STYLE ROOM-JAN/FEB 2012

By Christine Maclin

Making an Entrance

Function is primary for me: I want to create spaces that work. My goal is also to have rooms that meet a variety of needs. This means good lighting, very comfortable furniture, colors and art that the client loves, and a space plan that is inviting. I like a spare look because I think it extends a feeling of calm, a place to stop and take a breath.

The foyer is a very special place: it marks the division between public and private space. It is where, as the design books say, you create “a sense of arrival.” In many parts of the world people remove their shoes in the foyer, in both a practical and symbolic gesture of entering sacred space.

I wanted my client’s foyer to represent who she is: a sophisticated traveler and art collector who has great joie de vivre. The foyer leads directly onto a large dining and living area. To keep the feeling of a sense of arrival from being overwhelming, we installed curtain panels on the sides of the opening between these two spaces to obscure a bit of the larger area. Other components of a great foyer include a lamp to create a feeling of welcome. A low light is an intimate light, as opposed to a ceiling-mounted fixture. The lamp represents the hearth, always ready to receive the known and the stranger. It is good to have a table or bureau and some type of small chair or stool for people to sit on when removing shoes. Personal items on the table and walls establish a sense of style as well as a design thread that continues throughout the home. And a thriving plant or fresh flowers give a feeling of life and growth, as well as beauty, in this first space.

Maclin Design | 207-774-9545 | maclindesign.com

1. Flower arrangement
Compositions
compositionsinmaine.com

2. Echelon Console Table
Crate and Barrel
crateandbarrel.com

3. Small oval lamp in hand-rubbed antique brass with natural paper shade
Visual Comfort
visualcomfort.com

4. Red birch flooring
A.E. Sampson & Son
aesampsonandson.com

5. Lotus Fabric
East by Christine Maclin
maclindesign.com

6. Bindi Fabric
East by Christine Maclin
maclindesign.com

7. Sarah Knock, oil on canvas, 30″ x 34″
Greenhut Galleries
greenhutgalleries.com

8. Wall paint: Blacksmith 8776N
California Paints
californiapaints.com