With the arrival of spring and some Lowe’s gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, Cory and I were inspired to tackle some yard work (more on that later). All the recent outdoor activity coupled with many weekend trips, left our entryway in disarray to say the very least. This room has been a dumping ground for all kinds of things, dirty clothes, weekend bags, dog leashes, reusable grocery bags, shoes, grill accessories, recycling, and work gloves, just to name a few. Time for an intervention!
The backdoor leads to a small area which houses our washer/dryer, and water heater, which are thankfully, hidden behind mildly attractive folding doors. It also has a boring and constantly dirty looking wall and floor color. There is, however, a big window which lets in a ton of light and if I really had to say so, I guess it has some potential ;-)
Oh, I forgot to mention, we’re renting and on a budget! So this makeover is slightly limited. No painting or swapping out ugly lighting. It’s all about working with what you’ve got!
Side note: this entry point isn’t actually our “front door.” It’s nearest to our detached garage and street parking; it makes more sense to use this door than our actual front door. Cory and I and all our visitors, (including the post man) use it 100% of the time. I want to make the best of it. Hopefully when I’m finished it will feel special and inviting. At the moment, it definitely has that “back door”, less impressive feel about it.
Meet our “Entryway”
The water heater and washer/dryer are behind those doors. Don’t mind our ironing board. This is part laundry room after all.
This is our “coat closet.”
These windows let in the morning and afternoon sun.
First I emptied out the room completely and cleaned it top to bottom. This process was made a little more enjoyable thanks to Mrs. Myers, (Lemon Verbena scent, if you’re wondering). She was tucked away in my Easter basket this year (some like Cadbury Mini Eggs and others like cleaning supplies).
This stuff smells amazing and works really well. I cleaned the windows, baseboards, door, and even mopped the floor with it! Did I mention it smells ridiculously good?!
After the floor was dry I started adding some functional and also attractive pieces.
Cory and I picked up this little table at Goodwill. We stopped in to donate a few items, when I saw this little beauty for $7! It had to be mine. I knew it was prefect for this spot because it was so narrow. All it needed was a new knob. No problem, I had my eye on this one from Anthropologie for some time anyway.
I stash extra pots and my “girly tools” underneath. Cory’s “key bowl” (aka Cory’s junk bowl) sits on top, along with a lovely gardenia my Aunt gave me recently.
Some jackets and reusable bags hang here as we don’t have a proper coat closet.
I also added a carpet. It’s nothing special. I actually didn’t want it to be eye catching. I can even throw it in the wash when the muddy paw prints become more than I can handle.
I think it’s quite nice now. It feels fresh, clean and welcoming! Do you have an unruly entry way or another space in your home that needs some spring cleaning?
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