I just don't know if I like this look. It seems the table would be fine with a piece of artwork on the wall or the mirror would be fine without the table but I don't care for the two together. Maybe it looks better in situ.

I think I would get a rug that extends farther and more vertically into the foyer area. I think I would keep the rug there but add another.

Beautiful home and the fern/fern stand add a very nice element to that area. If you plan to keep the console, perhaps you could add something pretty on it like another fern or a pretty plant/floral arrangement that the mirror would reflect. I just don't know but I think the console detracts from your lovely home. Mirrors need to reflect beautiful things.

I am still concerned about that console, just not sure the sizes of the two nor the total opposite look is right with the rest of your rather elegant home.

This post was edited by patricia43 on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 2:32

I'm still trying to figure out how I want to hang my mirror. It's much smaller than yours, and the frame is black with a champagne edge.

Errant, this is going to really update your home, vertical! Your ceilings are only 96 inches. Go vertical. Makes it look taller. Horizontal will bring the ceilings down. Hang the mirror with its bottom no more than 6-9 inches above the tableau. Put something au moderne on the table in an asymmetrical fashion, one big item, not lots a stuff.

I know the look you are going for, Lori,

Which I think looks just a little too much like a vanity or dressing table.

I think the style of your home would look better with something more like this

Hmmmâ¦.I don't care for it for two reasons. I think the table doesn't have enough gravitas, or heft, for your foyer.

I also think a mirror that large should not have anything in front of it.

I'd either do a table with a drawer in it and a smaller mirror over it, or just the big mirror and nothing in front of it.

Sorry, but i don't think your mirror or the table fits with the styling of your home. The table is too contemporary and the the scale too slight. The mirror once hung on the wall seems to large for that wall.

Hi. I am agreeing with Tibbrex. The mirror is stunning on its own and just looks odd being obstructed by the table. it sort of makes it look more like you are propping it against the mirror so it doesnt fall over. However, if you like the look of something in front of the mirror, I might do a vertical, narrow grouping of 3 things. Maybe a few tall stack of books or narrow plants or vases. :)

I originally was thinking that just the mirror was wrong, but now that I see what beverly is saying I agree with her comments and with Tibbrix's comment about the table. Taking away the mirror and putting a smaller one above the table won't solve the whole problem. You have a beautiful large space - try using a larger table with more bottom weight and a mirror hung above it to the scale of the space. Then add a lamp and some other accessories and see where it goes.

Mirror, nothing else. Mirror has enough heft to stand on its own.

Everything reads as a solid, and there's no place for the eye to go except for wood and more wood. I think you need to add some textile with a rug and also add a chandelier. I would rather see a table and upholstered bench like in Errant's first photo so that you can introduce some pattern into the foyer. Maybe a small upholstered chair would have been a good choice near the stairs, but I think people overestimated how much space is there. I think you only have about 30"?

Your home looks rich and elegant, and your furnishings should reflect that. Be careful about "Restoration Hardware-ing" it too much!

Thanks for the advice. may_flowers - funny that you say that about RH as it happens to be my favorite place! I know some people don't care for it but whenever I walk in that place my heart goes pitter patter! Lol! I don't like a lot of pattern or bright color so maybe that is why. The nook stair area measures 40 across the back wall until you get to the front step and that area is about 30 across.It is about 36 deep.

I want to change that light but not sure what to put there. There is a chandelier in the 2 story foyer so I didn't know if another chandelier would be overkill or not.

Errant, I agree with patricia43 go vertical. It will look amazing!

Not only is the table not substantial enough, but I think it should be a little more classy lookIng~it's so very common looking. I can understand wanting a more eclectic or maybe even a slight contemporary edge(?), but the table doesn't do it. Sorry, just my 2 cents.

I don't think either works. The mirror is too big and the table not impressive/doesn't fit the elegance of your foyer. An a second or third vote for a larger rug (with more depth of color).

I confused on how the mirror is too big. This foyer is a large space and the mirror fits the wall. I don't plan on hanging the mirror as I like the look of the leaner mirrors. I am just going to secure it where it is not kicked out at the bottom. (At least not as much as it currently is) when you come down the steps the mirror is right there so family uses it on a daily basis. The only time we use the front door is to greet guests. We all enter and exit thru the mudroom/ garage door. So, I really like the floor mirror there at least that area gets used and has some purpose.

I decided not to use the table in front of it . I agree that it just didn't look elegant enough. Plus my family didn't like it as it messed with there mirror space. Ha! Especially my daughter who likes to check her outfit before leaving the house.

Oh, yes I need to find a rug for the area. Any suggestions on how big I should go for that area and a rug style?

I'd go with two rugs, one from the front door to where the wall on the left ends, and a second ahead of that one, in front of the mirror to the bottom of the stairs, with both covering most, but not all, of the floor area. I"d leave about five- six inches on the edges.

And as always, I'd go with a Persian style rug, two different designs but with complimentary colors. I just love that look; it is elegant and rich.

Also, I hope you won't be offended, but I would hang the mirror. Leaning against the wall, it looks like you've put it there for the time being, until you can get it hung. I think it will look much better hung up and lined itself with the wood trim of your walls.

If you do decide to hang it, I cannot recommend this hanger enough. It makes the job SOOOOOO easy. Be sure to get the large one that can hold 200 lbs. they have them at Home Depot

Here is a link that might be useful: Hangman mirror hanger

I would try to limit the number of places you need to transition from hardwood to rug, so I would just put one rug in the entryway. Whether it stops at the short wall on the left or goes to the end of the mirror wall is hard to say from the photos. I think that will be enough to break up the expanse of wood. I think a stair runner would be nice, but it's a shame to cover that beautiful wood. I suppose I would use a stair runner if I could justify it for practical reasons. Aren't they safer than bare steps?

Do not hang the mirror, all self-respecting rice growers from the Charleston area had leaning mirrors in their homes in that very area so their southern bells could check the petticoats and dress hems on the way out with that charming fellow whether or not he is Rhett Buttler,, and they were so large that they would stand to the first stair landing. These mirrors in this location are leaned which allows for checking of clothing all the way to the soles of the shoes and seams of the fishnet stockings.

My design skills are limited, but I agree that the table doesn't have the weight or presence for that space and it does seem a little weird to put it in front of the mirror.

I wonder if the OP's reluctance to hang the mirror is due to the little boxes on the wall above it (door bell and ?). The hanging mirror would draw attention to those little boxes. Could they be relocated?

I agree with most posters.....I would do just the mirror...or a heftier table with smaller mirror or art. If you decide to go with just the mirror, I still like the idea of something on the wall to the left of the plant stand.

As for rugs....my SIL has a runner just inside her front door running parallel to the door for guests with wet shoes, etc. but maybe 6"or so from the door. Then a larger rectangular rug in the middle. Both were custom cut to fit the space but you may be able to find the right sizes ready made.

I would just do the mirror, too, but I would hang it flat on the wall and put a tall floor plant in front of it, like a palm or maybe a topiary.

Maybe the smaller plant stand would work too, but I think it might be too small.

Patricia, is that for real? lol DD's and myself were in Charleston last week for our annual girls trip, and absolutely loved it! I had no clue there was such a thing as a 'rice plantation' until I saw one. I always thought either cotton or tobacco were southern crops, in the past as well as the present. The historic tours were very enlightening to all of us. We stayed at Charleston Place on the conceriege level( floors 7 & 8)what a view as well as other services. Lucky you if you live there!

The rice plantations made the Charleston residents rich and this caused the war, not tobacco, not cotton. The rice farmers in Charleston were the richest men in the world. China and India were buying rice from them. The recipe for rice growing was brought here by the slaves from Africa. Slaves knew the area in Charleston was perfect for rice growing. They engineered the rice patties for the plantation owners, ran it for them and with their success,, were given land for farming by the planters that was not fit for growing rice. They were allowed to take the produce to the market. The Middletons were one of the richest rice planters in Charleston. Wonder if Kate is related to them? I was told this from a suitor who was a junior high history teacher many moons ago.

My greatest virtue is trivia. Now I have to go watch Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory to see what I can learn from him. ;-)

This post was edited by patricia43 on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 19:51

The mirror is very outsize for the wall and overpowers it. The rounded edges also give it a moderne style feel, which doesn't seem like the look you are aiming for. Agree with suggestions for a long runner extending 8 or 9 feet into the foyer. Love those floors!

I had not planned on hanging the mirror because we plan on putting a chair rail and wainscoting in the foyer and down the hall. I am posting some other pics of the space so you can see that my decor is not super traditional but maybe more eclectic or transitional? I think when looking at the stairs it looks super traditional but if you can take in the whole area it gives off a different feel.

Ignore the tags hanging from the chairs they just came. Lol

One more

I think the mirror is fine for that wall, but I don't think it looks good leaning against the wall. You can hang the mirror and then put the chair rail up.

To my eye, those additional pictures really emphasize how wrong the leaned mirror looks for that space. It does look like it is just waiting there for someone to hang it.

I agree with sas95. The mirror looks like it's waiting to be hung. It also looks like an accident waiting to happen. Even if you don't have a lot of traffic in that area, it just looks precarious.

Sorry to harp on this and surprised no one else has mentioned it, but those two white boxes high up on the wall are totally emphasized by the huge mirror, and I'm not sure that's the intended effect. If you're determined to put a tall mirror there, can those boxes be relocated?

How about a switch for these two areas?

First -- clear both areas (the large mirror wall area AND the starburst mirror /artwork area)

Then -- place the table in the smaller area WITH the artworks above it .. . hang in a tighter grid .... (not sure at this point whether the starburst mirror will work there as well .... )

Next -- try the large mirror in the larger wall area ..... hung up higher on the wall ....

These large leaning mirrors are meant to be at the area of entry/exit or in the bedroom where ladies can check their nylons, their dresses, their petticoats, heels, etc., and men can check the cuffs of their pants, their shoes on entering a home or the owners of the home on departing.

This has been done in this country by the gentry for years and in Europe for centuries.

The only argument I have is why not a larger mirror? Answer: The space is no larger.

This post was edited by patricia43 on Mon, Jun 9, 14 at 15:22

patricia43 - thank you, the mirror does get a lot of use. I believe my family would have a fit if I moved it. We all seem to use it to do that last minute check before leaving the house. It must look better in person as well because I do get alt of compliments on it. I do want to snug it up to the wall as I feel like it leans out too far at the bottom. But, don't worry it is very secure to the wall with no chance of coming down.

Forewarned: I didn't read through all of the responses so I apologize if I am repeating stuff. I love the mirror on the wall. The finish is lovely w/ your wall color. The table is too wide for the mirror. The table should not be as wide or wider than the mirror. I love the look of a table in front of a large mirror if the proportions are right. I also don't think that the black finish lends itself very well to the area either.

I would love to see your inspiration pic. I think that GW'ers can help you achieve the look that you are going for better w/ it.

Good luck!

TheFoxesPad- thank you for your advice . Here is the inspiration picture. I have several but this is one of my favorites.

Love your house! The dining room chair are TDF!

I think that I like the idea but I'm not crazy about the shape of the mirror. The rounded top with the square bottom throws me off. I also wonder if a dark framed mirror would look better?

I have been rug shopping as suggested. What do you think of this one? Or should I look for a lighter color? It is listed as grey/black with touches of blue but reviews say it is more of a taupe/grey.

I think it's gorgeous and will look stunning in your foyer. That style rug goes with everything, and short of extreme colors, any color works, even mixing up those kinds of rugs in the same place. They're like artwork for the floor.

Yes to the rug.

What is throwing people off about your mirror is that it does not create proper peaks and valleys but you cannot do that because you have the door bell and the fire alarm there and you cannot get a way-taller mirror in order to do that and if you got a much shorter one, you would be defeating your purpose. I love it. Leave it where it is and get the rug.

I like the rug, Lori :)

How about the other big mirror at Ikea? The Hemnes, it's a bit smaller than the one you have now, but still full length and with a rectangular frame. It's available in a dark finish, more like your inspiration pic :)

Here is a link that might be useful: HEMNES mirror

Loris,
Just bear with me, just to see how it looks, take the mirror,
move that fern planter, and just to see, put the miror caticorner in that corner.
Just to see.
Then put that glass table that you had, and put it back on the wall you had the mirror on.
Just see how that looks.
And take a picture and post it online here, pleaseeee
tanks.

Thanks for the follow ups. As for trying a square mirror I actually did try that and it just seemed too square because the door way to the dining room is square and right beside the mirror. That left me shopping for a mirror with a different shape to soften that line. My husband moved the mirror closer to the wall last night and I think it made a drastic improvement.

I need some help with choosing a rug size. So happy everyone seems to like the rug! If I go with the larger rug 6'7x9'6 it would stop at about the middle of the mirror wall. But leave about 8 inches of wood exposed on each side of the foyer. The smaller rug 5x7'6 would stop at the end of the door way to the dining room right before the mirror wall and leaves about 18 inches exposed on each side. I feel like the bigger rug would look better but I am worried that stopping in the middle of that wall could be distracting. I would love suggestions! They also have a large round in that color way and I wondered about that.

Large round for just inside the doorway, then large square, in a different pattern, for the area in front of the mirror and at the bottom of the stairs.

I think anything in a brown will just add to all the wood colored tones. I'd go lighter with a color and pattern that complements the red of the wood. If I were to judge by what you've purchased recently, it looks like your goal here is to lighten the look of your home. That rug won't help.

may-flowers- the website claims it is gray and reviewers say it is lighter than pictured and some say it is taupe. It is just so hard to tell online. I found a similar pattern in what they called stone. But, I didn't know if it would be too beige as I am trying to bring in grey.

Lori, I think it's great. It'll hide stains really well too, which you want in a front-hall carpet that gets a lot of traffic!

Here is the other color but it does not come in the round.

I'm the one pushing for two rugs for that area.

I'd ge the darker one in the round for the area by the front door, and the lighter one of the area in front of the mirror/stairs.

Or vice versa.

No, don't get a light and a dark, get either two lights or two darks and get them of a similar pattern but no identical.