Room of the Week

'The Entryway'

In order to be granted entry to our home, one must stare into the unforgiving soul of an aged brass gremlin before heaving open a rich wooden door that has been witness to decades of street-scape activity.

The Facts:
The Entryway feeds into The Fireplace Room, and is home to an original, somewhat undersized staircase to the second floor. There is one window on the first floor. There is also a window, stained glass, in the stairwell. The stained glass is reminiscent of an after school project and is by no means original. The woodwork on the stairs seems to be original, but it lacks the detailed craftsmanship usually seen during the time of construction. A giant wall greets you as soon as you step in the front door....exciting. Some of the entryway has been carved out to provide for a terribly awkward closet in the adjacent room. What? Tear out the closet? With a sledge hammer? You Got It!!!

The To-Do List:
1. Tear Out Closet/ Open Access to Adjacent Room
2. Salvage Original Plaster/ Replace with Veneer Plaster
3. Repair/ Restore Original Wood Flooring
4. Restore/ Rework Original Trim and Woodwork
5. New Hardware/ Fixtures
6. Salvage Historic Windows/ Replace with Replicas
7. Widen Staircase/ Add Architectural Detail
8. Expose Rear Brick of Chimney in New Walkway
9. Replace Stained Glass in Stairwell
10. Rework Stairwell to be Large and Grand!??

To-Do Specifics:
Ok! This will be one of my favorite projects! This entryway has so much potential, yet we're not sure which direction to go with it. First things first, we've got to widen the staircase. It is going to be tough getting furniture to the second floor as the staircase is very narrow. While rebuilding the staircase, we want to add a lot more detail and character to enhance the feel of the entryway. Also, we are sure that opening up an access to the study, through the closet, would be a good move. That access would also pass behind the chimney, and would provide the perfect opportunity to expose some more gorgeous masonry work! Yay for old brick! We would love to open up the stairwell all the way through the second floor, but that would mean sacrificing the small bath currently tucked away in the midst of the winding stairwell. That decision would depend on framing structure of the house, bath relocation, expansion plans, and all the other hidden surprises that comes with major renovations. The jury is currently out on this one folks. We have to really work our floor plan and budget forecasting to really work out the details, but whatever it is... its going to be BIG!