Very nice job shown right now. I might remove the green bowl, but I love the rest. Can you get one more basket? If not, how about one more pile of books with darker covers???

Better - no bowl, and bribe hubby to rehang the mirror vertically!

I love having a vertical accent to complement the angle of the stairs behind the table. What about something like this:

All of that new stuff is from my family room bookshelves & mantle! Thanks everyone.

Love how you shopped your home....now you get to keep going with that domino game and fix up where you 'stole' from. And seriously? That is a fun thing to do this time of year....and the credit card loves it, too.

I have to say, I think Carolin's picture with that beautiful olive tree and the mirror hung vertically looked so right. It made the table looked anchored and important. I like balancing out the other side with the rule of three, either hurricane lanterns, fat candles or a combo.

I liked carolins pic too but I am afraid of putting a large fake olive tree there? I know some people say fake is ok and some absolutely hate it! I don't like the maintenance of real though! I do not have green thumb.

I do have a green thumb. I also have a beautiful silk ficus tree in an area of my family room that does not get enough sun for a real one. I love the way it softens the corner of the room and I have received a lot of compliments on it. I buy fresh flowers when people come to dinner, but right now I have a terrible crush on the silk sunflowers I saw at Pottery Barn last week. I kind of know they are going to end up on my hall table during the times when I don't have fresh flowers in the house. Fake is ok when it is well done. Have you ever had a pair of cubic zirconia earrings that you just loved to wear because you got compliments and who cares if they aren't real? Same thing!

Why can't you place a real plant on the table- trim some greenery from your garden, an orchid like I suggested, or a real olive plant? You can do it....people are so threatened by real greens and plants. They just require watering once weekly, and they really make a room. If you look through many pictures on Houzz, you will notice real plants, fresh flowers, and orchids. Much easier than caring for a pet or baby. lol!!!

General idea of where you live????

central Illinois. Where would i even buy a live olive plant right now? I would have to look around a store for a fake olive plant b/c I wouldn't want to buy from Ballard Designs and have to pay return shipping if I do not like it.

I like having a low-wattage lamp on my foyer table. It is on a timer from dusk to about midnight. Sometimes it ends up being the only light on and helps navigate the open floor plan.
You have a beautiful foyer space to play with.

Go to a local nursery and let them help you find a low-maintenance live plant.

You could probably find something similar to the fake olive tree at HomeGoods. If not this week, then next. That place changes inventory like New England changes weather. I love that about them. A tall, nicely made, silk topiary would give you the height that Carolin showed in her picture depicting your mirror hung vertically. It just looked so right.

I get like that about buying stuff from places where I have to pay shipping to return or re-stocking fees.

Don't buy a fake plant. They just collect dust! Like decoenthusiaste recommended-go to a local nursery or your local grocery will have low-maintenance plants. Home Depot and Lowes also have a great selection of indoor plants that require weekly watering.

A tall vase with one branch from the garden will have the same effect. It will give height and will still be airy.

I like the picture you posted sgoody17. You mentioned a wire basket and a great idea. As far as what to put inside, I think some colored glass balls would look really nice. Adding color is exactly what you need to do at this point.

(I have colored Apples, green, red and clear glass)

I would try a few places like Pottery Barn, Pier 1 Imports and Amazon.

Your house. Do what is comfortable for you. I love my healthy, non straggly real plants. I love my high end, non tacky silk plants (which, you are right,have to be dusted or the look awful!). Everyone's home could benefit with a little illusion of bringing the outside in. Everyone's home could use a slight touch of landscaping. I think we all agree on this point.

In my opinion, Caroline brought something really beautiful into the mix with that picture. The proportion and composition looked extremely right to me. Your table and mirror took on an importance that is what I look for in my home. It is YOUR home. Do what looks lovely to you, and it will be lovely. You have such a nice beginning that is a true reflection of your good taste.

I said Caroline, I meant Carolin. Sorry. Never pays to post in a hurry.

I really like what you did (with the lantern) and jugs. Looks good to me.

@Maggie Andersen, thanks, but I honestly didn't mind :-)

Ok so I am back! My husband changed the direction of the mirror. What do you think? Also, I bought 2 more items. What do you think of the lantern (need to put candles in it) or the lamp? I stacked them on books to give more height (I know I need to find better books/box to stack on). These were just from our office. Maybe leather bound books or some old ones from my grandma's house! Also, I had to bring the jugs back to the store b/c the lady let me have them on "loan" to try out. I wasn't ready to purchase b/c I cannot return them, but Carolin - do you think you can add them into these 2 new pics of mine on the right hand side? That would be awesome b/c I have no idea how to do it! Oh and I called 2 local nurseries and no one has olive trees in right now :(

If Grandma would give you some books, that would be great! Bigger ones will be perfect to give the desired height.

While I love lanterns, I think the lamp would be practical, functional and still beautiful decor in this space.

Hubby gets a huge hug for turning the mirror for you! How nice!

I would still like to see the two little plants in the white pots somewhere here.

Hi. I liked where you were going with the greenery at first. I thought you could add something like the indoor greenhouse box to the top, and bring the two potted plants up as well. Then I thought you could stack some gardening books (whatever you're into) on the lower shelf or set them upright and secure with interesting book ends. I also thought you might try a rug to incorporate a bit more color. I thought you could move the wood bowl up as well. It would be functional for keys, mail, etc. Good luck!

The mirror looks very nice hung in that orientation. I like the lantern better than the lamp. It has simpler lines and better proportions for this grouping. I like it setting on the books. Two rope-like, rectangular, deep baskets, side by side, on the bottom shelf would add weight to anchor the look, provide storage and look uncluttered. Rope look baskets would have the same degree of rustic as the lantern.

I like the lamp...I think the shape and design works better with mirror.

I'll photoshop the white jugs in these new pics, so you can kind of get an idea how it would look. But for some reason I feel they won't work with either the lantern or the lamp. I could be wrong though :-)
I think the lantern is beautiful, but I love the lamp there. Its round shape relates to the round shapes on the drawers and the squares mimic the squares in the mirror. Perfection! At least in my eyes :-)

Have to walk the dogs first, will be back later :-)

Put some low greenery in this time. And the jugs look pretty good, so I was wrong. Don't tell my husband. I need to keep up the illusion that I'm always right :-)

Forgot to say that I'm glad your husband could be persuaded to turn the mirror. Looks much better this way. Well done husband!

How would the jugs with the blue look with the lamp? Or a really nice orchid as suggested earlier?

What about a bowl of dried hydrangeas? You stated you did not want real plants and were skeptical of fakes. These are neither living, nor are they fake. You said you like white. They could be pretty with a blue and cream plate standing up in a plate stand as a background.

What do you guys think of this scenario (my pic just has sample stuff to give the idea)......lamp on left, 2 white lanterns on the right of different sizes and shorter than the lamp (similar to pottery barn shown here), and small greenery by the lamp, and then there is still some space in the middle so I can add something small with color (not these flowers I have there now, but you get the idea). Then these woven baskets on the bottom or the wire baskets? Too much stuff?? I tried the blue/white vases there from my earlier picture and they were too small now that the mirror is turned.

Maggie- hydrangeas are my favorite flower and I actually tried standing a plate up earlier put didn't post a pic - here it is now. I realize everything is the same height and something needs to be changed, but just trying stuff out.

You are sooooo close to perfection, don't you think? You have such a great eye and so many of your ideas are wonderful. I just worry about the top being too full. I do like the pic you took with the lantern and the greenery added........love the yellow, too, but then it makes the whole surface full, as does the candle by the lantern. How about both greeneries snuggled together by the lamp and then just the lantern on the other end? What does that look like?

The bottom.......another tough one as love wicker and wire baskets. So it depends.....what would you put in them? Things that you would want to see, as in the wire ones, or hidden things to go in the wicker.

I like the lamp on books on the left. I like the big lantern on right. I do not care for the three little things in the middle. I think a better composition would be one medium sized thing that links the two big things. A shallow basket, bowl or tray with low sides in the middle would bridge the gap between the two other objects and be more in scale with them. It would look like it has a function, like holding mail or keys.

A square shape for what I listed above would look good.

I love the picture where you have the lamp on the left and the lantern on the right. I think it's perfect.

I do like the addition of the lamp. You might find that you actually DO enjoy the soft glow (use a low watt bulb) in the entryway. It's welcoming and comforting. :)

Carolin has nailed it with her suggestions! Turning the mirror was the perfect solution to add height & proportion. Adding just a FEW pieces on top adds warmth & interest. Simplicity!! One long rectangular woven basket on the bottom shelve might give you additional warmth and give the piece some weight. The final touch would be your rug - something to anchor the area. Can't wait to see your final pic.

a few of you have mentioned a rug? where would you put it? Out in front of the piece or underneath the piece. I do have an entry rug at my front door which is where I am standing when I take these pics so it is only steps from this piece we are trying to decorate.
I think I am going to do the lamp stacked on books on left, a white lantern on right (just need to find one now!) and then search for a nice bowl with some color for the center and that is it for the top. I am going to try find some woven baskets for underneath.
Will post again soon! Thanks everyone for the help.
next - the top of my kitchen cabinets!

what do you all think of these baskets with the blankets? Do they need to be wider? Not sure what to put in the other basket.
Still searching for a white lantern, books for under lamp and something for top middle with color.

LOVE the baskets and great job on the display there!!! Very fitting for an entry. The other could just be for storage....magazines??? Folded throws.

They look great. I love that the warmth of the color of the baskets...it adds a nice contrast to all the cool colors. Your done! If you find a pretty clear glass decorative bowl, I would add that to the center of table to keep your keys, sunglasses, etc. Pier 1 always has pretty finds. We love using ours.

Your last picture is nice sgoody. Just add something in the middle that is small, perhaps a wire basket with a few colorful items in it and you are set!

I would add a stack (maybe of 3) different sized hardcover books. Maybe some great design books. You can place a decorative box on top of them. Best of luck!

I think your mirror is not going good along with any of the items you have tried so far. You had good stuff but try them without the mirror.

Some ideas, last pic just add silver frames