Work in Progress - My Foyer

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have lived with white walls for decades.  The last time I had any color on the walls was when my parents let me pick the color for my bedroom back in high school.During my apartment search, I knew I wanted a place with a foyer/ingresso. Even my super tiny apartment on Via Pellegrino had one.  Both of my apartments in Los Angeles, which were much larger, did not. Drove me nuts.  You opened the door and walked right into the living room.  Of course this is fine for a loft apartment but I didn't live in a loft.Many people neglect their foyer.  It becomes a place to dump keys, magazines, mail, etc., etc.  The foyer is the preview for the rest of your home.  It sets the atmosphere.  What does it say as you enter?Depending on the size of your foyer, it could provide much needed storage space, a place to display artwork, and in a smaller one you could splurge (creatively and/or financially) on your favorite wallpaper.Painting an entrance way a darker color than the next room makes the second room seem much larger. Interior designer Miles Redd  loves going from dark to light.   I decided to be bold for a change and go for it.  I went to the store Le Decorazioni to look at Farrow & Ball samples.I'm so happy with how the foyer turned out.  I'm relieved my landlady (who lives in the same building) loved it. I thought she might be offended since she'd just painted the apartment.  Instead she asked me to send me a link to the Farrow & Ball website.I was thinking of going with Hague Blue but in the end Stiffkey was best with the light grey in the living room.  Stiffkey looks great when the lights are on and in natural light it reminds me of late summer nights in Sicily or sitting on my parents' veranda at dusk in St. Martin.When I first saw the apartment the owner told me the bookcase/cabinet in the hallway had to stay. I understood why for practical reasons. The fact that it wasn't flush with the wall bothered me aesthetically.  What a difference some high-quality paint makes.   The painters and I couldn't believe how this big piece of furniture blends in a little more and looks more expensive than it is.I'm going to meet with my blacksmith to design a simple bench. Above the bench I will hang some black and white photographs.I don't know when that will happen.  I tell clients all the time that it's better to take our time while decorating.  Perhaps I should listen to my own advice.Photos:  Me and my iPhone     

Life in Rome - New Year, New Address

I would say Happy New Year, but it’s already January 21^th.After living in the Historic Center on Via del Pellegrino for seven years, I have moved to a new neighborhood. I now live in Parioli.To say this is a big change would be an understatement.One of the biggest changes was moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished one. I was very fortunate that my former landlady had a great eye but I’m excited to finally have my own furniture.Finding an apartment that was unfurnished was not easy. Smaller apartments tend to be furnished and in Italy/France if your place is unfurnished it usually means you have to buy a kitchen as well. I didn’t have the time or the budget to build a kitchen.I lucked out in finding a place that was semi-furnished; meaning the kitchen was already installed.I’m still getting settled. I have no Internet. Who knows when it will be installed? Could be next week, could be next month. I’m zen about the whole thing as I realized flipping out on Vodafone would not make things move faster.For over twenty-five years, I have lived in homes with white walls. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and paint my front hallway a dark blue. Here some pictures that inspired me to get my Steven Gambrel on.A sea of blue in Mr. Gambrel's West Tenth Street townhouse. A deep blue foyer in Paris. Jeannette Whitson's library which created quite a decorating stir. I went with Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue. I will post some pictures as it comes together. Who knows when it will be done? Story of my life.