Getting the Entryway Holiday & Winter Ready: The Design + Plan
Thank you for allowing us to talk about the brands we love and use as we work from room to room in our home renovation. This post was sponsored by Lowe’s Home Improvement but all designs, thoughts and product selections are my own.
We moved into our house in January of 2018. The front steps of our fixer upper were crumbling and dangerous so we kept the door the the entryway closed off and used the back entry. That first spring, Austin and his dad ripped out the jagged steps and later that summer, new steps were built.
The space hasn’t gotten much attention otherwise. The paneling was painted (7 coats!) and a hodgepodge of mesh shoe racks, baskets for dirty towels, and some too small fixtures like the light, catch-all shelf and mirror. It’s not guest friendly or winter-weather proof so we’re changing that. We’re getting the entryway holiday and winter ready with the help of Lowe’s.
Before:
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Since we didn’t have air conditioning the first year, we didn’t realize how inefficient the entry really was. It wasn’t until this winter that we really saw the extreme difference in temperature between the entry room and the rest of the house. When guests would come over, I’d keep their coats in the living room because keeping them in the entry closet would make for a freezing goodbye when they went to leave.
We haven’t used the room well—it’s nice to have a separate space to store coats and shoes but with it being blazing in the summer and frigid in the winter, it gets forgotten and untidy quickly.
A lot of issues come into play to make that room so much less temperature controlled that the rest of the house:
It doesn’t have a heat register.
The insulation is old and inefficient.
An old storm door and original window leak cold air.
New insulation will make a world of difference.
Tangent about insulation — I’ve never looked into it much (because, why would I have?) but I was actually super excited about one of products I found. It’s made from recycled wool and steel and is naturally flame retardant without any chemicals and it’s fiberglass based. Plus it’s more efficient than the standard stuff. I watched like 5 videos on it. In case it’s interesting to you, it’s called Rockwool.
The insulation will be covered with plastic, plywood and then…VERTICAL SHIPLAP. Pretty excited about this part. Because as fun as insulation is and getting the room warmer, the best part of the plan is always going to be the final design.
A new storm door and a thermal shade on the window will also keep the cold air out of the entry and will make the space look so much better. If the insulation, new walls, storm door and shade don’t do enough, we have a plan for how to access the HVAC ducts to get a vent into that room.
Design Plans:
STORAGE
The entryway is not only cold in the winter, it’s also disorganized year round. It’s not a huge room but it’s large enough to provide shoe, coat and bag storage with some pretty and functional pieces.
Two upper cabinets plus a 2x4 base we’ll cover with a toe-kick and a maple seat (a butcher block countertop cut down lengthwise) will be an easy DIY bench along the window wall.
Hooks for guests’ coats and bags on the wall. Do you like these or these?
A small table for keys and mail.
Closet storage for shoes, our coats and things like the carseat, stroller, diaper bag, etc.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
To pull together the look, we’ll install a new light fixture, add an indoor/outdoor rug and add a thermal roman shade. We haven’t quite decided on a paint color but I’m loving light neutrals like Bistro White or a monotone scheme to match the cabinets like Notre Dame both from Valspar. Since we found stock cabinets in an already pretty color, they’re the inspiration for the rest of the palette in the room. I think that once the space comes together a bit more and the rest of the materials come in, we’ll be able to make a wall color decision. Which route do you prefer? Is there another color I should consider?
I’m so excited about the quality and design of the pieces we’ve found at Lowe’s. The materials and decor I’ve chosen for the entryway feel so cool and pretty and yet, they’re incredibly affordable (the rug is $73 and the side table is $66! How??). I can’t wait for the room to take shape. I’ll leave you with this fun progress shot.
More posts to come!