Craftsman Home Tour – The Foyer

Hey There! Hope the week finds you all well. I’m excited for this post and it’s long overdue. We’ve owned the Craftsman for four years now. How is that possible?! When we first purchased the house I blogged about buying it and gave a little tour. I did a few updates here and there but then I kinda just stopped. But now I’m beginning a new series, A Craftsman Home Tour. Get ready friends!

I stopped blogging about the house for a couple reasons.

1. Got pregnant and sick and tired.
2. I never thought the house was done or good enough.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. Read our Disclosure policy here.

But over the years I’ve learned a couple things about the second reason. First, I’m fairly certain that no house of mine will ever be done. So waiting to share things until they are “done” is a mute point. It will never happen. My wheels are always turning when it comes to my home and they aren’t turning because I’m unsatisfied. They turn out of creativity. It’s a hobby and it’s fun for me to add, subtract, rearrange. I’ve also learned from Leigh over at The Little by Little Home that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be perfect. I LOVE that. We’ve got to start somewhere and learn to work with what we’ve got. Your home can be cozy, lovely, and homey without being Pinterest perfect.

Today I’m featuring the first room guests see when they walk in our front door. Our foyer. Built in 1920, (Yes I live in a 100 year old house. Dreams.Do.Come.True.) our home had been virtually untouched for around 50 years when we bought it. It needed love. But the original floor plan was intact and we kept it that way for a variety of reasons.

1. Budget. Hello, we wanted to own our home. Not have it own us.
2. Restoration vs. Renovation. We tend to err on the side of restoration-we find what is good and lovely about a home. We aim to keep those things and speak to the era of the home, rather than ripping everything out. More on this and reasons to restore over renovate another time.

Let’s start with a couple before photos, this is on the day we closed! 4 years ago!

Oye. I remember taking these pictures and my shutter finger was getting freezing. My brain was saying “What in the world have you gotten yourself into?” Guys, this was January. My husband had just gotten his first power tool, a drill IN DECEMBER. We were crazy.

But I think it worked out alright. This space has come a long way.

We could have opened the entire space up and lost the foyer. It would have created one big open concept. Very “in” for todays homes. But do you know what? Walls are there for a reason sometimes. We felt it really preserved the integrity of the home to leave the floor plan as is.

Our foyer is lovely. Light streams in from the wall of windows.

We have a small built in area that we’ve set up as a home office and storage area. The entire room is a great intentional place for guests to be welcomed, take off their shoes and coats and settle in. It’s a very practical space.

I had dreams of cubbies and builtins in this area. But for now, this is functioning very well for us. I’ve wallpapered hymns on the back wall for added interest. When I took the initiative and jumped in on that project, that’s really when I felt my home become mine. It gave some personality to a space, I gained a lot of confidence with this project. It cost us nothing. Sometimes you just have to DO something instead of PIN something. Catch my drift?

We scraped 4 layers of wallpapers off these plaster walls and ceiling. We then repaired cracks in the plaster and sanded the walls smooth. We painted them Linen Thread by Valspar. They are in beautiful condition. We refinished the floors and cleaned up the woodwork. I did my hymn wallpaper treatment and then began to decorate!

The church pew I bought at a garage sale, it was fate that we would buy a house with THE perfect spot. Most everything else is from thrift or antique stores, given to me, found, bought at a garage sale, or Flyaway.

I love using drop cloths for curtains, they are so dang cheap and easy. Lately I’ve been thinking about bleaching them for a new look. See? Always turning.

I’ve hung my favorite photo of all time in this room and our family motto below. I’ve always wanted our home to speak to who we are and I feel it does from the minute you walk in the door.

Shop the Craftsman Foyer:

• Drop Cloth Curtains
• Curtain Rod
• Curtain Ring Clips
• Jute Runner Rug
• Black Frame

Thanks for stopping by the Craftsman!

-Jess