A few (more) changes in the entryway!

Remember our entryway from a few months back? Well, I've switched things up a bit in the quest of making it just right. While it isn't exactly there yet, we've made some progress! Here is where we left off last time:

Over all this space is a big improvement from when we first purchased the house, but I was still feeling like it needed/needs a bit more attention. The wall hooks were constantly disheveled and the shoe area was always overflowing....not exactly what I wanted for this space. Especially when we have a closet three feet away. So...I swapped out the crates for an industrial cart that had previously hung out in the living room.

Taking down the wall hooks was a bit more work. Since I didn't take them down when I initially painted the room, there was an unpainted area beneath each one. There were also four gaping holes in the plaster...bleh. It took a few layers of spackle to get the holes flush with the wall, then some light sanding, and finally two coats of paint. Eventually, the wall looked as seamless as it was going to get!

Once that wall was touched up, I started scrounging around the house for something to hang on the wall. I ended up taking one of the prints from the living room and transferring it to this space. I think it helps the flow between the two rooms since they are right next to each other and when you are looking into the entryway from the living room, they line up (see grainy iPhone photo below). I also found a set of curtains at Home Goods on clearance for $12 and hung one up in the entryway and the other in the landing on the stairs. They watch really well! I need to hem the sheers still but whose looking at that anyway?

See what I mean by flow? I think it works nicely :). The little basket on the cart holds Asa's shoes, but I don't think this is going to be a long term solution. Ideally, I am hoping to find a cabinet to put here, either second hand, or maybe move the one in there from the dining room once we find a larger hutch to replace that (more on all of that later). For now, it works though. And it was all free because I just snagged everything from other places in the house. Shopping in home is the best way to find good deals ;).

This blasted closet is throwing me for a loop. From the pictures you can see that it is rather narrow but is also very deep. Someone explain to me why this was decided on as a good idea when our home was built? Right now we have just about every coat we own for all seasons stored in here. This has been nice, but isn't completely necessary because we can also put them in the winter tubs in the basement. I've been dreaming of maybe taking out the second hanging room and put in some shelves. Honestly, I think this would be a better use of space. Then we can have baskets for hats and gloves, shoes, extra toys, and all the other random stuff you keep in a closet. Also, this room needs a fresh coat of paint but somehow I am not finding the motivation to paint the closet yet....I hope it comes soon.
The floor bugs me a bit in this space, not because of its coloring but because of some of the small stains on it. I can sweep this room everyday and it will still look like it needs a good sweeping! I'm not sure how to remedy this- maybe some kind of cleaner or by buffing it? I will have to do some digging and find out what our options are.
There are a few things left to do in this space, but overall here is where we are at with the to-do list: The Entryway To-Do (Phase 1):

• Take down those curtains and put up something simple, clean, and fresh.
• Change wall color to Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams.
• Figure out a way to update the coat racks on the walls- for sure get rid of the brass.
• Give a fresh coat of white paint to all the trim and wainscoting.
• Do something….anything with that tile wall until we have the funds to change it in a more permanent way.
• Add a hanging pendant light fixture like this.
• Find a rug that neutralizes that crazy floor a bit.
• Hang some art work.
• Paint the front door a bold color like this or this.
• Paint the inside of the closet white and add organized storage for shoes, hats, gloves, etc

(Phase 2)

• Rip out that weird tile wall and match the plaster/wainscoting that is already there.
• Possibly change the flooring to match whatever we upgrade the living room floor to one day. I crossed out that guy because I've decided that I like the floor!

We've spent just under $50 in this room so far which includes the new paint color (also used in the stairwell and upstairs hall-see that here), the curtain rod, and the curtains! While there is always more to do, I think that this room will probably just sit for now as we slowly tackle other rooms. Still, it is good to be in a place where I am okay with letting it sit, too!