View the Vintage Colonial Collection

By Jaima Brown (ARA) - First impressions are lasting impressions and they also set the tone for many experiences that follow. This is as true of a home as it is of a personal encounter. Yet very few decorating books address the design of foyers and entryways at all, or they treat this entrance area of a home as an afterthought.

When decoration of an entryway is given short shrift, the whole home is cast in an unattractive light. Furthermore, those who live in the house fail to give this important, frequently traveled area the respect it deserves. The esthetic of any neglected space deteriorates when its lackluster environment fails to inspire people to maintain order.

So, let's put first things first. Free from a need to meet the rigors of function that have to be accommodated in kitchens, baths and most rooms of a home, the entryway offers an opportunity to create a stage set without the intrusion of practical considerations or must-have furnishings. Imagination rules.

Because entryways do not require much furniture, the walls and ceilings dominate, and wallpaper can totally transform an entryway's expansive vertical surface. Foyers and entryways present the perfect opportunity to use multiple wallpaper patterns with abandon and without fear of pattern-clash.

Choosing two, three or more patterns that go well together is easy in collections from S.A. Maxwell Co., because all of the design themes are arranged into coordinated groups of compatible colors and patterns. Three designs from Maxwell's Vintage Colonial collection give stature to an entryway with classic wood molding and door trim, while also infusing the space with warmth and an ambiance of quiet comfort.

The busiest of patterns contains a dense accumulation of Italianate ornamental designs that have the lustrous look of burnished bronze against a deep navy background. This pattern occupies the lower section of the wall, between ivory-colored molding at the baseboard and chair rail.

Above it is an overall mini-leopard-print pattern that appears as an almost patternless bronze and brown duotone from a distance, but takes on added interest on a closer look. At the top of the wall, beneath ivory-color crown molding, the navy and bronze of the lower wall is revived in a border of elegant and ornate scrolls.

Navy shades on a bronze chandelier, a delicately scaled settee with a carved frame and cane back and seat pick up the color of the leopard print and echo the design in the wallpaper patterns. A stately topiary in an antique Italian urn completes the scene.

For a less formal, more contemporary home, a single wallpaper pattern gives the foyer texture and depth. An enlarged, lattice-inspired pattern in the Arrangements collection from the Piper Designs studio of S.A. Maxwell adds a simple, yet sophisticated, soft-edged diamond/harlequin pattern to the walls. The color is reminiscent of stucco.

Add to this a simple two-seat metal bench with an over-stuffed textured cushion. Two loose pillows in printed Japanese silk and a pair of bamboo-framed Oriental prints not only accent this serene setting, but also appropriately connect the line that binds contemporary design with its Oriental origins.

These two very different entryways have one thing in common. They give residents and visitors alike a warm welcome and the implicit message that this home and its occupants honor beauty.

Courtesy of ARA Content