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The taste of spring instantly puts my mind into house project mode. I mean, I pretty much always feel this way, haha, but I want to update even more when the weather gets nicer. Does that sound like you too?
The desire to do everything at once leads to a crazy & messy house (and mind) while we work on the projects. Of course, it’s worth it in the end, but I want the results without doing the work sometimes 😉 Currently, we’re doing phase one of our kitchen and next month, we start the exteriors. But before we get into all that, I want to show some entryway progress that we did last month!
One thing that did not thrill me about our first home was the lack of a “real” entryway. The layout was a big driving factor in wanting to move and because of that, it made me want to have a huge entryway for our next home and it was pretty high on my priorities list.
Though when househunting, I was surprised by how many houses didn’t have an entryway…at least the ones in our budget didn’t! Most houses had doors that opened to the living room or down a hallway or even had two entrances that made it a little confusing as to which was the “real” one.
But *spoiler alert* hehe, we did get a separate entryway and I’m so happy that we did! No, it’s not big. I didn’t get my huge entryway dream after all, but being able to have guests walk into our home, put their stuff away, and walk right into our living room brings me so much joy.
I know that not everyone has entryways and some people may have small spaces (like me), but I hope this post inspires you to make the most out of what you have and show you that you don’t need a huge space to make it functional AND cute!
And no, the project isn’t completed, but what’s life if you wait till everything is “perfect” before sharing?!
A Cute, Cottage Inspired (Yet Small) Entryway
some of these pictures were taken at different times so if things look different from photo to photo that’s why
First, some before pictures and a little bit about the space.
As I said, the space is small, but at least there is space! Gotta focus on the positive things, right? Right away I knew that I wanted to remove the closet doors + frame and open it up for a couple of different reasons. First, this is mainly the guest door as we have a different entrance and I just thought that hooks would be a lot more convenient and easier to access for guests over doors and hangers. And since it’s not our main door I wasn’t worried about having closet doors to hide our mess or anything!
Once we did that, it instantly felt bigger! And by we, I mean all of us….Will even helped! 😉
At first, I thought I wanted to tear down that whole wall that you see a hole in (I started attacking it with a hammer haha), but then I changed my mind and thought I might actually like the separation to the living room andddd we figured out that you need a permit to take down walls in this new area we’re at haha. So we kept it up and I like that it gives more hook space.
Let’s do some quick before and afters (so far) and then get into some details!
I knew I wanted to use some of my favorite materials (beadboard & brick), so we used beadboard panels on the wall and brick veneer for the floor. You can hardly call it a technique, but the whitewashed look is from a mix of spreading grout over it and selecting a few bricks to “peek through” using a wet sponge.
I love the hooks (Menards) and there are so many of them! Perfect for decor, coats, purses, and diaper bags all at the same time.
ignore the black line…looks like I need to recaulk!
After taking out the closet frame it left a huge gap in the ceiling so we covered it with spare wood we had on hand for a shiplap effect.
We repurposed the light that was already there (above). I wanted a big, sweeping chandelier but then realized there is not a lot of clearance when the door opens and a huge chandelier was out of the question. So we just spraypainted what was already there and used some leftover beads from a different light to create this understated chandelier look!
Things still left to do in the entryway:
- Get a new door. I’m thinking a brown wood door that looks pretty rustic and opens the other way
- Figure out what I want to do with the orangeish trim! Paint it? Stain it?
- Put in a floor transition piece between the brick floor and living room….but the carpet is not our longterm floor so we haven’t done anything with it yet
- Maybe a bench?
There’s a lot of charm in this small space. Though you can’t go wrong with brick, wood, beadboard, and some cute cottage decor!
My first tip before you renovate a space is to use it (or see how people use it) before making major changes.
I noticed that when new guests came into our home they didn’t know we had hooks for their stuff because the door blocks it. This is why I want to get one that opens the other way! And because the door is kinda basic and blah haha.
Think functional + create a space to put your things. Hooks, coat racks, wall shelves, or even lots of pretty hangers if you have a closet. A mirror is nice so people can see how they look entering/leaving.
Don’t forget comfort. This can mean a bench to sit on (if your space allows it) or even just mental comfort (I’m making that word up). A space that makes you (and others) feel welcomed without feeling like they’re walking into chaos.
Last but not least, decor! No space is complete without your own personal touches. Whether your style is cottage, modern, or traditional, every space needs these finishing touches!
Even if you don’t have your dream space, trying to enjoy what you have and making the most out of it is key to living a content life…in my opinion!
What little things can you do to your small entryway to make it cute and functional?
At the time of writing this post, we’re doing phase one in our kitchen. If you want a preview of how it could look go ahead and check out my post on my kitchen vision! In the post, I did say I wanted to do everything at once but well, I couldn’t wait 😉
