Renovation Update 3: Entryway

After focusing on the house hunting process and the progress we've made to the exterior, I'm finally ready to say welcome to the interior of our home!  The most logical place to start is the entryway, right?  We were surprised when we first entered the home at how big the entry space is, considering no MLS photos were taken.  It's interesting to see and hear people's reactions when they first walk through the door, considering the front of the house looks like a traditional ranch.  The sloping ceiling, the living room split, and the giant windows facing the wooded backyard make the home feel large and open, even though in regards to square footage, it's not a large house.

Almost every inch of the entry has been changed, at least a bit, since we took ownership in May 2014.  For starters, CT's mom painted all the walls either white or a light slate gray.  The previous owner had very different tastes, painting the walls and some ceilings black (!), cherry red, pea green, and a greenish gray that we felt made the space feel darker and enclosed.  Two things we left intact and that really add to the Mid-Century feel of the entry are the slate floors and the globe pendant, which we assume are original to the house.  A few before pictures: the first taken one of the few days after taking ownership; and the next, after painting the walls.

There was carpet covering the stairs going up and down, which CT removed, uncovering beautiful wood which he sanded and stained.  We knew we wanted to bring some of the accent blue from the outside of the house inside, and decided the first place should be the metal base of the stairs leading to the living space.

CT also rebuilt the railings that lead upstairs and separate the living space after removing the chunky black ones that were previously in place.  He stained the spindles and painted the handrail white.  The first picture is obviously "the before"...note the cherry red painted brick.  Yikes.

Removing carpet from the stairs leading to the lower level of the house also meant removing the carpet in the hallway at the bottom.  CT then tore out the black and white tile found underneath the carpet so that he could grind and polish the cement floor for a seamless transition into the two bedrooms.

On either side of the front door are glass block accents (one door-sized, one window-sized) that allow nice light to filter into the entry.

To the right of the glass block is a Mid-Century dresser/buffet I bought at an antique store.  CT painted the casing white after fixing some of the veneer that had broken off.  A few decorative items of note on the dresser are a ceramic pot handmade by our college professor and a couple of found-object robots that our friends at Nerdbots created.  There is also a postcard featuring an "airplane view of Kansas City, MO" that I was thrilled to find while thrifting because our house is in the flightpath of the downtown airport, which is depicted in the illustration.  On the gray wall to the right of the buffet hangs a starburst clock that my mom bought for me years ago.

We scored six Brody bentwood chairs on Craigslist for $75 and decided to use three of them for seating in the entry.  

Between two of the chairs we decided on a new piece which we purchased from West Elm.  It has great Mid-Century lines, and I love the varied surface heights for added interest.

Because we're both employed in the arts, we're still looking for the perfect piece to hang above the buffet.  But to complete the design of the entryway, at least for now, CT recently hung his friend Scott's amazing collage in the hallway leading toward our bedroom.  Check out his work here!