If you want a mid-century look I would replace the rug. It is a bit small for this space and its traditional style doesn't help your desired look. I also think the piece on the far wall is a bit small. Try a larger and low console ( about 25" high) with a funky, mid-century lamp with great art. The chairs on the opposite wall are a good idea, just switch out fabrics that are mid-century appropriate. Try Angela Adams online for rugs and fabrics. Hope this helps you, it's a great space.
Charmean Neithart
http://www.houzz.com/pro/cninteriors/__public

Hi jsmith1226, your spacious foyer is definitely lacking some color, furniture and character. Try adding some accessories to warm up the foyer to make it more inviting.

I like to work with what I have on hand and not go out and buy new items. If you have decided not to use this area for much of anything but an oversized entry: Have the console noticeable when the guests arrive (not sure which wall the console should be on). Keep this same console but make it have more of a large presence by placing pottery under and on the table and a large mirror, too OR something like this wall art over console OR small bench and large mirror over small console I'd try to have more of a seating arrangement in this space. If necessary, put the console elsewhere or move it further down the wall.
I'd turn rug the other way. Circular seating Or this type of circular seating OR this Or us what you have and place the 2 chairs and drum table in the center of the space. A cute spot for intimate conversations.

I've enjoyed everyone's suggestions - thanks! Is there anything else that the room can be used for? Or better use of the space? Although nice to have a large space when you come in - it just seems too open (wish I could move some of the space into the bathroom - which is small!). I don't want to fill it up either - I'd like to keep the flow into the other areas.

Don't put anything on the right as you come in the door except some art or possibly a beautiful fabric stretched on a canvas? Don't be in a hurry to remove your rug. It could work well with the right elements . The seating on the opposite side should be kept lower in height in keeping with the Asian feel. Some natural pottery, perhaps larger in scale , would be a good element to bring into the room as you come in on the left. Good luck....this is a worthwhile project!

I live the rug., suggest not to remove it. Hang a rectangle mirror where your side table is. You have to change your sofa like L style is better and place it where your original sofa is. Do not cover your wall with a wall paper else your living room will be look like small and messy. When you decorate make it simple, and clean but at the same time it will look spacious too.

Since this is your front door & welcoming area to your home..
- What about a coat hook?
- Move the seating (or some of it) in front of the window?
- Add a sidetable?
- A mirror?
- A dark color to contrast the grasscloth?

Is your style mid-century meets asian? I think the defined lines of both work well together. I've attached 2 images for Bend Furniture that I think would work well for your style & room purpose.

This is a great space. We should all be so fortunate to have a foyer this large! However, it has the feel of a waiting room because no one is actually expecting to sit there, or spend time there. Turning it into a living room is wasted effort.

Many "grand" houses have a large foyer, and spaciousness is highly desirable. (Why else are they building houses with 4000 SF?) Rather than any seating whatsoever, treat it as the foyer it is. A moderately large table in the center (round) with a magnificent bowl, vase, whatever for flowers, interesting objects d'art, a "piano throw" will anchor the space.

Keep the rug. Try turning it cross-wise.

Paint the walls. Give it some definition from the rest of the 1st floor. You may not opt for a dark color, but at least do a contrasting color. YOu appear to like neutrals, but this might be a great location for an unexpected pop of color. Is there a color in the rug that would work? Something that contrasts with all that lovely white trim. Almost navy? darker taupe? chocolate would be beautiful but you'd need more light. Open the shutters.

That table againt the wall doesn't have enough mass for the length of the wall. You need something longer, perhaps more intricate (not necessarily traditional), with personality, but not competing with the table. A lamp at one end (I don't recommend matching lamps). And stunning wall art. Big. Or a triptych of black/white prints.

You may have items from the rest of the house that would work better, but I would remove the chairs. YOu may re-introduce them later, but once you get used to the openness, you won't want to sacrifice it!

Look at some websites for inspiration, it'll give you some great visuals.
Heres one from Denver.
5280.mod

What mid-century are you going for? If it's the 1960's, you want low horizonal lines, and big pieces of art. I'd find a square table made of solid wood in a second hand store, then turn it into a large coffee table by replacing the legs. Rearrange the furniture to make for a welcoming seating area (ideally with large fresh bouquets as standard fare). The table along the right wall is okay, but again, a lower table would be more '60s-ish. If the light is right, you could swap the legs on this, too, and place some of your plants there. To go with a "real" 60s look, find a long wide board and 3 or 4 nice blocks of wood and make a table from them, placing art, vases, and pillows, and other accent pieces on it. (My mother did this in our living room in 1965 and placed the television on it as well.) Have fun with it.

If you don't use this area as a living room, I'd make it more of a foyer/mudroom. Loads of storage for shoes, coats, etc. Mirror and keyhooks. Bench or seating for putting on shoes and getting out the door.

I would put a small round table and two modern chairs to the right of the front door with a beautiful arrangement of flowers. On the left, a Ming mirror and bureau and lamp. Paint the walls White Sand by Benjamin Moore. Add a stack of coffee table books to a stool. If you have space ,add a small bookcase. It will be a very usable foyer .

Photo #1 - Foyer is crying out for a balance of light.........glass front doors and can ceiling lighting. I see no lights on the ceiling or a table lamp in this area. Lighting is everything......don't waist money on furniture till you solve your lighting problems.....lights are part of the bones of the room.

I'd paint one wall persimmon orange but that's just me!

I love your space too! I would try centering the table with the shelves on the wall where it is, and moving the chairs to flank either side of it. it will make it feel more substanial. also, would try moving the picture you have hanging on opposite wall over the table. a mirror would be awesome, but you already have the picture. i think having a large wooden boat or bananna shaped bowl (do you know what i'm talking about? )on the middle shelf would give the table more beef and you could put stuff in it if you wanted to. I would limit the number of items on the top of the table to either 3 or one larger scale piece. i have googled console table decorating ideas and that has been helpful for me. i would put the plant you have by the front door someplace else to keep it open there. on the wall where you have the chairs now, i think if you really want to use the space and not feel like it's wasted, i would find a beautiful desk where you could write your letters, pay bills, etc. so not only would it be gorgeous, but usable too. (my grandmother had a beautiful asian style desk ) i think your rug would work fine, i love it. i agree though, pulling a color out of the rug to paint the walls would define the space.

Hi! First of all its a foyer, dont fight it. Let it be an amazing foyer.

Definitely use the grasscloth that you have on the walls to add some visual separation from the adjoining room. I would lose the existing furniture except for the fantastic carpet. If you dont want to be "retro" then an eclectic modern feel will offer you the look you desire. Combining this carpet with a Platner or Saarinen round table centered in the room will offer a great juxtaposition to the carpet. two very large scale simple paintings flanking the 2 opposite walls would be a very dramatic first impression for guests. These can be simply done, feel free to email me for help with that. Lastly, lighting, you absolutely need lighting in this space. I would spend the money to have a licensed electrician wire for a light over the table as well as 2 recessed cans to wash the walls where the pantings will be. You can bring in and asian flavor by adding a lusher version of the plant you have at the front door and then adding a piece of asian statuary with it. Like a balinese goddess statue for example. Good luck!

Hey Jenn,
I think this room would make a great reading or lounging space. I would definitely add some color to the room, comfortable furniture, decorative & task lighting, plants as well as bookcases or shelving units.

Hello from Montreal,

Love the space. Why not add bookcases on the longest wall that look like built-ins with drawers or baskets on bottom shelves for storage ? On the shorter wall place a console or a mid-century low sideboard (ie.see photo attached) flanked with a chair on each side and a large mirror or artwork above the sideboard. Good idea, try grasscloth on the sideboard or console wall, it is very mid-century. That would turn out this empty foyer into a library/foyer/mudroom into a useful room without interrupting the flow. Wish I had this foyer, I'd know what I'll do ! Whatever you do, please post after photos. Have fun !
Evy

Thankfully you have an existing family room, so you have the ability to repurpose this area. If you opt to treat the space as a foyer, place a large armoire on the long wall to supplement entry closet space, and consider a narrow "floating" console on the opposite wall with a mirror hung above so that you can give yourself a quick look as you head out the door:)

Seems to me that you are right, you have a large foyer. What I would look at is how you might make the space where the chairs are more useful. Options might be to enlarge the space that is on the other side of the wall by removing the wall and adding a divider between the foyer and the proposed enlarged room. Another possibility is to create a divider between the area where the doors are and the areas where the chairs are via a floor to ceiling book shelf that "floats in the space" not attached to any walls. By doing so you are left with a nice little nook that you could place a chair in - has great light with the windows and becomes a little "escape" area to curl up in. Lastly you might consider making the wall where the chairs are more open the adjacent space (not sure what the space is) by adding openings of different sizes (slots) with glass or not and/or a door, this would make the space feel more connected to the rest of the house.

I don't suppose anyone plays the piano. It seems like a lovely spot for a baby grand.

That much wasted space would drive me insane. I'd seriously think about adding some of that space to an adjoining room and having a long narrow hall. If that is not an option, I'd move the 2 chairs to the opposite side of entry & place them as in this photo. Then, I'd have more plants near the front window and strategically place other plants (they have geraniums) to visually guide people down the hall to the family room.

It sounds to me that you want "usable" space... I think furniture in the area "hugging" the right side of the room would create a "intimate haven"... While "hugging the right side of this room", it would need to be centered within the "13 x 16 ft space" ... I would not use the rug in the picture but a 4 x 6 rug between a small sofa & 2 chairs. I would put a small coffee table on top of the rug. I think a lovely piece of art on the wall - reflecting the theme & color scheme would look nice in the center of this arrangement... I also think a chandelier centered directly over the rug/coffee table with a dimmer switch to add "ambiance" would look great. It would be great to have a matching chandelier over the dining table which would add to the "flow"... I would angle in the two chairs opposite the sofa, accentuating the "intimacy"... Accent the small coffee table with perhaps a great book, small floral, (black zinc pot holder with an orchid?) & a great candlestick... Directly across this conversation area on the left side of the room - I think a narrow shelf - the heigth of a console, with a tall narrow vase with twigs or fresh greens on the left - perhaps a bowl of poupouri on top of two books in the center & another large candlestick on this shelf would be a small but interesting statement filling the space but not too much. I would place a mirror for heigth directly above this shelf... It would reflect light back into the room & open up this otherwise dull space... If there's room behind the sofa & it doesn't look crowded, I would put the tree behind the sofa in the corner - towards the right side of the wall... On a graph paper, this layout looks reasonable... It allows a very definitive, usable space with "air" around the space - if the "scale" of the furniture is right... I would keep the objects minimal & simple - allowing this space to appear larger than it really is for this type of setting... If you like the general ideas you'll want to go wi

I think "contemporary" is the look you are on track with so far. Many great suggestions above. If you do want it to be a second seating area for when guest first arrive, you could place a small love seat across from the chairs and use that chest as a coffee table. However, turn the whole arrangement 90' so that the chairs are on the window wall and pull everything into the center of the room leaving 3 ft traffic flow on three sides. The tallest plant can go behind the chairs in the corner by the windows and use the other two pots to flank the console.

Remove the rug - it doesn't go with the age of the house. Add two chairs aside a mid-century style table on the entry wall. How about ceiling to floor bookshelves on the opposite wall. It would be a great space to store and view all of your books.

This person has a similar large entry and says here was originally used as a formal dining room! https://www.houzz.com/discussions/i-have-a-large-front-foyer-room-that-was-dsvw-vd~91000

This room is intended as a 'formal living room', as many homes in this era. However, we only use the family room and do not want a 'formal' room that we'd probably never use. I think I need to be bolder in color and scale of accessories. Lighting, too, is an issue. I've gotten lots of great suggestions - thanks everyone. I'll move furniture around and post what I come up with and hopefully get more feedback.

Instead of the little table put a fireplace. They have those electrical ones now and some look really great!

The one picture is an entry way for a 2 story home. I just wanted to show how the simplicity of it really works.

Once the lighting issue is address the rest will become apparent. Use that vast amount of wall space to tell people who you are...i.e...Family photo gallery, Art gallery.....this space is the 2nd "introduction to you" or what you value - (the front "outside" of your home is the 1st). After all....it's just the pass-thru room. Keep the rug........it's not an issue. People tend to linger a bit in the foyer when entering or leaving....saying hello's or goodbyes. No need of too much furniture. Good Luck!

I love mid century modern! But in a very classy way. I would keep this area open and use it as a very welcoming statement to the rest of your home. The wall on the right when walking in the front door needs a very high, long clean lined looking bookshelves. White, perhaps? Chairs should be exactly what you asked for--mid century modern. I would suggest looking on line and google various types of these chairs, they are artwork in and of themselves. On the other wall I would suggest an art gallery wall. All of these elements will show your personality as one walk through your doors. The rug should be updated. I would suggest something tribal or cowhide or something with personality. Let the rug also be part of a work of art. Anything you display on bookshelves should be minimal in order to display, again, your personality. Grass cloth is amazing, I would use it behind the chairs. Oh my so many things I would love to share. Just MAKE SURE IT SHOWS THE PERSONALITY AND LOVE OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE. P.S. I love mid century modern sideboards. I have two of them, clean, classy, and will never go out of style. good luck, you have a beautiful space to work with!

What does the rest of your house look like? Without knowing that it is hard to pick a style with that said, I think the space is great, but it is clear you do not like it by the plants, the carpet, the windowtreatments, it looks like the leftovers came here.
The first thing I would do is get rid of everything and make the door mahogany. It is real wood, if nit paint it. You have some nice panels in the door that I would cut out and out in wavy glass or striped glass or beaded, but a glass you cannot really see through.
Not all of them or you would look like Swiss cheese, 50% chosen in a pattern.
If you have some funds, I would do a stone floor in lava stone, long stood like wood flooring, if you can not afford that Lowes has 12 x 24 in a variety if colors, right now I am using a bamboo look in a grey tone, the tile is stunning,Once the floor, and doors are done, you will,have more light and you can see out the door to who's there,
Where, the window is, I would hire a person who works with stone, plants and a water fall. It would be lovely to see in this big space beautiful tall plants, a rock harden and small waterfall. It could take a nice bite in the corner with an interesting water fall lit at night and seen from the outside. Very dramatic.
The floors are stunning, and now I would put some simple seating for guests waiting,
shoes on or off you need to decide, our shoes carry bacteria and dirt into our home, nest left at the door, so by the pond could be a shoe stand and holder for slippers.

In the center, I would put a beautiful table maybe glass with a bamboo mahogany
base, and a simple shad oversized with a chandelier inside. check out www,Bella or.com, they have some great chandeliers.

On either side I would put a long wooden bench distressed or contemporary leather, the furniture is your choice, I am giving placements, Since the other pm I cannot tell, but it looks dark. I like old benches and bamboo base kittinger has one on a coffee table, not full height.
That is it done.
A

Here are a few art recommendations. Everything is made to measure and can be canvas wrapped. Let us know how we did! If you were thinking of something else just let us know. Best!

http://bit.ly/Woodland_Blur

http://bit.ly/Lee_Vining_Fall_Colors

http://bit.ly/Boranup_Forest

i am sure by now you have made your choices. Just in case...I would do something dramatic like this picture. Put everything on one wall...grasscloth, mirrors, stunning floor lamps and your chairs. Except I would do this on the wall opposite the one you have in mind.

Love the shutters great choice!!