Portland Project: The Entry & Staircase Reveal

I once worked with a makeup artist who said it took two hours to give a Goop model her “no-makeup makeup look.” That’s how this entry is. It looks so simple, but it was actually obsessed over. The millwork and the stair design warrant their own very thorough posts, but today is just a “simple,” “effortless,” and what we think is a beautiful, entry.

To be fair, the entry is something that should be obsessed over, as it is the first moment you are seeing the house. To speak in terms that I understand, it’s the real “coming out of the limo shot” and whether or not we will get a first impression rose is determined on the initial reaction of this entry.

Let’s talk front door.

I LOVE those doors. We went with an 8-foot traditional paneled door with a four-panel glass window which lets in SO much light. For those of you who want more privacy, a simple shade on the back will do nicely, but the light that this lets into the house is amazing (especially since the front is a covered patio) and it feels very welcoming. This house is also on a private street, so it’s not like there are many looky-loos. We used the same stain as we did for the flooring. Remember when we were going to paint it a color? Well, thanks to you and the powers of social media, you requested it be stained, which my brother was psyched about and I couldn’t be happier about how it turned out. Oh and that fancy looking doorbell and Camera? It’s a Nest Hello and Nest Cam IQ. The doorbell has an HD camera in it and has 24/7 streaming that you can review anytime straight on your phone. This is awesome for knowing who’s at your door without getting up to go check, monitoring activity at the front of your house and being informed of when packages are delivered. It also lets you respond via the app to let whoever is at your door know you’re on your way. The camera can detect a person over 50 feet away and alert you with a picture on your phone, so you can ensure that you and your home are safe. With it’s HD capabilities it can also track and follow the person on it’s own. Oh how far we’ve come.

The tile is from Clé, a black terracotta brick that we laid down in a herringbone pattern that is honestly GORGEOUS. It’s simple and doesn’t read as busy. It has this amazing texture that feels so classic, high end and timeless. I will say installing the tile in the herringbone tripled the labor cost, so while I’m SO glad that my brother didn’t stop that from happening, as far as maximizing the profit on selling this house, that could have been somewhere we could have saved.

Hot tip: the labor of tile cutting is what is so time-consuming and thus costs so much, so if you want to reduce your cost then lay the foundation close to the same size as the tile. Fewer cuts = less time = less money. Also, the bigger the tile, the fewer cuts that need to be made, not that you should choose tile solely on cost but it’s good to know that going in. The tile in the master shower of the mountain house took ONE WEEK to install because it’s so intricate (that post is coming soon, FYI). I don’t even want to know how much that is in labor…probably thousands. But boy is it stunning.

We kept the vibe of the entry elegant and simple, letting the architecture and natural light be the stars, so we needed very little in the furniture and decor department.

The chair is from Thos. Moser, as is their Hoops mirror, which looks like leather but is actually bent wood. I have pinned like 30 pieces of their beautiful furniture for the mountain house (and I already waxed poetic on my long-standing love of the brand in the living room reveal) because it’s heirloom-quality, classic and timeless. I loved these so much that we decided to also use the mirrors in the mountain guest bathroom. If you are as smitten with Thos. Moser as I am, they were so generous and are extending a discount to all of our readers with code EMILY18, which applies to all items on their site.

The lighting is all from Rejuvenation (which is local to Portland, yay) and it’s just so beautiful. We went with unlacquered brass with a lot of handblown glass to keep it feeling light and elegant (and more modern). The stairs were designed in conjunction with Base Modern, and we worked with Metrie on the paneling, but again, more on that later in a dedicated post. The office is just to the right when you walk through the front doors and for anyone wondering where that desk/card catalog cabinet/globe/etc. are from, that is also its own reveal post coming up soon so hang tight.

I could stare at those stairs all day. That newel. That thin 1/2″ railing. The moulding. The floors.

Being proud of a room that you painstakingly designed, even though it looks like it has always been there is something that makes us feel so very very very good, especially since I’m a novice at designing stairs and moulding. I learned so much, made some mistakes along the way that we had to pay to fix and ultimately I feel so much more secure in the stair design arena now.

For those of you who want this entry as much as I do, we put together a Get the Look (as always) with all the sourcing details for you.

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1. Exterior Door Hardware Set | 2. Interior Door Lever Set | 3. Front Door | 4. Semi-Flush Pendant | 5. Mirror | 6. Interior Door by Metrie | 7. Portland Chair | 8. Momo Single Sconce | 9. Interior Door by Metrie | 10. Rug | 11. White Vase | 12. Bowl | 13. Table (vintage) | 14. Swing Arm Sconce | 15. Wood Flooring by Hallmark Floors | 16. Pure White by Sherwin-Williams | 17. Oyster White by Sherwin-Williams | 18. Crown Moulding by Metrie | 19. Architrave by Metrie | 20. Door Casing by Metrie 21. Baseboard by Metrie | 23. Rocking Chair | 24. Cumberland Chair

So what do you think? Would you give that entry a first-impression rose? Per usual, ask any questions in the comments…and stay tuned for the moulding and stairs process post.

Photos by my always lovely in-house photo and styling team, Sara and Brady. Fashion: Wild Fang suit, Wild Fang Wild Feminist black pants, This Is The Great chambray top, nude shoes, black mules.

Playing Catch Up With Portland? Here’s a quick refresher: 

• The Living Room Reveal
• Master Bathroom Update, Design & Sneak Peek
• How We Designed the Hall Bath (& Sneak Peek)
• Powder Bath Design & Update
• Introducing Our Portland Fixer

***Photography by Sara Tramp for EHD

***Design and styling by Emily Henderson and Brady Tolbert (and team). JP Macy of Sierra Custom Homes (who I seriously can’t say enough good things about) was the General Contractor, and Annie Usher was the architect.

For more Portland Project Room Reveals: Living Room | Office | Master Bedroom | Master Bathroom | Kitchen | Dining Room | Powder Bathroom | Guest Bathroom | Hall Bathroom | Laundry Room | Guest Bedrooms | Media Room | Family Room | Playroom