The Foyer....come inside and be warmed
The entrance to most homes is the foyer. Below is a description of ours, tips for decorating for free or very inexpensively and a spiritual encouragement to being hospitable.
Welcome. Come in and be warmed............
Our door, which replaced the two doors of this former duplex, is wooden, has a round window with non-stained, but various types, of glass in a fleur de lis design, as do the two sidelights.The door and glass were crafted by local artists. The door was made from a tree that used to stand in back of an old retail dairy in town. The glass pieces were a huge savings for us because they were discounted having been returned because those who ordered it changed their design. As we open the door we enter a fairly small foyer. But what most people notice first is the grand staircase.
The staircase is oak. When we bought the duplex the dividing wall went right up the middle of the stairs. To our great delight when we exposed it, the two stairways were only off by less than 1/16th. of an inch. For awhile we had a gaping, nail-ridden section missing mid-stairs which was soon filled in with new risers and oak steps. The original bannisters made of fir are still there. The original stair steps are re-purposed as book shelves.
To the right is part of our living room. One of our wood stoves, its mantel and hearth can be seen on the far wall. Going to the left is a door over which hangs a brass "Library" sign.
In the actual foyer is a previously-orange, tall chest of drawers that someone was going to discard. I painted and added knobs to it. In it and on top of it are stored mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, leashes, combs, a mirror, hose nozzles in winter, and a couple of lint (cat and dog hair) removers. Above this hangs a wooden pegboard I got at the Dollar Store years ago for hanging coats. And yes, it cost only one dollar. Atop the chest are baskets holding "junk", keys, flashlights and other odds and ends....anything one might need leaving or returning to our house.
On the floor is a heavy metal furnace grate that I re-purposed for an airy space to dry wet shoes. There is a door-to-nowhere that sits opposite the green chest and goes along the side of the staircase. This door used to lead to the basement stairs. This will eventually be a hall tree. It has the outside of a tall old radio cabinet in front of it that I got at a yard sale for a couple bucks. The hole is covered with a lace curtain attached by a brass curtain rod hidden inside. Atop that sits a tall, (inherited from my husband's parents) bronze urn with designs on it sitting in an ornate silver-plated stand. I have placed reeds I bought for one of our kids' weddings inside it. I add flowers to it as the seasons change. A rectangular mirror (which we were given by a client of Jim's when he did the landscape on a house at a lake) will be cut to fit into the indentation of the door panel. Coat hooks will go along the sides of the doors to complete the look.
On the other side of the door is an antique umbrella stand with a brass plate on the bottom of the quarter-sawn oak piece. This was a steal at Goodwill for $4! I have since added old canes (do you think anyone can tell they were originally 4-H pig-showing canes????) and umbrellas and even a brass-headed duck, oak-handled, very long shoe horn that belonged to my father---a gift from me after his back surgery!
The word "foyer" is derived from the French, originally meaning "fireplace". From Medieval Latin it meant "fire". Later it was commonly used to mean a room at the entrance of a building. Still later, in England, it was used to refer to the room where actors in a play came to greet fans, friends and to get warm in between acts. It changed over the centuries to be used in the common usage of the day, altho' there is some argument as to how it should be pronounced!
Since entering a foyer, if there is one, is the first step after inviting one into your home, my thoughts go to hospitality.
In researching the origins of the word "hospitality" I became a little confused. Here's what I found. The Latin word "hospes" apparently at some time way back meant "to have power" which I find interesting but for which I cannot find a bridge to the evolving use of the word. Somehow it morphed into meaning welcoming someone, friend or stranger, even an enemy, into the home. In many languages it means to be a host or a guest, or both at the same time, which no one seems to be able to explain.
Today when we talk of hospitality we tend to, at least in our minds, think "entertaining"---you know, putting on the dog, laying out our best dishes, serving our prize recipes, and being exhausted from cleaning excessively in order to give the impression your house is always that clean and orderly. You wear nice clothes, put on background music, light a few scented candles..... This can be quite expensive and really has nothing to do with true hospitality. Remember Abraham entertaining angels unaware? Remember the widow setting up a room for the prophet??? Jesus's needs being taken care of simply, by others? And many, many other examples........
It is challenging to "entertain" in hard times. Though I believe there is nothing wrong with making fancy recipes, decorating and certainly nothing wrong with making things extra nice for your guests. The heart shouldn't be one of impressing guests. An old friend once asked why when company is coming her best recipes fail. I have thought about that often because it has happened to me. When a calamity occurs.....something breaks down, you have a bad hair day, get a pimple on your nose or that cold-sore you could tell was coming finally arrives, we are annoyed. But are we angry? Are we embarrassed by our homes? Can we afford to buy food to feed others and help the needy? Because of these things do we stop being hospitable all together??? Guilty here. How about you?
Our pastor told us he was once a guest in the home of a rather poor couple. They served scrambled eggs and toast for dinner. He emphasized what a wonderful time was had there. The hosts made no apologizes for their simple meal or their home. They focused on the guests and were hospitable. THIS is what struck him---the hospitality, not the humble means.
I have always loved "entertaining" having learned much from my mother and father. I have hosted many baby and bridal showers, birthdays and holidays. A woman once told me that she didn't want to have a shower for someone at my home because it was too small. We lived then in a single-wide mobile home with an open floor plan. We had always had alot of people over. But I let this comment hurt me and hesitated after that to have company.
When we moved into this large house I named it----as was the practice of some back then. Rehoboth means something like making room for you in the land, implying a large place, and one in which to flourish. In the English is translates, "room to live". I had visions of having lots of get-togethers once again and we did for awhile. When things began to become worn, and things we had not yet even attempted to change (we knew this house was an ongoing project when we bought it) when things stopped working and we could not afford to fix them, we stopped opening our home to others for the most part. This was wrong. If God had truly gifted us this house should we not use it for Him? Oh, yes! I have repented of my attitude and we started using our home for others once again. Was it hard sometimes---oh, yes. But there were always blessings in it. And a good dose of humor helps tremendously.
Starting tomorrow I 'll offer ideas, a few each day on affording to feed others on a tight budget, how to keep your home and heart ready to receive those the Lord brings your way, how to handle disasters, sudden company, recipes that look like they took hours but only take a few minutes, and how to help the needy when you are needy yourself!
Until tomorrow......happy homemaking!
Welcome. Come in and be warmed............
Our door, which replaced the two doors of this former duplex, is wooden, has a round window with non-stained, but various types, of glass in a fleur de lis design, as do the two sidelights.The door and glass were crafted by local artists. The door was made from a tree that used to stand in back of an old retail dairy in town. The glass pieces were a huge savings for us because they were discounted having been returned because those who ordered it changed their design. As we open the door we enter a fairly small foyer. But what most people notice first is the grand staircase.
The staircase is oak. When we bought the duplex the dividing wall went right up the middle of the stairs. To our great delight when we exposed it, the two stairways were only off by less than 1/16th. of an inch. For awhile we had a gaping, nail-ridden section missing mid-stairs which was soon filled in with new risers and oak steps. The original bannisters made of fir are still there. The original stair steps are re-purposed as book shelves.
To the right is part of our living room. One of our wood stoves, its mantel and hearth can be seen on the far wall. Going to the left is a door over which hangs a brass "Library" sign.
In the actual foyer is a previously-orange, tall chest of drawers that someone was going to discard. I painted and added knobs to it. In it and on top of it are stored mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, leashes, combs, a mirror, hose nozzles in winter, and a couple of lint (cat and dog hair) removers. Above this hangs a wooden pegboard I got at the Dollar Store years ago for hanging coats. And yes, it cost only one dollar. Atop the chest are baskets holding "junk", keys, flashlights and other odds and ends....anything one might need leaving or returning to our house.
On the floor is a heavy metal furnace grate that I re-purposed for an airy space to dry wet shoes. There is a door-to-nowhere that sits opposite the green chest and goes along the side of the staircase. This door used to lead to the basement stairs. This will eventually be a hall tree. It has the outside of a tall old radio cabinet in front of it that I got at a yard sale for a couple bucks. The hole is covered with a lace curtain attached by a brass curtain rod hidden inside. Atop that sits a tall, (inherited from my husband's parents) bronze urn with designs on it sitting in an ornate silver-plated stand. I have placed reeds I bought for one of our kids' weddings inside it. I add flowers to it as the seasons change. A rectangular mirror (which we were given by a client of Jim's when he did the landscape on a house at a lake) will be cut to fit into the indentation of the door panel. Coat hooks will go along the sides of the doors to complete the look.
On the other side of the door is an antique umbrella stand with a brass plate on the bottom of the quarter-sawn oak piece. This was a steal at Goodwill for $4! I have since added old canes (do you think anyone can tell they were originally 4-H pig-showing canes????) and umbrellas and even a brass-headed duck, oak-handled, very long shoe horn that belonged to my father---a gift from me after his back surgery!
The word "foyer" is derived from the French, originally meaning "fireplace". From Medieval Latin it meant "fire". Later it was commonly used to mean a room at the entrance of a building. Still later, in England, it was used to refer to the room where actors in a play came to greet fans, friends and to get warm in between acts. It changed over the centuries to be used in the common usage of the day, altho' there is some argument as to how it should be pronounced!
Since entering a foyer, if there is one, is the first step after inviting one into your home, my thoughts go to hospitality.
In researching the origins of the word "hospitality" I became a little confused. Here's what I found. The Latin word "hospes" apparently at some time way back meant "to have power" which I find interesting but for which I cannot find a bridge to the evolving use of the word. Somehow it morphed into meaning welcoming someone, friend or stranger, even an enemy, into the home. In many languages it means to be a host or a guest, or both at the same time, which no one seems to be able to explain.
Today when we talk of hospitality we tend to, at least in our minds, think "entertaining"---you know, putting on the dog, laying out our best dishes, serving our prize recipes, and being exhausted from cleaning excessively in order to give the impression your house is always that clean and orderly. You wear nice clothes, put on background music, light a few scented candles..... This can be quite expensive and really has nothing to do with true hospitality. Remember Abraham entertaining angels unaware? Remember the widow setting up a room for the prophet??? Jesus's needs being taken care of simply, by others? And many, many other examples........
It is challenging to "entertain" in hard times. Though I believe there is nothing wrong with making fancy recipes, decorating and certainly nothing wrong with making things extra nice for your guests. The heart shouldn't be one of impressing guests. An old friend once asked why when company is coming her best recipes fail. I have thought about that often because it has happened to me. When a calamity occurs.....something breaks down, you have a bad hair day, get a pimple on your nose or that cold-sore you could tell was coming finally arrives, we are annoyed. But are we angry? Are we embarrassed by our homes? Can we afford to buy food to feed others and help the needy? Because of these things do we stop being hospitable all together??? Guilty here. How about you?
Our pastor told us he was once a guest in the home of a rather poor couple. They served scrambled eggs and toast for dinner. He emphasized what a wonderful time was had there. The hosts made no apologizes for their simple meal or their home. They focused on the guests and were hospitable. THIS is what struck him---the hospitality, not the humble means.
I have always loved "entertaining" having learned much from my mother and father. I have hosted many baby and bridal showers, birthdays and holidays. A woman once told me that she didn't want to have a shower for someone at my home because it was too small. We lived then in a single-wide mobile home with an open floor plan. We had always had alot of people over. But I let this comment hurt me and hesitated after that to have company.
When we moved into this large house I named it----as was the practice of some back then. Rehoboth means something like making room for you in the land, implying a large place, and one in which to flourish. In the English is translates, "room to live". I had visions of having lots of get-togethers once again and we did for awhile. When things began to become worn, and things we had not yet even attempted to change (we knew this house was an ongoing project when we bought it) when things stopped working and we could not afford to fix them, we stopped opening our home to others for the most part. This was wrong. If God had truly gifted us this house should we not use it for Him? Oh, yes! I have repented of my attitude and we started using our home for others once again. Was it hard sometimes---oh, yes. But there were always blessings in it. And a good dose of humor helps tremendously.
Starting tomorrow I 'll offer ideas, a few each day on affording to feed others on a tight budget, how to keep your home and heart ready to receive those the Lord brings your way, how to handle disasters, sudden company, recipes that look like they took hours but only take a few minutes, and how to help the needy when you are needy yourself!
Until tomorrow......happy homemaking!
Well, some of those pig canes are probably mine, and I didn't even notice!
ReplyDeleteThere is a chapter in the book you got me Large Family Logistics about hospitality, I liked that she said too, you don't have to serve fancy expensive things, and shouldn't be trying to impress your guests but make them feel comfortable, welcome, and special.
So true, Lou'. It took me a long time to figure that out about being hospitable.
ReplyDeletePig canes---you want them back??? Ha! Nah, I'll hang on to them. When Dad and I get old(er) maybe we'll use those pig canes to help us get around. If we do, um, I think it's time to put us in a home!
Funny you mention that book. I just got my copy out this morning to start reading. They say it has ideas for every size family.