I recently finished updating my front entryway.
I had put this space on hold for almost a year because it has always been a very tough space to decorate and organize. I focused on finishing the other areas we were renovating, and sadly used the back door as much as possible.
The problem was our front door opens right into our living room. There is no nearby closet to hide clutter or hang a coat, so things generally get tossed on chair or stacked on a table and the mess gets unbearable.
When we bought our house it came with a very retro wall partition. While that did offer some groovy division of the space, the shelves themselves were a huge design fail.
They were basically clutter collectors and offered no real storage. Just look at all the knick knacks I had on them! My youngest also saw them as a jungle gym and constantly tried to scale them. We decided to rip the partition down and embrace our big open space.
Last April we tore the wall down, patched the floor and ceiling, added wood planking around the door and painted. I placed my console table back against the wall and called it a day. Well the day turned into weeks, then months… and the mail and clutter started to stack up on my little console table.
I knew I was in trouble and would need to come up with a plan.
I grabbed some paper and jotted down all the “functions” of this small space and started to get an idea of how much storage I would need. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, and I was pretty sure I could reuse several pieces of furniture I already owned.
I was banking on paint to save the day and give me a wow factor.
I headed over to my local True Value Hardware to get inspired, and I came home with plenty of ideas, lots of paint and some new hardware to solve my storage dilemma.
I decided to reinvent an old dresser I had stashed away in the basement. I had picked up a white Krylon Short Cuts Paint Marker at True Value. The Krylon Gold Leafing Pen has long been my favorite paint product, so I was excited to try out other colors.
I painted the top white and the body navy. Once it dried I used the white Krylon Short Cuts Paint Marker to detail the edges of the drawers. I loved the new look!
For the wall I decided to go big…a big plaid check that is.
Krylon Short Cuts Paint Marker
I have always been a fan of classic buffalo plaid, and in this case I wanted the scale to be large so it didn’t feel busy. I used my leftover paint from the existing walls in the room and mixed it with True Value latex glaze in a formula of 1 part paint to 2 parts glaze. The glaze makes the paint semi-translucent and allows me to create texture and creates deeper color where the stripes overlap. I made my stripes 8″, but the scale is completely up to you.
The entire process was very easy. If you can paint stripes you can paint plaid! You are basically painting horizontal stripes first, letting everything dry, and then painting vertical stripes second.
I gave my mirror a few final cosmetic touches.
Painting was almost done!
The dresser was in place and could now contain all my clutter like hats and gloves, running gear and frequently used tools. I slid the old console table against the back of the couch.
I added a plant, a tray to organize my mail & magazines and I tucked some stools underneath that could be used as extra seating in a pinch.
They could also be used for putting shoes on or off. Speaking of which, I grabbed a boot tray from True Value because winter and spring are messy! Since this was going to be right out in the open I couldn’t resist giving it a little makeover. I used Rustoleum Painter’s Touch 2X navy spray paint. It is designed to stick to plastic, so I went ahead and gave it a fresh coat. I then used my favorite Krylon Gold Leaf Pen to highlight the raised design.
I think I now have the fanciest boot tray on the block!
Right above the boot tray I added three brass coat hooks at different heights that had a nautical feel. The perfect new resting place for all the wayward coats and bags lying around my living room.
I even designed a solution for keys and outgoing mail…
I took a pair of magnetic clips, a pack of round magnets and a large mending plate (test to make sure magnets will stick first) and I spray painted them all with Rustoleum Pure Gold Metallic Spray Paint. I then screwed the mending plate to the wall and aligned the clips and magnets over the holes.
Now I can’t forget to mail something since it’s right there next to the door. My husband will just be very impressed if I actually put my keys up since I am constantly losing them!
For the final touches I added a runner, a small bowl on top of the dresser for loose random items or maybe a set of keys, some flowers and an umbrella stand next to the door. Currently the umbrella stand has become the junk mail bin. I just need to get on a schedule to empty it into the recycling every couple days and everything will be perfect.
I am just so happy to finally have this space clean and organized.
Now I just need to re-train everyone to use the front door!
