Sometimes the quick and easy projects can feel just as satisfying as the big and complicated ones. I've got a quick makeover to share with you today!


One thing I disliked about our last house was the small entryway. It was crowded, dark, and felt cramped if you had more than two people at the door. And while the entryway in this house isn't grand, I jumped at the opportunity to create an entry that was much more welcoming, well-lit, and functional.

First task was to find furnishings in keeping with our style. The rug above was a last minute purchase when we staged our last house for sale. I'm not really fond of it but it did the job and kept our floors clear of snow. This being winter, it would also be handy to have a piece of furniture near the front door to store hats and mitts and drop keys.


The lights in the entry and down the hallway also needed replacing. I wanted to have similar lighting in these areas because they were in close proximity and you could see both while standing at the doorway.

Design by Lauren Liess

I was really inspired by what Lauren did in her last home. Instead of the typical recessed potlights, she chose to use rows of flush mount lights in the kitchen. I love how the black fixtures contrast with the white ceiling and bring dimension to a flat surface.






A few simple changes and now we have an entryway that I love. The lights were provided by my friends at Bellacor and are exactly what I wanted. Usually you'll put a large fixture in the foyer but I wanted this light in particular to be understated. As you can see, we don't have much room between the front door and the stairs and I thought a large chandelier would be too grand for the space.

Side note for Canadian readers: I had the lights shipped from the US which can always be tricky. Duties, taxes - you never know what the final cost will be. BUT, I came across an amazing service that got these lights shipped across the border for less than $10 Canadian!! More on that soon ;)





I find shopping for lights to be challenging. It's easy to find a style you love but judging how much light it will cast is very hard to discern. This fixture was such a pleasant surprise: the interior of the light is a white gloss metal. Because of that, it reflects the light downward into the space really nicely. Looking upwards into it, the bulb disappears against the white and you don't have that blinding hot spot you usually see when you look into a light. This is a single 60 watt bulb in case you were curious.


I'm really happy to have a proper drop zone at the front door now. This 3 drawer cabinet provides room to store my purse and our winter gear. I wanted a dark cabinet to stand out against the white moulding and the furniture-like details of this piece suit our traditional decor. The black handles tie in nicely with the oil rubbed bronze of the light fixtures too.


Black and white accents are turning into a favourite around here. This rug is nice and soft and the pile isn't too high that it gets caught under the front door. It does a good job of hiding the dirt and absorbing the snow from our boots at this time of year.



I've been wanting a federal mirror ever since I left one behind at the Christie antique fair two years ago. This one was a lucky find on eBay Canada. It was an imperfect and inexpensive plastic model in a faux bronze finish which I spray painted with my favourite gold paint, Design Master Premium Metals Gold Medal. I kept the rest of the accessories simple: an enamel tray from West Elm, a milk glass vase from the thrift store, and faux peonies.