPS PEOPLE TO SEE THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FLOORING FROM THE FOYER TO THE LIVING AREA.

Now I love stepping inside our foyer! 

I hope our guests feel the same way when they cross our threshold and enter our home.  

We want everyone to feel welcomed and at ease.  Hopefully these changes have gone a long way to accomplish this.

Even though we live in an older home without the elaborate fancy new architectutre and designs of some of our more affluent friends; we feel we have managed to create a livable and  cozy place in which we can entertain our friends and family as well as relax and enjoy any down time we manage to find in our busy careers.  We feel blessed and happy to see our home take on it's own unique charm, and style.  It has been worth the work - which by the way - is ever on-going.    

In the words of Dorothy; "There's no place like home!"