As soon as we moved in, I knew our entryway would be a key spot to welcome guests (and ourselves) into our home. We decided from the get-go that we would use the back door into the kitchen as the main entryway. Sometimes we joke that only the mailmen use our front door. Our kitchen is teeny tiny, so it became apparent that our adjacent entryway needed to not only be inviting, but functional as well.
The "before" image is what we started with upon move-in. Let's walk through the process of giving this space a little refresh.
What we started with was a white metal table that Irwin had from previous apartments and two of the chairs that originally came with our dining table. We knew we needed a spot to set mail, keep our keys and coins, and to sit down and put our shoes on or take them off (Irwin is big on not wearing shoes in the house - I'm still learning on that one).
You can see in the mirror's reflection that this entryway is an extension of our kitchen, which is itty bitty. We knew we'd be better suited to get some sort of storage component that could hold overflow items from the kitchen, especially with us receiving gifts from our wedding registry. Definitely not a bad problem to have!
Upon my search for a storage piece, I came upon the Delancey Cabinet from Urban Outfitters. The price was doable for us, the reviews were so-so, but I loved the look of the cabinet so we went for it!
The cabinet came quickly and assembly wasn't too challenging. Full disclosure, that's easy for me to say because really I just watched Irwin do it during his lunch break and handed him tools when he asked.
It was time to move it into place and add the accessories back on, replacing a couple as we went along. Take note, we had a picture of Irwin and his parents and brother from when they were really young and since his family all lives elsewhere, I've wanted to keep that in our entryway for him to feel his family's presence. But this needed a new frame, the silver "Alabama" frame with an elephant got replaced for a simplistic gold frame from Urban that I tacked onto our cabinet order. This immediately updated the space so much while still keeping it personal.
Another easy, no-brainer type change was moving our coins from an old, random mug into a fun Anthropologie mug that says "Something Good" - seemed fitting to hold some cash!
We kept our same Anthro tray, one of our two Hearth & Hand wooden bowls to hold our keys and other random items that we probably shouldn't keep out like bills ;)
Added a little stack of coffee table books and a vase of dried flowers and we were off to the races!
Between our mirror, the chairs to sit in for taking shoes on and off, our wooden bowl catch-all and the space we have inside the cabinet, we feel that our entryway is extremely functional while still looking both stylish and tidy (MOST of the time). Our former metal table console is now spray painted black and sits on the patio by the grill to hold items while Irwin cooks. Win-win!
After some time, we realized how much we wanted a little more light AND a little more character on this fairly blank wall. Like many old homes, it's lacking in outlets and there is no electrical outlet on this wall. This means we can't put a lamp there. Thinking outside the box, we ordered sconces and puck lights (battery operated lights) to velcro into the sconce. If we owned this house, we could look into wiring the sconces and adding electricity there but this is a rental and so we aren't looking to make changes like that. Doing the sconce hack brought this area to a new level! Below you can see a Reel of the process.
And voila! This is our entryway where it is today. We shift around the stack of books and the plant/flowers on the console to freshen things up. This little landing place is exactly what we needed.
Alright ladies, now it's your turn for an entryway refresh. Ask yourself these things:
Do I need light added or do I get enough natural light here?
Is there a need for storage in this area?
Do I have a catch-all that can hold items but still mildly conceal them (like a bowl)?
What do I have or can I add that's personal (picture frame, a special trinket, etc)?
What do I have or can I add that brings beauty or style (dried florals, piece of art, etc)?
You got this, now get to it!
xo
Polly Ann
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