Foyer Freshen

BEFORE PHOTOS

Most of the images we see on social media, magazines and TV are of major remodeling overhauls. The before and after transformations are striking. We all love those, myself included. But the reality is, most of the time clients want to make minor tweaks that don't break the bank but elevate the space. That is exactly what we did for my client's foyer.

Mrs. Client has a gorgeous home that backs to a picturesque lake. The views alone are enough to sell the home in a New York minute. While the home is over twenty years old it has been well managed, groomed and cared for. I was hired initially to come up with a plan to add built-ins to their family room. Things snowballed from there and we ended up adding custom built-ins to dining room, painting the interior of the first two floors, new DR furniture, new granite on bar in finished basement, a few new area rugs upstairs and more.

Back to the foyer. We didn't have a much left in her budget but wanted to elevate the space. Basically my charge was to work with the existing flooring and furniture but give it a freshen. Here's a big tip: one of the simplest ways to change the look of a space is to swap out the lighting. As most designers will tell you, lighting is everything. So here's what I did:

• Swapped out chandelier for this show-stopping crystal fringe fixture.

• Painted walls -- stripes be gone!

• Styled existing console table with new accessories and art in bold, colorful, welcoming colors.

• New box-style white newel posts on staircase (this is a change that is planned but not yet executed).

That's it! While the edits weren't extensive I think they pack a big punch. What do you think?