Hey y’all! It’s Friday and once again I’m participating in Julia’s blog party.

Have I mentioned how much I love her site!?! Seriously folks. Anyone out there who really knows me knows how Hooked On Houses I really am … and she feeds my obsession as if she was handing me cartons of ciggs and I was a nicotine fiend! Ahhhhh. How I love her for that!

Anyway, I’m once again featuring beautiful entryways, and today I’m focusing on apartment home or condominium home entryways. There really is a lot you can do with the space by your front door, even if it’s not very big. I especially love this example here where they added the plant and urn and a rug that wouldn’t work if it was outside but really works in that area!

Here you can see that they didn’t have much space for objects around the door but they were able to wallpaper the area in a beautiful toile (pronounced twahl). That paper combined with the dark wood door give that space a ‘homey’ feel that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

Here, they have taken what would have normally just been a front stoop, probably facing a parking lot, and created a see-through barrier that is as interesting as it is functional. How cool are those circles!?! Now, I have to admit that they could have cleaned the place up a bit and I’m definitely not digging the ugly screen door … but overall a great idea.

And look at this one … just because you don’t have a lot of space to decorate your entryway is no excuse. How beautiful is this front door? The style and the doorknob in the center and the wood is just gorgeous! From the outside it makes you think your arriving at a beautiful château, not just a simple apartment.

Here, you can see where maybe for fire-code reasons they didn’t adorn the door or walkway with any objects but instead they created texture both on the door and the surround, giving the space some much needed interest. I love the tile at an angle as well as the trim and the archway.

I like this example of a curved entry hall. Whether coming in the door, or going out, this entry makes a small space grand!

And remember folks … just because you don’t have a lot of space doesn’t mean you can’t make it beautiful!

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to check out what everyone else is hooked on!

While browsing MSN yesterday, I came across an article about a small cabin in the pacific northwest and was blown away. It’s gorgeous y’all! I mean take a look for yourself …

“Learn how to live well in 1,200 square feet with ideas from this jewel-like cabin inspired by its setting. Beautiful inside and out. This cabin near Twisp, Wash., is packed with ideas for small-home living, from its open rooms, multiple levels, creative details and outdoor living rooms. Ray and Mary Johnston of Johnston Architects designed the 1,200-square-foot cabin for their family of four. Every part is oriented toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the view of Washington’s Methow Valley and the Cascade and Sawtooth mountain ranges.. See how the Johnstons got the most from their square footage.”

“Living space doesn’t have to mean four walls and a ceiling. The Johnstons think of the veranda as another room. ‘The concrete steps off the veranda extend the house further,’ Mary says. ‘And in the summer, people sit on the granite rocks below.”

“I love my kitchen,’ Mary says. ‘It’s small and open and really efficient.’ One of the couple’s favorite things is the appliance-free island they made from a stainless steel-and-butcher block work space they bought at a restaurant-supply store and covered on three sides with plywood. ‘It was incredibly inexpensive, and it’s become one of the central gathering spots in the house,’ she says.”

“Spatial economics is the idea that you should be able to live within the radius of your interaction,’ Ray says. In other words, no extra rooms and no wasted space.”

“In a small space, the most satisfying thing is variety,’ Mary says of the built-in bookshelf on the wall above the staircase. The inviting alcove is both a convenient throughway and another place to hang out.”

“This area can’t rightly be called a bedroom, so the Johnstons call it the bed cabinet. It’s a foot larger than a queen-size bed on every side. ‘We were a little experimental,’ Ray says. Unless there’s company, the doors are left open to the view. The sleeping loft above the living room creates more spaciousness.”

Design: Johnston Architects, Seattle (206/523-6150)

Read more about this cabin here and here.

Hey y’all … It’s FRIDAY!!! And today I’m participating in the Hooked On Houses blog party. I am going to do a series on entryways and today I am soooo hooked on beautiful wood and glass front doors.

My mother has front doors that are just gorgeous and simple but they are perfect. Here is an absolutely ridiculous picture of me and my sisters but at least you get to see the foyer and her front doors.

They’re pretty and simple and the natural wood just makes for a very pretty entryway. Of course you need to make sure that you have the front porch area compliment the doors like in the examples below.

Of course you can also go the almost full wood route as in this mission style door below.

Whatever your choice, it is hard to go wrong with this style. I think that if I ever have a solid door it would have to be surrounded by a transom above and sidelights to allow for me to have the windows I crave in the entryway.

Well, this was a quick one today but I wanted something easy and fun since I probably bored you to death with my post on Wednesday about Team Health Care! Take care y’all and have a great weekend!

Don’t forget to stop by Julia’s blog and check out what everyone else is Hooked On!