Entryway Creation: Part I

Happy Monday!  We just came off a great weekend, which included a few DIY projects (yup, lawn care has begun—is anyone else trying to grow a green thumb?), along with a trip to the Denver Aquarium, followed by a delicious seafood dinner.  I love weekends where work and play intermingle.  It leaves me feeling mission accomplished, yet relaxed—a lovely combination, don’t you think?

Today we’re happy to reveal the first part of our new and improved entryway.  There was a time when I didn’t know if we would ever have a functional, yet easy on the eyes, entryway.  Because our house was built in 1947, it isn’t the most closet friendly place, nor is there a foyer, or even a hallway.  You are either in or out.  This left us with quite a dilemma, as we desired a nook to drop our coats and shoes, but wanted to avoid disorganized piles and the random, tottering coat tree hanging out in the corner.  I envisioned a chunky mounted coat rack, bench or buffet table, and a few baskets where we could toss hats, gloves, shoes, and such.  The question was how to do it without breaking the bank.

Enter Christmas vacation (Did you catch that?  Enter…).  During our break, we spent several days with my family in Indiana, but we drove out this year, which meant we had a lot more space for items we wanted to bring back with us.  So naturally, I raided my parents’ storage room and begged my mom for items she was no longer using.  Sleek World Market bench gathering dust?  Check!   As it turns out, we had plenty of room for our favorite new-to-us bench in the back of Matt’s Nissan Xterra.  The best part (on top of the free part) is that it had space underneath the bench for some baskets—woot for built in storage!

After surviving a 17 hour trek back to Colorado Springs, we were very thankful the bench fit perfectly along the wall space we deem our entryway.  After giving ourselves several days to hang out with just the bench, we decided a coat rack addition was needed.  Next up: Part II of our entryway saga!

P.S. This was Matt’s first time at an aquarium—hard to believe, huh?  Turns out that he is an expert at seeing hidden sea creatures!  We both agreed that our favorite exhibit was the green eel.  Check it out!