The Evolution of The Entry + $500 to Minted

Our entry has evolved so much over the two years that we have lived here (check out the full evolution over on Instagram today! @chrislovesjulia), probably more than any other space, and with each tweak it gets functional for us and more beautiful, too. Most recently, we swapped out the mirror for a full length one from our bedroom, added a bench we were using as a make-shift coffee table in the living room and large art from Minted (big giveaway from them at the bottom of this post!).

Remember when it used to look like this? Eek!

Once upon a time I actually stretched a large canvas to paint something for this space, but my mother in law asked if I could make one similar for her so all the grandkids could paint on it and they could hang it in their home. It was the sweetest idea and she's the sweetest mother in law, so I up and gave it to her then and there. It was about the same time, earlier this summer, that Minted approached me to see if I'd be interested in anything from their online market place. It's filled with independent artists from all over the world and all the pieces are sourced through on-going art competitions. I kept my eyes peeled for months, constantly checking out the new arrivals until something spoke to me. It became such a fun way to spend some down time, I almost forgot that I was waiting to find the perfect piece for our home.

It took over 4 months, but when I saw Maria Murphy of Lulaloo's piece called Sombras it was, what I can only describe as what I think love at first sight must feel like. You just know. This is the one.Maria Murphy,  a Geneva, Switzerland native, tells this about her work:

Holidays usually inspires me, I enjoyed watching people walk. People walking towards their own reality, carrying their own history. Sometimes happy and sometimes sad, sometimes alone and sometimes together. The colors that I have choosen also refex the nostalgia in the painting. I called this sombras because of the reflexions on the floor.

For me, It's moving and calm. It's thought provoking and simple. The colors and the negative space were begging to go large, and large we did. We ordered a 44x44 print in a simple, modern frame to really let it shine.

It's the first thing you see when you come in the front door, but it's also visible from a lot of different angles, like when I'm working at my desk or coming upstairs or out of the hall bathroom or Faye's room. It's right on the other side of our bedroom, which you can see from this angle which, hopefully!, helps you get your bearings on how things flow around here.

Since adding a coat closet in the laundry room, we don't need to utilize as many of the hooks in our entry anymore, or maybe we don't overstuff the hooks in the entry anymore. Ha! We still hang a few frequently used bags, but really they are so perfect for when guests come over.

The large mirror is by BluDot from AllModern. We got it for our bedroom earlier this year but we found the gold framed mirror (and blue bench) that were in the entry fit so much better in our bedroom and this full-length mirror is a welcomed addition out here. I think it works so well with the wallpaper and it's nice to have a full mirror by the front door, too. While it can be a leaning mirror, we opted to utilize the hanging mechanism on the back since it felt safer to have it off  the ground for the girls' sake and our sanity.

And since we almost always get asked, What about the shoes!? We have a lidded wicker hamper by the front door that we toss them in. This is a cheap-o one from TJMaxx, but I'm on the hunt for something that looks a little less...hamper-ish.

Now that you're all caught up on the entry, Minted wants to give one of our readers $500 toward art for their home!! Which, is actually making me emotional because, gah!, it just adds so much. It has always been a goal of ours to have fine art pieces throughout our home and Minted's collection of new artists can't be matched.

To get entered to win, click here for an easy entry. Take luck. I'm rooting for you! (Giveaway ends 11/13)

SOURCES //

Area rug: Flor | Wallpaper: Stones Throw, Hygge and West | Gold Hooks: Pottery Barn | Mirror: BluDot from AllModern | Art: Sombras by Maria Murphy of Lulaloo (shop more of Maria's pieces at her Minted Artist storefront: www.minted.com/store/lulaloo) | Bench: Overstock