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This is how our entryway looked when we bought our house. Well, okay, not a mess like this – I snagged this picture very quickly one evening before we decided to bust out those wooden screens. It was kind of sporadic and funny actually…

My husband and I had been married a little over a year, I was pregnant with our first child, and we were decorating our Christmas tree in the adjacent living room. We had owned the house for about 1.5 years, having purchased it right before getting married. Neither of us cared much for the screens but we were both working full time and didn’t want to do anything too hasty by ripping things out. But suddenly that December afternoon we decided it would be a great idea then and there to take out those screens. My husband grabbed the sledge hammer and went at it!

This is how our living room originally looked, by the way. That is, after my husband installed the recessed lighting – it used to be much darker in there.

We busted out the screens and it already felt so much better – much more open and light. The wood from the screens ended up being many a garden stake, paint stirring stick, kindling, and more.

The slate floor was in not-so-great condition. It was chipped in some spots and the grout was crumbling in many spots with several large holes. It wasn’t particularly our cup of tea anyway so we had no desire to repair it. Rather, we eventually replaced it a year later with hardwood.

We waited to replace the floor until we did our kitchen renovation, then had the kitchen, living room, and entryway floors all refinished at the same time to match. Additionally, we replaced the baseboards and ceiling fixture and painted the walls.

At this stage we had been living here about 3 years. Projects take time, especially when you have young children, are on a budget, or actually have other things going on in your life besides home remodeling. It stayed this way for several years:

I eventually replaced the small cabinet with a longer table, ditched the coat tree, added an appropriately sized rug for the space, and dressed it up a bit. The wall was still very plain and lacking the character for which I hoped, but it seemed much brighter and fresher.

Dressing the space up for the changing seasons and holidays became a bit more fun, and the “mirror garland” was a new idea with which I enjoyed experimenting. I did my best to work with what I had.

I was still holding out hope that one day we would add an accent wall, but my husband wasn’t completely sold on the idea. At the time of the picture below we had been living here about 7 years.

Finally, for my birthday last Summer, I specifically asked for an accent wall as my gift. My husband and kids surprised me with a little note that stated I would be getting it. Now just to carve out time…

Fast forward to October. My husband had a week off work and lovingly spent several days crafting my long-dreamed-of accent wall. One last photo before the fun begins…

If you’re a details and specs type of person, here are the specs of what he did, as described to me:

• Since we have textured walls, he used 1/8″ thick masonite (hardboard) as the base so it would be smooth. If you don’t have textured walls you could probably skip that bit.
• The vertical slats are “mull casing” from Menards – 3/8″ thick x 2″ wide
• The board on top is a 1″ x 4″ that has been planed to 1/2″ thick (to match the thickness of the masonite + the mull casing), and had a rabbet cut out of it to fit over the mull casing.
• The pegs were [I believe] wooden Shaker pegs about 3.5″ long, ready made from Menards. Holes for the pegs were formed with a drill press.
• The bottom board is a 1″ x 6″ planed down to 3/8″ thickness to match up with the mull casing strips.

The panelling was then painted in Benjamin Moore “Van Courtland Blue” (HC-145). The girls and I went and browsed the historic color line from Benjamin Moore one morning and I picked up a sample of the one I felt was most promising (this one!) and I fell in love! (Poor lighting in this photo – you’ll get a more accurate color depiction in a moment).

Then it was wallpaper time! I opted for peel and stick so I wouldn’t have to mess with water and paste and all that. I found this one a number of months ago and bought it in anticipation of this project. It was more brown on cream than I had thought from the website photos (which definitely looked more gray on white), but I decided to go with it anyway and I think it really works.

Accents were added, like vintage crocks from my mom filled with dried bunny tail grass, a vintage quilt, and a stuffed pumpkin…

…this thrifted lamp with a thrifted pleated shade that I re-covered using a thrifted sheet (sense a theme here?), a flow blue plate hung from a velvet ribbon…

…an ironstone basin full of little pumpkins and preserved moss…

…Fall hydrangeas dried on the bush in our backyard and placed into an antique ice cream bucket…

…and a thrifted print that I trimmed down to size and taped into a foamboard frame that I’ve had for years.

I love it so much and I’d like to thank my husband for taking the time to do this for me (he really likes it, by the way!). I think it adds so much character and charm to our home and that we will enjoy it for years to come!

You can find the sources for this space (what few there are since most things are thrifted!) linked below. Thanks so much for reading!

Blessings,
Melissa

Sources:

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore “Van Courtland Blue, HC-145”
Wallpaper linked here
Entryway table linked here
Entryway rug linked here (Use code HYMNSANDHOME for additional savings)
Moravian Star Ceiling Fixture linked here

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

This year for my Fall entryway decor I really wanted to create a sense of warmth, coziness, and charm while staying true to my desire for simple, uncluttered arrangements. I still like there to be a sense of order to things!

In recent years I had played around with some neutral Fall decor, but this year I went for all the warm, cozy Fall colors…and I’m loving it. Personally I think that’s the way Fall is meant to be. It’s the way I used to decorate for Fall before things like Instagram told me it wasn’t in vogue. I say do what pleases you – it’s your home. I’ve finally become confident enough in my own tastes to stick to that philosophy.

Fall Entryway Decor Tour

The Garland

Let’s cut right to the chase – the star of the show, in my opinion – this luxurious garland on the mirror! Ever since I hung a garland on this mirror for Christmas last year, I’ve been a little obsessed with having one on there. The Christmas one got extended into Valentine’s Day with the excuse it was red and the Spring garland got used all through Summer just because I liked it! When I needed one for Fall I hit up the craft store and started picking out bunches of things I liked, not really knowing how it would all come together.

That’s pretty much my typical system of shopping for florals – I pick whatever looks good knowing I can return what I don’t use as long as I don’t remove the tags. This is because I typically have one or more young children with me and don’t really have the luxury of time for making detailed decisions in the store.

To make the garland…

I started with a base layer of 3 of these stems. I wired them together using floral wire to create my main structure.

I find it the easiest to make my base layer on the floor, hang it on the mirror, then wire the rest of the pieces in while it’s hanging. That gives me the best feel for where I want things.

Next I wired in a mix of these Apple Spray Fall picks and these Orange Spray Fall picks. I alternated them to add interest and fullness. I probably had about 7 of them total.

Finally I cut apart 2 of these bushes and wired in clumps of the flowers wherever it seemed right.

The entire garland is held on the mirror by floral wire connected to command adhesive hooks which are stuck to the outside edge of the frame of the mirror. I have about 5 hooks on there. They are somewhat heavy duty hooks – can hold about a pound apiece I think. Don’t use the mini ones – they can’t hold the weight. Make sure you clean your mirror’s frame and let it dry before applying the hooks, and try not to tug too hard on them when wiring on your garland.

In case you’re wondering, this mirror is from Target. (And you can find that dress here.)

Moving on to other parts of the Fall entryway decor, we have a fun mix of vintage and new with all sorts of cozy textures.

When you want to create a sense of warmth, mix textures:
Woods, warm metals, paper, linens and knits, natural elements, ceramics, etc.

Vintage items instantly add character to any space. I just love this little wooden toolbox I picked up at an estate sale a few years ago. It works for any season and is great for piling full of natural elements like these mini pumpkins from Trader Joe’s and pinecones from my parents’ backyard.

I had a few stems left from the garland and put them in that little blue and white vase I picked up at Michael’s last year (sorry, not available online anymore). The blue and white adds a little freshness to all the dark. Lastly I stuck in a few vintage books which are also a great filler in nearly any setting.

Terrariums, like this one from Hobby Lobby, are a fun item to change out seasonally! To change it over to Fall I layered some moss in the bottom and then simply stacked a few mini pumpkins of varying colors in it. These are real pumpkins but you could certainly use faux. (Fun fact – the bottom right pumpkin grew in our garden this year!)

Speaking of pumpkins, I fell in love with this giant knit pumpkin at Target a few weeks ago. I pretty much stopped buying any new pumpkin related decor, but this one got me with all its big knit texture.

To create height and added texture, I stacked it atop some vintage baby quilts that I’ve found from thrift stores over the last year. The top quilt has Fall colors while the blue and white quilt complements the orange and ties in with the vase on top of the table.

A few weeks ago I went to Vintage Market Days and found this old ice cream bucket. I’d been hoping to find one of these for quite a while and was thrilled to find this dreamy white one! What a perfectly charming and rustic way to display any seasonal stems! I filed it with a mix of about 5 (total) of these stems and these stems.

Get the look…

Well that pretty well does it for our little tour! Our entryway is small so there’s just room for the table and mirror but it’s fun to dress them up with the seasons.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our little Fall Entryway Decor Tour and thanks so much for reading!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

I absolutely adored the way my entryway mirror looked at Christmastime with a garland! In fact I loved it so much I kept it around through Valentine’s Day and justified it with the fact it had red in it. Ha! But alas, the time finally came to take it down and the wall felt so empty – it needed another garland!

I literally just went around my house and gathered up some greenery and florals that I already had. They were all from Target and I’ve linked them all below in case you would like to recreate the look. Then I set to work wiring them together into a garland – it didn’t take much time at all! You just have to not be too perfectionistic about it – the more random and natural looking the better.

Spring Mirror Garland Tutorial

Supplies:

Clear Command Adhesive Hooks (I used 4 of them)
Floral Wire
Wire Cutters
3 Faux Trailing Stems (I used the 38″ ones linked here)
Faux White Peonies
Faux Small White Wildflowers
(This is my mirror from Target)

Step 1: Place clear command hooks around the outside frame of your mirror.

I used 4 of them. Basically you want one or two near the top that will hold most of the weight of the garland (make sure your hooks are rated to hold the appropriate amount of weight), plus a few down the side to guide the garland.

Step 2: Wire together 3 stems of trailing greenery.

Shorten any super long stems, then overlap the branches as you wire them so that the leaves of the previous branch hide the beginning of the next one. Keep your stems pointing in the same direction.

Step 3: Wire in groups of white peonies.

I like to group them in odd numbers (I did a group of 5) and to vary the sizes in each grouping. These are your main focal point in your garland, so don’t be afraid to go big! I tried to have mine fall at the very upper left of my garland – the balance just felt right to me.

Step 4: Wire in groups of white wildflowers.

I cut smaller pieces off the main stem, then wired the little cuttings into groups, staggering the length of each to make them more natural. I then attached those groups to the garland. Just a few here and there – not so many as to overwhelm the garland

Step 5: Secure the garland to the hooks using floral wire.

Wrap floral wire around sections of your garland to form little loops, then hang the loops on the command hooks. I like to make my loops at least 2 wires thick (I wrap it twice) for added support. You can then fluff and adjust your garland until it’s just like you want it! Don’t be too perfectionistic though – the more random and natural the better!

There you have it – a quick and easy Spring Mirror Garland!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! You can certainly apply this technique to any season and florals you want – it’s very versatile!

If you found this tutorial helpful, want to save it for later, or share it with a friend, don’t forget to…

Pin it!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

Our entryway has been a long time coming – and I’m not sure it’s actually finished yet, but it’s to a point that I feel pretty good about it and it makes me actually smile instead of cringe when I look over there!

Here’s how it looked before our renovation in all its 1960s glory, complete with chipping tile and wood slat screens:

After our major renovation period of replacing / refinishing floors and trim, painting, ripping down walls, changing light fixtures, etc., it looked more like this:

Fast forward 3 years – yes, it took me 3 years to decorate this space – and I’ve made a few changes! It’s amazing how appropriately sized furniture and rugs can actually make a space seem bigger!

I’ll share and link all the sources for this space below!

The only thing I’d still consider doing to this space would be to add some textural interest through board and batten or some sort of woodwork as a feature wall. Wallpaper is out of the question – my husband has declared he will never EVER have wallpaper in his house, so board & batten could be a happy compromise!

Sources:

Table: Amazon
Mirror: Hearth & Hand by Target
Rug: Boutique Rugs
Moravian Star Fixture: Amazon
Basket: Homegoods
Flowers: Target
Lamp: Homegoods
Bird Cage: Hobby Lobby
Plant Pot: Homegoods

Be sure to check out Instagram or Pinterest for my tips on styling a bird cage!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!