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Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

by | Mar 14, 2016 | clean + simple, Entries/Mudrooms, Kylee, small houses

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Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

Hello friends, Kylee here! I am so happy to be posting today. If you don’t remember me (and I don’t blame you—it’s been so long!), I’m Melissa’s oldest daughter. My husband and I bought our first home, a 3-story townhouse in Seattle, a couple of years ago and documented some of our decorating progress here on the blog. You can catch up on those posts here.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

It’s been awhile since I’ve popped in here with any updates! I really had the best intentions of keeping up my posts (as I’m sure many a blogger has felt) but once fall and winter came, it was just too dark after work to take photos. Luckily yesterday we moved the clocks forward so hopefully that will help with the daylight after work and I can resume my blogging goals. I’m still involved with the blog behind the scenes, though!

We have been doing a few little updates here and there around our house that I want to share and I still hope to post more recipes, too. I won’t make big promises, but I’ll do my best to keep you updated more regularly!

So, as pictured at the top of this post, I thought I would make my comeback to blogging by showing you one of the only spaces that actually feels complete so far in the townhouse, our entry hallway! It sure takes awhile to get settled in a house when you are busy living life, too, doesn’t it? While I’m sure I will find things to change about our space over time, I would be totally fine if this space stayed this way for as long as we live here. It’s pretty and functional and exactly as I dreamed it to be.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

This was one of the very first spaces we started working on when we moved in. As you can see, it started out as a pretty blank space (forgive the poor quality cell phone photos). It was very…yellow. Not that there’s anything wrong with yellow; I love it in certain doses and in the right space.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

In this space, however, it just made the hallway feel dark, glowing, and small. It really wasn’t “me.” I wanted the entry to reflect my style and be a brighter, happier place to come home to each day. Plus, my sister Courtney lives with us on the lower level and walks through this space to get to her room each day so we thought this was a good area to start as it is a place we all use and enjoy.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

We decided to paint the whole hallway Swan White by Glidden because we really wanted it to be clean, light, and bright right when you walked in, as well as provide a neutral backdrop to everything that would be going on the walls. There are windows in the door and on two walls, as well as in the bedroom at the end of the hall, so while it isn’t the brightest space there is natural light to bounce off the white walls. We are happy with the color choice!

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

Besides painting the hall, there was also the issue of function. There is no coat closet in the whole house, and being from the Pacific Northwest, we have quite an assortment of coats and other weather accessories. While we can store some of our off season items in the garage, it’s not unusual to have different coat and scarf needs each day of the week (or, sometimes, each hour of the day!), so we needed a place to be able to grab what we need easily.

We also needed space for our guests to hang up their things when they visit, so hooks saved the day and make this hallway really practical. The baskets are handy for organizing, too!

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}
We added three hook rails, which I believe were from HomeGoods. We have two by the door for me and my husband (and guests!) and one down by Courtney’s room for her.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

I love how functional the wire cubbies are in the hook rail above. It’s perfect for storing scarves and hats.

The lighting in our hall was just ordinary can lighting, but I wanted something with a little more personality. Once I found these capiz shell chandeliers (without the electrical kit), I decided to attach command hooks like these to my ceiling and used clear bendable wire to twist together the chandeliers to the clear hooks. It was so easy to do and made a big difference in how this space feels!

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

Besides the hooks for things we need to grab on the way out the door, we also added a mirror to check lipstick! A daily essential.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

This is the Hemnes shoe cabinet from IKEA and I honestly think it might be one of the greatest pieces of furniture ever invented for small spaces. It’s made for shoes, but can be used for anything, really. Right now we keep dog leashes for Bella, picnic blankets, and gloves in ours!

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

This is the view from our second floor down to the entry. I added that gallery wall recently and I love it! I will try to take a better photo of it sometime so you can actually see what’s in the frames, but it’s mostly a collection of photos, meaningful art, and things that I painted myself!

My favorite way to fill frames when I don’t have the perfect piece of art is to buy pretty paper, maps, or wrapping sheets from places like Paper Source to use as placeholders until I can fill it with something that I love or that means something to me. The frames are all from IKEA.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

This Celestial Chart was the final piece that I added to the blank space above the little bench in the entry. I had been looking for something to put in that space for the past year and had brought a few things home, but would ultimately return them. Nothing seemed right. Finally, a couple weeks ago, I had settled on this from Urban Outfitters, but right before I purchased it I wondered if I could DIY something similar.

Organizing a Small Entry & A Hall Makeover {A Townhouse Update}

After a couple of Google searches I figured out that I could DIY the exact same thing and save $22! You can buy the Cavallini poster (similar to the maps my mom had in her Map Wall) and get a compatible poster hanging kit at Paper Source or Amazon. Voila! Easy and affordable art.

So, there you have it! Thanks for letting me share my completed entry with you!

RELATED POST:

Come take a tour of my townhouse office makeover!

Our Seattle townhouse tour

Solutions for a Small Entry or Non-Existent Entry

Source List:

Rug

Hemnes Shoe Cabinet

Capiz chandelier

Sunburst Mirror

Globe

Wire Cubby Hooks (similar)

Wood bench (similar or similar)

Celestial Chart (you can order these on Amazon or Paper Source!)

Poster Hanging Kit

Baskets (similar)

Wall Paint Color – Swan White by Glidden

23 Comments

  1. Carla

    Great post, Kylee! I love seeing such energetic and open-minded young people create so stunning interior designs. Absolutely love the hanging pictures on the stairs and the Celestial Chart – really makes the place warm and cozy.

    • Kylee

      Thank you so much!

  2. Carol

    I love everything about this and it’s given me some great ideas for our entry way. Something I’ve been struggling with for
    months. Thank you!!

    • Kylee

      Thank you, Carol!

  3. Deanna Rabe

    Kylee,
    That space it great. Its bright, cheerful and functional! I love the storage. I’m going to check into that cabinet for shoes – we have no mudroom or an entry hall. You just come right into the living room and kitchen!
    I’m always looking for ideas to add functionality!

    Great job!

    • Kylee

      Thanks, Deanna. The shoe cabinet is so useful!

  4. Maggie

    Love the shoe cabinet, rug, and bench!! What a welcoming space! Nice job!

    • Kylee

      Thank you, Maggie!

  5. annette

    What a lovely space!Cheerful and practical at the same time.Thanks for the post.

    • Kylee

      Thanks, Annette. Yes, cheerful and practical. I like that!

  6. Leah

    This looks just so lovely Kylee! Very bright and cheerful! Such great ideas with the little chandeliers and poster hanging kit! (As well as filling empty frames with something pretty as a temporary placeholder!) Look forward to seeing more spaces in your sweet little home!!
    Have a great week.: )
    Leah

  7. Barbara

    The picture above the coat hooks looks like where I live, Annapolis MD….is it ?

  8. Kari

    I love these small space posts. We have a really small place and I always feel overwhelmed by all of the stuff we have!

  9. Rebecca

    Amazing what you managed to do in such a small space! We have painted our walls and while we do have the coat closet, I know it makes the hall that much smaller. I am scared to add anything else! That poster hanging kit is life changing! I have a map of Italy that has been poorly framed for years and now I know what to do with it to make it shine!

  10. Kathie

    Great post. Love how bright and welcoming your entry way is now. I’m downsizing soon and wondering how to deal with no foyer or coat closet. You’ve giving me some good idea. The shoe cabinet is brilliant. Thanks so much.

  11. marymary

    Very well done! It looks great. I haven’t heard of clear bendable wire, but it sounds so useful. Could you share the brand you use and where to buy?

  12. Serene Spaces Living

    Great use of a small space. The entryway looks beautiful, love the rugs and photo decor. The white makes the room a lot cleaner and brighter. The shoe cabinet from IKEA was an awesome idea, we need something like this, our shoes are everywhere.

  13. tanya

    I love this, It looks a lot more cozy! :)

  14. Corinna - A Designer At Home

    Kylee, you are seriously your mother’s daughter! I love the creative solutions you’ve found for a small space. And you’ve made it so pretty! I am so inspired right now.

  15. Jenny

    I love that Palazzo sign above your door! I would love something like that for our home x

    LuxeStyle

  16. Christine Aldinger

    I must check into that IKEA cabinet and I have that bench!!!

  17. Jane

    Love the globe, but the long does not work.

 

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