Making the Great Room Great — Step Seven: Plants and Bits

Instead of random knick knacks (although we do have a few interesting items,) I always intended that the main ornaments in the foyer and great room would be plants. I started with the small stands and tables I’d had for years.

Then I found the wee benches at a non-defunct craft store, ordered some large Lechuza planters and then shortly before the big painting project I picked out two console tables

Once the painting was done, I decided to rearrange things in the space to make better use of it. Keep in mind we rarely use the front doors: deliveries are directed to my the sliding glass door near my office (although our regular delivery people kindly put parcels addressed to me there and those addressed to Agent Smith go outside his office doors.)

I also picked up one more round rug for the space: this time a spiral motif that echoes the serigraphs.

In addition to plants in the foyer, the greenery started to spread into the Great Room proper. Including into the fireplace. We decided quite a while back that using the fireplace for fires wasn’t something we were willing to try. The company that did the initial inspection during the escrow period used the word “big and hot” in terms of what sort of fire should be created should we use it. No Duraflame logs, but instead instead aged wood and lots of its would be required. Considering the smoke and ash that would seep into the space, we never seriously considered using it.

This meant it was a vacant space in the middle of the space. This was when I came up with an idea for a new use for it. I turned it into a terrarium of sorts. Out came the grate and dirty metal mesh curtains: I found it interesting that the newspaper was dated just a few months prior to the house going on the market. Then after a good scrubbing of the interior and a thorough wiping down of the six doors, I installed some shallow planters with some vegetation planted in them. Two of which I had had for ages and the other three I altered using the same metallic paint used on the walls of the room.

The end result is a lovely change. Suddenly instead of a closed off and dingy portal, now it’s a lovely little light well that adds a bit of sparkle and greenery. Here are three shots: the first is the original listing photo, the second was taken during our first year and the third is a bit after the room was painted.