You are living in a big house now..move to bigger pieces of furniture and art. The mirror should be a mix between a mirror and a great piece of art. And please, accesorize!!! Don't be shy with colors.

Hi MovieManiax,
I wish I could draw a sketch for you. I can appreciate the joys of raising children and still wanting style in your home. Your dilemma brings so many visions to my head. I wonder if you have ever gone into an antique store looking for a butler's bench. I may have the name wrong, but the piece incorporates a cushioned bench (which could be a splash of colour pulled from your area rug), storage for outerwear under the seating, a frame work with hooks for hats and coats, and a panel backing that could easily frame your mirror. Some I have seen with a shelf on top as well for which you could add some softer touches of colour. Is there a possibility of wiring in a chandelier to hang in the center of your foyer, bringing the extra light downwards and balancing the woods with metal and glass, as it seems you have done in the near by rooms? Have some fun too - it is a family home, not just a showpiece.
Wendy, Iconic Inspirations; Alberta, Canada

HI -- You need bigger and more. Much bigger mirror in a darker frame - floor mirror size . And if you keep the bench then you need a side table and more decor like paintings or framed prints. And something live like a plant or flowers. Even a faux potted orchid or real. Don't worry about the wall space above 8 ft. height.

Mirror in the entry is bad fengshui. I'd remove it, replace it with a large painting with a gold or silver frame that goes with the decor. Also add a table with a small drawer for keys and mail, right of the bench. Add a single narrow vase without anything it it.

The mirror is too small, but the real culprit here is the bench. I feel it is a couple/few feet too small. It is so hard to design by photos, but if you must keep the bench, I would slide it over to the right a bit, put a tall-ish round side table to the left of it, put a tall mirror on the right (as in 6 feet, and even with kids you can anchor it to the wall so it wont fall), or a series of prints going up vertically, and you will be balanced and scaled properly. Also, I have studied feng shui a bit, and If I remember, a mirror is only detrimental if it is FACING the front door, as to bounce the chi back out the door.

Marie....some great suggestions and photo inspirations!

I would replace the bench; it is too short. That sets everything else up to be wrong.

Just thinking of the comment about adding personality to the space as Marie Hebson noted above.

For example: My foyer has only an eight foot ceiling, and is about 8 by 10 ft, but I have a gallery wall with four of my favorite pieces of art, a small desk from grannie's, with a basket full of books underneath from places we have traveled, and a bench beside it. Over my door is a 4 ft. cut out old metal sign that says, "No Problem".

There needs to be more YOU there. Is there an antique piece of furniture somewhere that deserves a spot? Frame up old family photos, kids' art, etc. add something unexpected that will make you (and guests) smile!

Does wallpaper behind the larger vertical mirror w/sconces and a bit larger scale bench appeal at all?

Perhaps you could add wainscoting to the foyer as it appears you have in the other room. It would add visual interest without getting in the boys way. For fun you could paint the boys hands with a silver or pewter paint and press onto a good quality paper,then have them sign their name. Matte with a gray and frame in silver to match the mirror. Hang each to the right of the mirror. I would remove the pillow as it is not needed and visually distracting. I too thought a chandelier would be nice. Enjoy the boys- they grow up so fast!

How about this one.

The smaller mirror and bench make the entry look smaller and the walls taller. To add a bit of drama, how about a Large tree decal on the wall behind the mirror. Then rotate the mirror to the vertical position and hang in front of the tree. It will add drama, but not clutter! Plus, it will tie in your other colors.

What a fabulous feed... so nice to see people sharing so many brilliant ideas. Agree with Christine on the large bold mirror...make a reall statement. Convex lense is super-effective at optimising spaces as it pulls in the much more of the room in the reflection.

either a large bold round mirror with a decorative frame and a console table underneath or a nice grouping of artwork with the console table underneath. I like a vase with flowers in the center of the console for a pop of color and a few smaller items like family pictures around it in snazzy frames. If you go with artwork above the table, perhaps something a little less bold than flowers should go in the vase, perhaps something grassy or branchy.

either a large bold round mirror with a decorative frame and a console table underneath or a nice grouping of artwork with the console table underneath. I like a vase with flowers in the center of the console for a pop of color and a few smaller items like family pictures around it in snazzy frames. If you go with artwork above the table, perhaps something a little less bold than flowers should go in the vase, perhaps something grassy or branchy.

either a large bold round mirror with a decorative frame and a console table underneath or a nice grouping of artwork with the console table underneath. I like a vase with flowers in the center of the console for a pop of color and a few smaller items like family pictures around it in snazzy frames. If you go with artwork above the table, perhaps something a little less bold than flowers should go in the vase, perhaps something grassy or branchy.

LOVE the space and see why you (and others) are perplexed and have great ideas. I personally love the idea of a thin hall table with interesting tableau. The mirror on it's side with portraits of the family are just plain awesome ideas. Those 2 kids ... pictures on the table or on the wall to greet folks. A family portrait. You and your mates parents photos, and more generations back are fun to add in. Becomes a family tree. People stop and check in there. A long table with legs far apart means you could slide your bench under in case you need/want available seating or a pair of chairs on either side of a smaller sized table would be great. Pair of sconces ... great! Can do it without electrician if need be by using the electrical tape that thinly applies current in a srtip on the wall. Can spackle, sand and paint over. OR even easier ... tall dramatic pair of table lamps. Seasons ... change out the table top. Sort of a never static spot. Leaning pix or art work on the table top can really be fun! Local artist's work or art or photos of places that you and your family love or have been to ... put there! Live plants or terrarium is neat too instead of fresh flowers (that can be messy) put ontop of glazed saucers or old plates and then ontop of coasters keeps the table top free of water damage. It is about personalizing the place. I think that is what is missing in your foyer entrance. A feeling of you and your family. What you are about. Sometimes it takes time to figure what that is ... but coming to this project with a sense of fun and fearlessness is essential. Design isn't about getting it right for others ... it is about getting it right for YOU! Loosening up on your own fears of making a mistake is just the hardest thing to do sometimes. Adding a clock is helpful in the entry along with a spot to feel like it is OK to put things down if it is a tall urn to throw umbrellas in or classy hooks on the wall to hang wet coats/sweaters/bags ... you are on your way! Take the mirror and bench, run out of the area and play around ... put on fun music and get a baby sitter ... give yourself permission to express yourself!

an entry can be a challenge. i believe it is the piece of furniture which throws this off. it has a concave feeling and might be too small, as well, so it does something to the space which negates the effect of the mirror no matter how it is hung. i like the idea of a minimalist entry...

Yes, I agree with turning the mirror so it is vertical. The sconces are a great idea as well. So would a tall green floor plant to the right of the bench. Add another pillow maybe in a contemporary leaf green color.

That massive wall provides a great opportunity for a dramatic entry. Consider wallpaper, stencil or adhesive wall mural.

Your entry needs personality...... I love the bench but honestly it's just not the proper size. I agree with the other posts a long table would be beautiful. Tuck printed stools under and create a visual vignette on the surface. The wall is a great place for a huge mirror or a grouping of black and white pix of your children.......

how about a wall of pictures or nice painting

I note the banding of the cat walk could be used for a 6 or 7 piece crown look connection the walkway band to the front door. This would dress up the entrance and reduce the visual scale of the pieces selected for the wall. A vertical mirror with two side lights would provide up light.t

How about hiring a muralist to paint the entire wall?

Do it in soft colors. Make the subject a place that holds a lot of meaning to you: some hillside, an old family home somewhere, harbor, spot hubby proposed?

Just saw a home a couple of months ago (girls' trip to Italy! Winemaker's home!) and the entire living room wall that you saw when you entered, was a mural: the scene was of a beach with the wife and their two small boys sitting on the sand and wife looking out to sea. (husband had been in navy, away for long periods). Lots of meaning!

I would hang a very large mirror with an arched top, which will capture the curve on the second floor. If you can reflect the entire image of your bench (hanging it low) and capture the image of the room opposite, you will have accomplished expanding the foyer visually, pumping up the size of the bench and having a good reflection of the room. Everything is angular except that curve up above, so to come back with an arch is a great way to soften and expand your space.

Big huge piece of artwork, (painting), on that wall (starting a few inches above the base molding from the floor and going above the white doors (height-wise) that are pictured on the left. And I'm talking a large piece. Maybe a chair to the left of it, slightly turned towards the door. You could add a small table with a lamp or floral arrangment slightly to the right of the chair. I realize the boys are an issue, but artwork, a chair and table shouldn't be too much of an issue. They make some very nice metal containers for florals, and lamps for that matter, so if it did get knocked over, wouldn't break like glass or ceramic and shouldn't hurt the children either.
The bench is lovely, but it looks like it would be better somewhere else.
And I agree with what one person said above....personalize it! It's your homey!!!!

an arm chair....had to add that, because I don't won't you to think of a small armless chair when I mentioned that! :)

sorry I'm an artist and dingbat sometimes...if you can't find a piece of artwork you like, hire a professional artist to paint a big beautiful mural on that wall. You could even have them incorporate your children into the mural scene somehow. Maybe put the mirror you have on the opposite side of the entry by the front door, on the smaller wall space!
The possibilities are endless!

The scale is what needs to change. That space calls for something quite large. I like both the idea of the oversized mirror leaning (these can also be attached to the wall so they won't fall even though they look like they are just propped up.) or the oversized art piece. I would love to see some bold color. As I am a muralist, I can't negate the ideas of those above who also mentioned that possibility. There are SOOOO many ways to personalize with a custom mural. Instead of a figural mural, you could do an abstract one or a framed wild faux finish. That would not fall off if you created a molding on the wall and would hold up to boys being boys. Another option would be to have a mirror reverse painted and mounted to the wall. That would give you both your mirror and a piece of art.

Here is the mural I was writing about, just for an idea.

This picture on Houzz is exactly what I was thinking for the space. Look at the art behind the table!

is there a second floor overlooking this space? if so, I would mirror the entire wall up to the bottom of the second floor and all a frame board at the top the same size as the second floor to separate it. on the wall above (on the second floor level) I suggest large pieces of art or photographs. This will give the grandeur you need as well as some much needed light. Keep us posted as you progress; we would love to see photos! :)

is there a second floor overlooking this space? if so, I would mirror the entire wall up to the bottom of the second floor and all a frame board at the top the same size as the second floor to separate it. on the wall above (on the second floor level) I suggest large pieces of art or photographs. This will give the grandeur you need as well as some much needed light. Keep us posted as you progress; we would love to see photos! :)

Oh my goodness I LOVE all the suggestions.....lots of talent here on this board. Ok who wants to come shopping with me now, lol! Thank you all for posting pictures too....just beautiful. I am chicken about design and color (lack of self confidence) and a bit burnt out as we designed and built this all and I made SO MANY decisions.....we've been in here nine months now and I only just order a mailbox and address plaque! Burnt out......I think that's why I just stuck the mirror up there and am just now getting to decorating with art. I have to sit down and focus on reading all these wonderful comments. I love them all!

I am still pushing for the round mirror. My other why is because based on your photos, you already have two oversized doorways, the squared off entry to the other room, the huge square windoe and you need to break up all that...squareness. Ok smack me, it the end of the day. If you did things like a mural (which is a lovely idea and I am NOT knocking it) in just that area it would look whack. But you could do twisted burch branches in two lovely pots on both sidelites of your entry door. They have height so it would create a little za-za by the doors. The entry rug should be much longer and flow to the edge of the closed white double doors. That way you define the space in question. Then you need to really consider the advice from the other houzzers here. Alot of it is really sound. That bench needs to be re-purposed (foot of the bed maybe in a guest room) and you can make a nice statement with the placement in the area in question. Have you also considered a bolder entry way chandelier. One that hangs lower. I know many folks who live with a entry window like yours want to see the light but if you get a statement piece chandelier and wrap the cord from ceiling to fixture in a gold or silver velvet and then POW with the fixture you would really get it all going on.

Ok, you aren't knocking the mural, but, "It would look whack"? Sounds like a knock to me. But hey, I also put out the idea of a large mirror and large art. But I think mural would look good too. And couldn't beat the personal touch!

In the end, the poster will do what works for her in the space, and perhaps take the other ideas to other spots in their home!

Haven't caught up on the posts, but saw one that mentioned a "leaning" mirror. NO, NO, NO!!! Your very large mirror must be hung and it needs to be a height that meets up with doors and openings, AND it must be hung just above the baseboard, and it needs to be wide enough to capture a full picture of what lies ahead. Your foyer is very narrow. That will not change except whatever illusion you create in its stead.

Surely you have made a decision by now, but just in case, I'll add my two cents. I agree, pull the rug down so that both front legs of the bench are on the rug or go w a smaller rug. Also, love the mirror but w ceilings that high and beautiful it does look a little lost, you might go w another mirror just like the one you have and put it above the one you have. This take up alot of space and is a great look. Your home is beautiful!

I agree that this area is your chance to set the stage for the rest of your house--let its personality shine. If you replace the bench I suggest that the upholstery be a color from the rug or the adjoining room.

Now for the more practical questions and suggestions: Are the doors to the right of the bench to the guest coat closet? (I assume that you live somewhere that people wear coats sometimes and that these coats need to be hung or somehow taken care of.) If so, then will folks have to walk with their wet boots to this closet--assuming that you have rain or snow sometimes. Is the rug up to this? I think that your entry could use some more practical items--an umbrella stand, a table or shelf for guests to park their purses, hats, and maybe books that you are lending them. My daughter is a frequent guest at our house so I have reserved a basket in our entry in which I place items for her such as magazines to share or newspaper clippings. I also use the area next to the basket if someone else will be visiting and I have something for them--it could be just their dish from the last pot-luck. The idea is to have a place for people to put their stuff when they enter and also for you to put things that they will take away when they leave.

ah ... like the initial posters honesty ... burned out as planned and designed the whole thing. Been there months and just getting to the actual move in. I find the switch button from "architectural overseer" to "interior designer" is HUGE! Goes from macro to micro management. And I understand that. Interior designers and experienced home owners who deal just with interior design, a.k.a. decorating do approach this part of the process with more freedom/abandon. You dealt with a whole lot and just being exhausted from it is not only understandable but actually normal! Your strength has been the whole house. Now it is time to break things down into smaller pieces but with understanding of views from your open floor planning. Again ... I share that personalizing the entry is the kick off spot and one of the hardest spaces to deal with. I am not a fan of murals. They are a huge investment, permanent and if you ever have to sell your home will most likely need to be painted over as it is not embraced by most buyers. It is your family, your children, your mate that was the inspiration for creating the floor plan and designing the home. The entry is where you transfer this intent. Scale is the determining factor to make sense of the space and deal with the architecture that it requires. Don't be afraid of a larger mirror. If you want one to be available to you and guests to check themselves then a round CONVEX mirror is not for you as it totally distorts the image. A round traditional mirror ... does. If you want personality in furniture find an antique or curbside find. It will accent the cleverness already inside you. Do something unique like you. Not every person can do what you have done already. How about an antique shutter on it's side with a cut piece of glass on top of it and salvaged balasters or corbels holding it up. The corbels would visually keep the area OPEN because you will see floor space. Or put something totally unexpected in there like an antique/repurposed dining room hutch, paint the back of it with a pop of color like eggplant or turqouise and fill the shelves with photos of your children/family and add books that are interesting/you love or are seasonal subjects. You can put pairs of lamps on the bureau top area of it or plop an interesting lamp or 2 on it's top. If it has drawers then stencil big numbers on the front. Or do your own distressed painting on the drawers. Yuo Tube has tons of videos on how to do it. Hang a big mirror from one of it's shelves. In the summer, fill it with seashells and beach finds, pale glass bottles, drift wood, clam metal baskets, etc. In the fall, fill it with woven baskets of miniature gourds and pumpkins, crow sculptures, antique boots. In the winter; collections of snowmen, sleighs, photos of previous family winter holidays going generations back. Spring; collections of bird houses or nests, bird cages, or garden sculptures. It's adding the permission slip for you to have fun now and not worry about making mistakes is just what you need ... so do it for yourself. You are asking for help, so it is time. You sleeked everything down .. now it is time to fill it up.
As Genevive Gorder says ... add soul to your home. See what plays well with the other. And I found gathering together like items and then putting them out as a collection speaks meaningful volumes. Your best collection: your family!

Yes, to above. I love to change out the items on the bench and desk that are in my foyer. Just a few quick swap outs (as outlined above) will celebrate all sorts of times.

This response is to pcmom1 - "Ok, you aren't knocking the mural, but, "It would look whack"? Sounds like a knock to me."

I just read your post and I am sorry if I offended you. I should have clarified my "Whack" statement. I too have a long wall (almost 40 feet) and when I was trying to put something together by my entry way I put up small frame moulding and then papered inside of it. I did that for about an 11 foot section thinking it would make my entry area stand out and in the end I put all this work into that 11 feet of space and the rest looked totally ignored and in reflection it was a bad decision on my part to not have considered the entire long wall, the stairs the furniture, the wood stain color, the mouldings the rugs... All of it. So I was speaking purely from experience and given that moviemaniaxx has what seems to be a pretty voluminous space I was only thinking of my past screw up with the wall paper inside the frame, and my attempt at an inviting area. I feel that if she murals only that little section which is her original question/concern, she may run the risk of having it stick out too obviously. I was only cautioning her to balance what she wants to achieve in that smaller area with the rest of the visible space.

Apologies.

How about a hall tree for coats and umberella on the left of the bench and perhaps anchor that vignette with a floor plant on the right side. I stand by my two mirrors though. I get the two boys ...have raised two myself and have 6 grandsons. Good luck!

How about a hall tree for coats and umberella on the left of the bench and perhaps anchor that vignette with a floor plant on the right side. I stand by my two mirrors though. I get the two boys ...have raised two myself and have 6 grandsons. Good luck!

You need a larger mirror for the space (Pier 1 has some beautiful ones). Place a floating shelf or sofa table below the mirror to put keys or mail on when you walk in the front door.
If you don't have a hall closet, a coat tree would be most helpful keeping the entrance tidy, maybe on the other wall across from the mirror.
Another thought, paint a glossier version of your paint colour from the front door to the door to the left of the bench, in wide horizontal stripes.

Please DO NOT do a mural. :)

Standing screens are good options to cover a wall. They have so many with art designs on them. You can fold it out and mount it or just take the hinges off and put it in three sections. OR make this a one stop place when you come through the door. Cell phones, a nice place to hang your coats, a place for keys and notes. or two or three long panels will fill up the space with no glass for baby.

What color did you paint your walls? They look great!

Oh a bright coloured piece of art or a motto or something ;) hope my comment helps

Even adding a water wall would look amazing and enhance your entry way. Big idea but a great way to greet you and guests as they enter the home.