I recently discovered that a photo of our little entry hall from last year was my most re-pinned image on Pinterest. The pin’s popularity reminded me that you can make a big impact even in a small space, and if I were to guess I’d say it’s so popular because of the dramatic framed Hermès scarf on the wall – which is one of my absolute favorite pieces in our home.
Our entry hall is relatively large (7′ x 11′) but mostly dead space because it connects every room in the house and the walls are covered in doors – seven to be exact. The design left us with very little room for furniture and we opted to place a small console table by the front door to offer a landing strip for keys, mail, and my purse. This acrylic table was perfect both because it was visually light and didn’t protrude far from the wall. Tucking a bench underneath is helpful for putting shoes on or taking them off.
Since the entry is also the hub of the apartment and gets a lot of traffic going to and from the other rooms I wanted a stain-resistant rug that I could turn frequently so it wouldn’t have “paths” worn into the fibers. Don’t be fooled by the white cowhide! Cowhides are some of the most stain-resistant rugs out there. Think about an actual cow – and how they roll around in the dirt and mud and yet can easily be washed clean. It’s the same for our rug which makes them great candidates for under dining tables and other accident-prone areas.
The pièce de résistance in this room is undoubtedly the Hermès scarf. I stole this idea from my friend Christine who decided to frame and hang a scarf her parents gave her since it didn’t get enough use as an accessory alone. Now, framing textiles is one of my favorite ways to add large-scale art to your home, and Hermès scarves are perfect since their intricate designs are works of art in their own right. Furthermore, they often more than double in value when framed.
Here are my top tips for framing scarves:
- New Hermès scarves usually run $400 plus tax but you can find thousands of vintage and pre-owned scarves through sites such as eBay, Vestiaire Collective, and Chairish. I found mine on eBay for $205!
- Have the scarf dry cleaned before giving it to your framer. And make sure that the dry cleaner doesn’t iron the hand-rolled edges of the scarf. The pillow-y hand-stitched and rolled hem is one of the signs you have the real article.
- Framing should cost $350-500 – if you’re quoted $200 it’s likely they’re gluing the scarf to the matting instead of hand stitching the scarf to the mat. Glue will degrade the silk fibers of the scarf and it’s value.
Let me know how you’ve approached designing your entry halls by shooting me an email or in the comments below! You can explore my other home tour posts here and here.
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xx SF
Photos by Stacie Flinner for stacieflinner.com
Hi There!
Absolutely love the idea of framing an Hermes scarf – do you know the name of the one you bought by any chance? I absolutely love it! Thank you!
Author
Hi Juliana! My scarf is named “Diana” – I found this one on ebay, and the same print in a blue colorway in a vintage store. They’re out there but might take some time for it to pop up! So glad you love it and good luck on tracking down one of your own! xx