Welcome, Come On In

Everybody hold your breath, but I think our permits are going to be issued Monday. Online, our status is "waiting for payment: issuance fee". Dear JAN's section has been marked final. Seriously, hold your breath.

With new found vigor, I decided to spend a little time prepping and designing the entryway this weekend. It is one of the places that I have overlooked and one could argue that it is the most important place in the home. It is the first impression for the rest of the home. The entrance is going to be pretty grand. Our  front door will be 48 inches wide. Like just the door, not including a side window. I think it is hard to appreciate how big that is unless you measure out 48 inches with a tape measure and then imagine swinging it open. Huge. It is a lot like this, but black:

Same set up, just black, larger, and opening the other way

This could be a 48 inch door...

We hare having to door custom made and so before it will ever be hung, there is a lot of work to be done in the entry way. Here is the best before picture I could grab. The area, not counting the closets is about 8 feet x 8 feet. It used to be carpet (gross right?) and now it is a glorious sub floor.

One thing that did not get removed during demo week was the wallpaper. I figured I would help reduce the labor bill just doing it myself. I spent 7 hours stripping the wallpaper with my trusty 'ol steamer.

If you want to know what it smells like to steam 50 year old wallpaper off the wall, please email me and I would be happy to describe the experience. Or at least reenact the gagging noises I made.
 Michael came home from the gym and wanted to get in on the entryway action by pulling up the tack strips from the carpet. Since we are not replacing this area with new carpet, we don't need to keep the tack strips. Plus removing them cuts down on poodle injuries.

Now with the entryway bare, I can turn my attention to the flooring. Because of wet traffic and the fact that we are keeping the wood wall/closet panels, I want to think of an alternative to the white oak that will be in the rest of the house. I don't want the first impression to be WOOD OVERLOAD. I found a line called POPHAM Tile and I think there is something there for the entry, I just can't decide. Here is my final round up:

And then the one that goes from being my personal favorite to "out of the running" depending on the hour. You will have to use your imagination a little. I could not find a photo of it in the color and layout I like. The orange one is the right pattern layout, but the chevron one is the right color:

correct pattern layout, wrong color

correct color, wrong layout

I figure the correct choice will become clear to me when it is time to order the tile. I just want to make sure it will coordinate with some of the other choices that have been locked in already. White kitchen, jade velvet couches, white washed oak floors, hicks pendant light, etc. I am trusting that all the things that catch my eye will coordinate somehow. Time will tell right?