Creating a welcoming entryway

Happy Monday everyone! We're having a snowy Monday which means Pete gets to work from home today. I love when he can stay home with me! :) Here's the view from my window today...

I love snow. Anyway, I'm finally sharing our new entryway with you! I had some struggles with the mirror (which I'll tell you about another time) so it delayed taking pictures a few days. But it's finally done and I'm so so happy with how it turned out :)
I've been trying to train myself to say "entryway." Growing up in Louisiana, we always called it the foyer (and not pronounced like the classy foy-ay... but foy-errrrr. Ha!). Here in Maryland, I seem to only hear entryway. So bear with me while I stutter over that word.
The entryway (or foyer!) is one of the most important parts of a house. It's your chance to make a first impression. It's what people see as soon as they walk through the front door. It sets the tone for the rest of your house. It gives your home its personality. 
In planning the decor for our entryway, I looked at lots of pictures and tried to decide what the necessary components for a great entryway are. (Check out some gorgeous entryways on my Pinterest board!) So here's what I decided are the important details.
1. Try to decide on the look and feel you want for your home. Pete and I want our home to feel cozy and welcoming. We also are aiming for a sort of modern-rustic look throughout the downstairs. We also wanted this space to feel bright because the rest of our home doesn't get much light. This is the one room that gets great natural light. All of these things were thought about in choosing each piece for this room.

2. Choose an awesome paint color. Again, think about the feel of your house. If you're going with neutrals, start in this room. If you're going bold, make the entry a nice bright color. Are you going with a specific color palette for your home? Remember, you're setting the stage. We chose a nice light greige color (Sherwin Williams "Mindful Grey") which actually carries into the living room because they share a wall with no good way to transition colors. We needed a neutral that could work for both rooms.

3. Find an entry table that works for your space. If you have a really big entryway or a long wall, choose a larger table. Our entry is pretty small, so we chose a shorter and more narrow table. We chose a white table to give that bright feel we were looking for. The table has distressed edges which ties in the rustic furniture we have in the rest of the downstairs. It gave the room a shabby chic vibe. I love it!

4. Look for a great mirror. I struggled with this one. I really wanted a quatrefoil mirror to add a little bit of something modern, but I couldn't find any white ones! Finally I found a black one on clearance at Hobby Lobby, so I bought it and spray painted it (which was actually a bit of a disaster. More on that later!). In the end, it turned out great and I love it. Don't be afraid to modify something if you can't find exactly what you're looking for :)

5. Choose statement lighting. When we moved in, we had the traditional gold light fixtures everywhere. I thought about painting them with oil rubbed bronze paint, but I'm glad I didn't. When I uninstalled the old ones, they were definitely burnt. Fire waiting to happen!! But if yours aren't hazardous, go for it!! You don't need to really expensive light fixtures, just something that makes a statement. We went with two of these guys.

6. You need a rug! At first I didn't want a rug. I didn't want to hide our pretty new floors since the room is so small. But the longer I live here, the more I realize we need SOMETHING at the door. Dirt tracks all over the house! So, I haven't purchased a rug yet, but I'm still searching. I'll be looking for a small rug, but if you have a large entryway, a rug is a great chance to add some texture, color, or patterns to your space. I'm thinking this one. Thoughts?

(picture a rug in front of the door!!)
7. Add artwork. This is the fun part! I made some welcoming signs on the computer (inspired by Shayna at The Wood Grain Cottage. And check out her beautiful textured walls! Love it!) and then spray painted some ornate frames that I found on clearance at JoAnn's. (Love clearance items!). I also painted a cute little canvas to put on the entry table. You can see the details here. Artwork doesn't have to be homemade though. Or even in the form of pictures! Add some accessories like we did with the antique keys, the calendar, and the grapevine ball. 

Well that's it! Things we still plan on doing in the future for this room: buying a rug, building a shelf for that long blank wall to display pictures on, finding something to go on the shelf of the table, and eventually getting a brand new door and sidelights!!
Please let me know if you have any ideas for me! And I would LOVE to see your entryways too :)
Linking up: City Farmhouse, Liz Marie Blog This post was featured at Blissfully Everafter!