I like the dark desk much better....really looks great with the black picture frames. Very nice! The other color seemed to get lost in the golden colored walls.

I like the dark desk waaaaay better. The oak one blended too much into the scene with all the oak spindles. The oak chair looked too skimpy for the space. The upholstered one fills in nicely. The formal look is better for an entrance foyer IMHO and the other is more appropriate for a family area.

I like the dark desk better, also. The contrast in wall color and desk is so much more interesting and it ties so well with your picture frames. Good move.

Dark... definitely the dark!

Well, I seem to be the only one that likes the oak desk better :) It's not that I like the color better, but the style. I also like the original picture better than the grouping. I'm still crazy about your wall color.

Laurie

I think the oak desk is very pretty but the dark one looks really good with the dark framed pictures. The still life picture with the lighter frame seems to go better with the oak desk. In the foyer they are both nice but I prefer the dark. I hope you can find another spot for the oak with the still life though.

Could you share the specific gel stain you used please? I'm getting ready to do a couple of bookcases and am trying to achieve a similar look. Thanks!

Could you share the specific gel stain you used please? I'm getting ready to do a couple of bookcases and am trying to achieve a similar look. Thanks!

I think you've achieved a wonderful look. I truly wish I had a foyer that could be useful, as well. Maybe someday I'll post pics and hope for some inspiration from you. Love the dark desk (I have to say though, I really liked the style of the lighter one). I'm also interested in your gel stain info. Well done!
Annie

The dark desk, chair and beautiful lamp look classy and just right in that area. If you don't mind my mentioning this, the art above the desk (I'm not sure whether they're photographs or something else) now looks too casual for the furniture. Some pictures, perhaps oil or watercolor, in black frames with golden highlights would look really wonderful.

Thanks for all the responses so far.. I will try to take a picture from the foyer looking into the living room, so you can see how the rooms relate.

My friend just borrowed the quart for her own project..
but I am 95% sure it was:

General Finishes Gel Stain in Java

I know I heard about it here, or the kitchen forum.. search on java gel stain and you will see an amazing kitchen transformation...

Here is a link that might be useful: Java

Oh, dark. Most definitely. It brings that area up to a whole other level. It's gorgeous.

Thanks for the link -I'm hoping I can find it locally, but if not will order it. I did the search and found celticmoon's fabulous directions!!!!

Nora,
I agree with everyone else....the dark desk in the foyer. I do like the other one, too & hope you have someplace else for it.
Your house is beautiful. You have really pulled it together - the kitchen, the living room & now the foyer. What's next? I like to see what your working on!!

Smiles:)

I hope you find another place for the lighter one. I actually like the style better than the darker. It has such nice lines.

I'll be the 2nd voice of dissent and say I like the original setup best. I think the oak desk fits the space better (taller as opposed to wider), and it is harmonious with the oak on the stairs both in its curviness and color.

I have to say, I am a lover of the first desk too! It is a beautiful piece and I love how it fits the spaace. I DO like the lamp on the second desk though.

I also much prefer the first arrangement. That is a beautiful, special-looking desk. With the lovely painting and the nice lines of the chair, you have a fine tableau that looks both timeless and early nineteenth century, and fits with the stairs and the lines of the hall door. The painting looks *important* - the photos would be better in a den, just IMO.

I would set the lamp directly on the desk, no books, raise the painting an inch or two, and keep the little plant in the blue and white pot!

I've tried to do a search on java gel stain and on celtic moon...
but i'm not having any luck.

Would someone mind posting a link?

TIA!

Here is the thread on gel stain. Scroll down and you will see celticmoon's directions.

Here is a link that might be useful: celticmoon's directions

The dark one fits better in the space simply because it is shorter than the oak one. They are both lovely pieces, as is that home.

Definitely dark desk, the shape and scale of it fits the space much better, and the look is far more upscale and sophisticated than the other "country" looking one. It is gorgeous just as you have it in the "dark" photo.

I think the fact that the light one unites with the stairs is a negative. Matchy matchy. The dark one is an accent.

Can you tell me the color of the walls?

Your foyer is gorgeous -- LOVE your staircase.

BigDogLover:

The color is Old Ben Moore 1047 - Deer Path..I do love it..

Thanks for the opinion on the desk. Now, I have another question:

I am so in love with the gel stain.. I was thinking of darkening the handrail and newell posts.. would that now become too matchy matchy with the desk?? It picks up the darker grain in the floor, even tho it is not matching.

This gel staining is addictive!

Norasnews,

Thank you for the paint color, I will try it along with two others I've just picked up here today.

Are you saying you're considering staining the handrail as dark as the desk? Or that you want to darken it to the value of the floor?

Well my opinion is that it looks absolutely perfect the way it is -- rich and cheerful at the same time, but that it would be OK to make it match the floor. No darker though, definitely not like the desk.

This is really funny because I have a very dark handrail and newel posts and would like to lighten them to be more like yours (or at least like your floor). I know what you mean about gel stain. The only kind of stain I'll use on a DIY project is Bartley's gel stain and varnish. I love them!

I also love the wall color, love the stair railings the color they are now, and I love the first desk just a tiny bit more than the darker desk but both look nice. I love your foyer. I wish I had a bigger foyer like yours. Thanks for sharing. Hope we all helped somewhat.

Hi norasnews, You have done a great job on your foyer, the desk and the chair are great accent pieces now, I would not stain the handrails and the newell posts, it looks great just the way it is.