The Foyer Chest that Found Me
If you’re anything like me, you love a good Marketplace find. Lately, I’ve been restyling our foyer, and one piece kept playing musical chairs: my sofa table.
First it lived beneath the arched mirror in the foyer, then moved behind the sofa in our living room, only to return to the foyer again—and back once more. Why all the moving around? Well, I loved how it looked in the foyer. Its turned legs and soft distressing felt like the perfect balance to the chunkier wood bench. It grounded the space beautifully.
But then the living room looked… off. Let’s be honest—the backs of most sofas aren’t exactly showstoppers. Mine included. Without the table behind it, everything felt too open and unfinished. That’s the best part of moving furniture around, though: nothing is permanent. You can experiment freely, and when something doesn’t feel quite right—you just try again.
Buying another sofa table crossed my mind, but it felt redundant. Too expected. I wanted something with more presence—something with personality. That’s when it hit me: an accent chest for the foyer. It could offer visual weight to balance the bench, break up all the wood tones, and give me a chance to introduce a fresh color. I didn’t want to bring in a third stain, so painting something felt like the perfect solution.
I envisioned a piece with graceful lines and vintage charm. Honestly, I thought the hunt would take weeks—these things usually do. But then, like it was meant to be, I found it. A bombe chest on Marketplace, stained dark cocoa, full of curves and carvings. The hardware was a little ornate for my taste, but the price was right and it was just a short drive away.
She’d clearly had a makeover before, and I had a feeling she’d wear paint beautifully. I wanted an olive green—something that would feel timeless and warm, but not too moody. I asked ChatGPT (yes, I really did!) to suggest paint colors that would play nicely with the palette in the rest of my home. It even mocked up a preview so I could visualize the color before fully committing.
I landed on Benjamin Moore Tate Olive in their Advanced line—a soft green with a yellow undertone. It turned out lighter than I expected (and lighter than the mockup), but it ended up being just right. It coordinated perfectly with my olive linen pillows nearby, and that lighter tone lets the carved stenciling on the front of the chest shine when the light hits it.
The hardware search turned out to be the real challenge. I was hoping for a simple, clean design in unlacquered brass. I must’ve scoured every corner of the internet, but nothing felt quite right. So I reattached the original hardware temporarily… and surprise: it was perfect. The antique black finish tied in with the mirror and our front door so seamlessly. Sometimes what you’re looking for is right in front of you the whole time.
A cozy lamp felt like the perfect finishing touch—especially on rainy days or in the evenings when a warm glow feels like a hug. I found this Threshold lamp from Target with a marble base, sculptural form, and scalloped shade. It was everything I didn’t know I needed.
A stone-based dried moss ball and a linen-wrapped coffee table book completed the styling. I’m even toying with the idea of lining the drawers with a navy blue ticking stripe—just a little surprise inside to make me smile.
Every time I walk past that chest, it brings me joy. The shape, the color, the way it greets you at the door—it’s exactly what I hoped for. And really, isn’t that what decorating your home is all about?