FAMILY NEST BEFORE TOUR: ENTRYWAY & HALLWAY

To finish off the super exciting (!) Before Tour of the main floor, here is a sneak peek of the entryway and the hallway. I'm usually a big fan of mixing prints and patterns but that wallpaper was unfortunately just too much. It did however coordinate really well with the living room's metallic blinds (see here if you've missed this little treasure), which proves that creating a continuous flow throughout the house is a true classic design rule.

The good thing about the entryway was that it was quite spacious and had a wall-to-wall closet. The closet only had a single rod so there was lots of potential to change its layout in order to maximize storage and eventually welcome my collection of coats. The floor was covered in the same linoleum as the kitchen and there were four glass blocks above the door that matched the ones in the dining room.

A special mention goes to the front door with its rounded top. From our first visit, I immediately thought of the Dwarfs' house in the Snow White Disney classic. As you'll see from the picture below, the style wasn't really mid-century. A new modern door was definitely on our wish list.

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In the hallway, we wanted to create a clean look and bring in more light. It will eventually be used as a bowling alley, a floor hockey rink or a lounge space for the kids as you can see from the picture below.

Since the kitchen wall was going to be removed, the natural light issue was going to be resolved very easily. We also wanted to get rid of the two pendant lights and install recessed lighting. A new door leading to the entryway would make it feel more opened while still stopping any cold drafts during our lovely Montreal winters.

Our vision:
     1.  Entryway:

• Remove wallpaper and linoleum flooring;
• Paint it all white and install new ceramic floors to handle heavy traffic and snow/dirt from ski trips and soccer games;
• Redesign the closet so that one half is for daily use (hello unlimited clutter!) and the other is for guests use;
• Install new recessed lighting;
• Remove glass blocks and old door. Install a new sleek door. Black preferably;

     2.  Hallway:

• Remove old floors and install new hardwood floors;
• Install recessed lighting;
• Remove mirror and brick wall at the end of the hallway;
• Install a glass door between entryway and hallway;

In three words: Durable. Organized. Clean.

Voilà for the main floor Before Tour! Thanks for making it this far.  As you can see, this investment was going to be a big project. Our work was definitely cut out for us, but we were very excited about it. Mainly because it was our chance to create a smart house designed just for us and for our children to enjoy and get inspired. Now the fun part begins with the After pics. See you soon!