Today I'll be sharing with you the design plans we have for our entry space! Let's start with some 'before' shots...
Design
This space has been designed and redesigned at least a few times. We intended on this originally being an office again, with a small area to hang coats, but then decided a designated office wasn't a priority for us on the main floor. We then considered doing one wall of full-height cabinetry for just kitchen pantry storage, or a pantry + desk combo. After that, we thought to save some cost, we would just temporarily use some cheaper storage cabinets we already have for pantry storage, and place a small desk and separate bench for a multi-purpose area, then do built-in cabinetry later on. In the end, we decided because this needs to be a very hard-working, functional space that we'll use multiple times every single day, it would be worth spending the extra cost to get it completed when we are knee-deep in renovating.
Layout
The room will be essentially split in half, with full-height cabinetry on both sides of the back half (closer to the window), and other functions toward the front where it feels a bit more open when entering the space.
Entry Lockers
On the wall to right of the window, we'll have five lockers (one for each of us), with a wood bench extending across the bottom of the lockers along the whole length of the wall. This will be built using the same wood you've heard me talk about for the other designed spaces on the main floor. Each locker will have one large door with a couple hooks inside for coats & backpacks, a small drawer just underneath the bench for hats + mittens and other smaller items, and a small cabinet door up at the top for out-of-season or less frequently used items. Underneath the drawer is a spot to drop shoes on the floor, and because these floors will be LVT (vinyl), we won't have to worry about moisture or dirt messing up the floor. To the right of the lockers, I'll create a welcoming area for guests with some coat hooks, mirror, a machine-washable rug, and maybe a little decor on the bench - but that space will come together at the very end and not quite sure just yet what it'll look like!
Butler's Pantry
To the left of the window will be another super functional space, but for totally different purposes. Because we are stealing a few large areas that are currently storage spaces in other areas of the house, we'll need to make up for some of that elsewhere. This area will be essentially a butler's pantry with wall-to-wall storage for extra kitchen items such as canned and boxed food, paper goods, designated drawers for potatoes and onions, small appliances not used as frequently, and anything else that we would like close to the kitchen but not necessarily IN the kitchen. This room is just a few steps away from the kitchen, so it'll be a very handy location. Also, the countertop that's just around the corner from the garage will be a perfect landing spot for groceries and armloads full from the car. There'll be a couple outlets and a USB charging station on this counter, so we should also be able to use this for serving, crockpot cooking, even plugging in a laptop for a temporary desk/workstation.
Style
As you can see, the cabinets in this room look a little different than in the kitchen. Our original plan for kitchen cabinet colors were black and white instead of green and white, so by adding this room of cabinetry, we were able to get the black after all - best of both worlds! This particular black has a *slight* tinge of green in it to give it a little more interest and less harsh than a true stark black. This color will be painted on a couple ceilings (master bathroom and sunroom) and an accent wall in the master bedroom, so again creating the cohesive color palette and style throughout all the rooms on the main floor.
We'll stick with the same Shaker cabinet style and brass hardware as the kitchen, but will do a more solid white Cambria quartz countertop so the abstract floral wallpaper can do the talking. The open wood shelves will match the bench on the other side of the room.
You'll notice the "Come As You Are" sign, which we already have hanging in our current home. I want this to be prominently placed in the entry hallway so that whenever our guests (friends and strangers alike) come into the home, we set a welcoming and accepting tone as soon as they walk in. This is way more important to me than having a pretty house, it's the feeling I truly want our home to encompass...and what better place to display this than the first space someone sees when they come in the door?!
I'd love to hear what you think of this entry space! I'd love to hear your comments below. And be watching for updates coming soon...