About a week ago I did a guest post featuring the before and after of my entry way over at the brand new blog DANDELION LANE! I met Sara (the creator) when she contacted me for some design ideas! We hit it off right away as we talked about our dreams and the challenges of owning your own business. Her blog focuses on helping women be successful in their careers, their homes, their relationships, and more! I will be doing a feature on her blog soon, but you should definitely go check it out today!!!!
Now, without further ado here is my newly decorated entry way!
Entryways can often be neglected in the design and decorating process, but this room gives guests their first impression of your home. So, let’s make it a good one!! With a few key pieces you can have your foyer looking fabulous in no time at all. Lets look at the basics.
Table or Bench– First things first. As the largest piece in the room the table or bench will be the focal point. Narrow tables or benches work best for most spaces, but depending on the size and shape of the area, circular tables can create a great flow. Cheap Alternative: use an extra sofa table or desk you have instead of buying something new.
Wall Wear– whether that be a mirror, artwork, or photos. Add interest and a personal touch with whatever shows your style.
Storage– Fortunately for us, functionality can also be fashionable. Using stylish storage to amp up your design can take a room to the next level. For example, use a large vase to hold umbrellas, a piece of pottery to collect keys, or a cool coat rack to hold extra outerwear.
Over the last few years, our entry way has been crammed full of all sorts of stuff as we renovated other rooms and desperately searched for places to store our stuff. Now that we are finally to a point where things have their designated spot and space I felt it was high time for entry way re-do!
Here’s what I threw together a year ago. . .
And here it is now. . .
I kept the space somewhat simple allowing the focus to fall on the one-of-a-kind “Inlaid Wood Rug” (available in the Products for Sale section of my blog). I love that the provided seating is an old locker room bench which gives a nod to my past as a professional basketball player.
The coat rack, which is really a 1X4 adorned with knobs, stretches the length of the room providing a place to stash scarves, hats, coats, and leashes. The ledge it creates also gives me a great place to display pictures.
And since I always like to keep things interesting I made all the knobs the same except for one. It’s from Anthropolgie and I like it lot. Because it is the only different one it gets the extra attention it deserves! 🙂
My abacus (also available for purchase) leans against the wall opposite of the bench to serve a sculptural element of sorts.
I love the way light floods the space during the morning hours when I open the door and let my doggies get some good ol’ vitamin D. They love to lay where the sunlight warms the floor and “protect” the house from any passerby’s.
Remember, you have one chance to “make an entrance,” so use some fabulous, functional furnishings guests can’t take their eyes off!
Wow, I love your locker room bench! What a great piece with so much character. Any chance you would share your source?
Thanks, Juliet
Hey Juliet! The locker room bench came from a local YMCA remodel.
Kara, it looks great!! Love the bench, love the one knob different than the rest, love the abacus. I like it all but those are my faves. You ROCK!!!!
Thanks Kara. I’ll have to keep my eyes and ears open for a similar opportunity. I just love it. Don’t have a spot for it, but I’d find one! Have a great weekend.
I liked how it was before, but the new design makes that space look bigger! Very cool!
What is the color on the walls – it looks so fresh and clean!
The color is a “Kara’s custom mix” 🙂 BUT it is really close to Sherwin Williams “Hearts of Palm” #6415. Hope that helps!