Let's Back It Up! A Before and After...

*If you are visiting from the Feathered Nest party, this is one of my earliest posts that I thought would be fun to link up!*

How rude of me! I realized that in my eagerness to show off the rascal's rooms, I have never properly invited you in to see the rest of the house. Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?

We have made many changes to our home in the last 2 years and the entry was critical to me as it is, of course, your first impression!

Here is what it looked like before...

What is your first thought when you see that bannister?

If you are anything like me it was,

"I could hang some serious garland on that Puppy!"

It made my Christmas-lovin' heart beat a little faster!

Very white walls were what greeted us in most of the house. I love the look of the slate but OH MY, does anyone else have this in their house? It is VERY hard to clean! Not sweeping, Cleaning!

 I shred 4 Swiffer pads each time I clean it!

But, I digress...

Here is another view of the entry before

That is our fabulous realtor Nancy, whom I know would just LOVE this action shot of her being posted for all to see! 

These are the wall lights that greeted us...

Sorry it's such a grainy photo, but really, do you want to see these lights more clearly? I didn't think so!

And now, here is the after! Welcome to my home!

Here is another view...

The walls were painted using Olympia Premium Paint in "Dusty Yellow". Painting this 2 story space was one of the few things we have hired someone to do. And, eventually, the green carpet will be going "bye-bye"!

I found this huge rug at Tuesday Morning and I love the way the red warms up the slate and ties into the rest of the house decor.

And this is a close up of my new sconces. I think the shades are my favorite part!

Working with the angles of the space posed a few challenges but I think I finally got it right!

This antique Drum Table was a great find at one of my favorite stores "Serendipity". It nestles just perfectly into this area and is great for displaying seasonal decor.

I have an affinity for English hunting scenes. They always have colors that work well with my decor and second to wanting to be a true Southern Gal, I wish I were a true English Gal, although I'm sure they don't say 'gal' over there! 

Does anyone else find a niche to be a challenge? I did and I tried many different arrangements before I landed on this one. Less was more in this case! A large plant in a beautiful pot with 2 Botanicals framing it and softening the lines of the corner. The prints were a Home Goods find! Please, Home Goods, if you are reading this, please come closer to me so I don't have to drive an hour to get to you! I love you so very much!

And, last but not least, here is the view looking back down from the landing. This is where my challenge comes in...

I love how the topiaries help balance out the height of the room and they are great for decorating at Christmas. It all comes back to that, you know? But, here is my dilemma...

See that big brass chandelier? It's kinda hard to miss!

What to replace it with? Oil Rubbed Bronze or Aged Gold/Brass that looks more like the sconces? What do you think????

And finally, this is one of my most favorite finds and it has quite a story for such a little chair...

I'll tell you more about it in my next post!