Front Entryway Makeover: Before & After

Our front entryway kind of goes against logic. We got rid of storage! Who does that? I mean, in theory, storage is nice, but sometimes storage just becomes a place to store more junk. Thus is the case with our front entryway.

When we moved into our house, it looked like this.

There is so much wrong with this space. For starters, that rug is the size of a piece of paper. The mirror is actually glued onto a glass block window. Glued on pretty good too, so aside from completely replacing the window (not in the budget) we have been struggling with how to work with this mirror for years.

The original makeover consists of tearing down the sponge paint wallpaper, a fresh coat of paint and putting up shelving it. It was a huge improvement.

Except really, it ended up looking more like this.

When I hung out on my couch at night, this was the space I looked at. I couldn’t take it anymore. I NEEDED the front entryway to look like part of my house. The hubs thought I was crazy. What is new? My rationale: We have a GIANT front hall closet, if we cannot fit what we need in there, we have too much. I decided each family member would get a bin (hats, gloves, scarves, etc.) and the bin would go on the closet shelf. I started pulling down the bins and going through them. There was an entire bin dedicated to Ross’s top hat from a 40’s theme party we hosted. There was another bin with his basketball pinnies and knee brace and he hasn’t played basketball in years. Basically the front entryway became like the chair in the bedroom. If it is there, people will fill it.

The other problem we were facing is that Quinn could not reach the hook to hang up or get down his own coat. We don’t even actually come in and out of our front door. I have no idea why it took us over five years to think of putting hooks by the back door, but it did. We put the hooks right at Quinn’s level too.

The cool thing is I don’t have to hang out, unwinding at the end of the day, looking at a pile of coats, backpacks, etc. Win-win!

Now it is time to talk about how we created a moment, a space that fits with the rest of the house.

We took the shelves down and hung drapes. It is a window after all. Then we added the film that one would use on a bathroom window, to give it more of a window feel and less of a mirror feel. Eventually, We will hang a wooden blind on this window, just like all the others, and I think that will put the kabosh on the mirror feeling.

The table is actually an old sewing table we inherited from the MIL. It is such a beautiful piece and up until now, had been sitting in the garage. To the left is a B (represent!), to the right are carved wooden wall hangings which are from World Market, along with the drapes, frame, candle, vases and jewelry box.

I absolutely LOVE the personality the sewing machine table brings to the space. We have assigned drawers for things like sunglasses, wallets, keys, etc. It works out perfectly!

One of my favorite new additions is the print we created, which is now available on Etsy for purchase. It says, “Life should be a series of adventures launched from a secure base”. I was actually watching T.V. and there was an argument as to weather or not to allow a teen to go to a party when this line was said. It immediately resonated with me. I think I believe this down to my soul and defines me in more ways than I can even begin to explain. I always felt safe and trusted at home. As a teen I had way more freedom then most of my friends, but never crossed the line. I think part of the reason I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom is that I wanted to make sure my children had a secure base–a place where they were loved and trusted and morals and values were instilled in them. That way when they went on one of life’s many adventures, I knew they were leaving from a secure base. Right by the front door, where one comes and goes, seemed like the perfect home for this print.

And now this is what I look at while hanging out on the living room couch and it makes me smile! It feels like an extension of my home instead of a factory warehouse.

I wanted to mention that we have plans to some day fix up the closet doors. As I am sure is true with everyone, our list of someday plans is a mile long while our budget and time are quite small.

Do you have that place in your home where “extra organization” has turned into “extra junk storage” and actually only perpetuates clutter and mess? What space is driving you crazy? If you are taking notes, you can add our bathroom, our bedroom, and extra bedroom to the list.

You can always check out more of our house on our House Tour.