before and after: our entry

This is the story of how I transformed my sad, dark little foyer into a cheery and practical spot suitable for busy day-to-day departures and arrivals in our home.  When we bought our home in 2007, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this grey space!

THE CHALLENGE:

Super tight quarters with doors opening at practically every angle.  Combine that with a busy household of six and plenty of “stuff” and it’s a doozie.

THE FOYER BEFORE:

THE FOYER AFTER:

When we first moved in, we added horizontal boarding on most of our downstairs walls to give our house a little more character.  In the foyer we also budgeted for a cabinet unit so I designed this light blue piece and had it built during our kitchen redo.  I had them make it in two pieces so we had the option of taking it apart and putting a desk under the shelves later on.

Cabinet Color: Benjamin Moore HC-143 Wythe Blue [with heavy distressing]

After this cabinet unit was made, the purse strings tightened so I had to work with our existing accessories. So basically I ended up stealing a good bit of stuff from my old office. My goal was to style it up and also add aditional storage for paperwork, bills, pocket change, extra art supplies, etc.

Note: I did the styling with a friend and it made it feel less intimidating and way more fun.  This is something I highly recommend if you’re ever doing a creative project of your own.  It helps keep you focused and adds another set of eyes for making decisions on what looks best where.

Since I have a completely ridiculous magazine collection, I thought magazine holders would be a great solution lined up on top of the cabinet.  I printed labels on paper then cut to size. Whenever I label and sort, I feel instantly organized.  Mmmm.  Mmmm.

Sources in shelves:

1. GLASS JARS – from Target.  You’ve seen me use these a kazillion times – I obviously need a new bag of tricks.
2. WHITE VASE – Homegoods.
3. WHITE HORSE – oldie from Target years ago.
4. MAGAZINE HOLDERS – from See Jane Work and can be found right here. The Thomas Paul pattern magazine holder has been discontinued on their site but I found the exact ones over here.
5. BINDERS + CLIPBOARD – all from Target.
6. HOUNDSTOOTH + LEOPARD CONTAINERS – from the MacBeth Collection.
7. LETTER “H” PLATE – oldie from Anthro.

Aside from the three drawers and hooks in the light blue cabinet unit, I loved adding this wall pocket unit below.  It’s affordable and made by Ballard.  Check it out right here.  It’s actually two units – we hung one on top of the other to nicely fit in the narrow space.  These wall pockets are SO helpful and practical for school papers and all kinds of things that manage to come home with kidlets.

Added Bonus: I was lucky enough to find them at the Ballard outlet ON SALE for less than $20 each.  If you are near a Ballard Outlet, be sure and visit regularly for serious deals!  Almost every day they have a section of their inventory on sale for 40% off the already clearance prices.  Click right here for a list of their outlet stores.

Next is what I call the Mommy Station …which is complete with a leopard mirror I bought on clearance at Marshall’s ten years ago. I kid you not, it’s been sitting in the cardboard case until I recently hung it in this very nook.  Been waiting on the perfect spot!

These flower hooks from Anthro help me stay fairly organized…otherwise I would lose my purse daily. I’m usually carrying about 14 things in my hands when walking in the door, so having a reliable place to hang my purse and scarf is great. And as crazy as it sounds, the hooks make me feel happy every time I see them.

That wraps up our foyer tour.  Hoping it inspired some storage ideas for you.

One final thought: if you’re a busy mom like me, you could easily leave this post thinking “does her foyer always look this neat and tidy, where am I going wrong in my house?!?” Please, please do not think that, because it couldn’t be farther from the truth!  The bench is usually stacked with things like overdue library books, dirty mismatched socks, multiple purses from my girls and many other completely random items…which are occasionally alive. Someday I’ll have to do a post about the surprising creatures I find in my house that my four year old brings me…like lizards or grasshoppers in my sink.