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As the first space people see, an entryway sets the stage for the rest of the home. It should be welcoming and inviting, and mine was anything but.
Upon opening the doors to my home, people were usually greeted with blank walls and a bunch of empty boxes. “Welcome! Now help us move in” wasn’t exactly the message I wanted to send… especially since we’ve lived here almost three years now.
These are our front doors, and the view of our entryway from our family room as of yesterday morning.
What? Doesn’t everyone have a wet dry vac in their entryway?
And now the view from the front door…
In all fairness to us, these boxes haven’t been in the entryway for too long, and the wet dry vac is there because of the board and batten we’re applying to the walls in the dining room, but still, not exactly the welcome look we’re going for.
I’ll admit that I was kind of dreading working on this space because, well, I can think of a million things I’d rather be doing, but once I got started it went really quickly. In only a little over an hour I: cleared the boxes, vacuumed, removed the Christmas garland (because it’s February!! The kids weren’t thrilled to see the last of the decorations go, but only 10 months until they’ll be up again!), assembled our new table, hung a picture, and staged our brand new space. It’s situations like this that make me think, “What took me so long?”
Here’s our new view from the family room.
And from the front door…
I love it! This space makes me so happy now. The staging and tchotchkes may change, but I love that it actually looks like a finished space now. We have so few in our house.
Now, in an effort to keep things real, I do have to admit that this is what my dining room now looks like:
You may be thinking, “You didn’t declutter! You just moved everything.” haha… That’s partially true. A lot of those boxes just need to be moved to our garage, and I’m going to let my husband take the wet vac back downstairs so there was some actual decluttering and clearing that took place.
A few of the boxes in our entryway were full of our wedding china so I didn’t unpack those yet. I want to wait until our dining room’s finished so I have a place to put it all. I’m kind of dreading the dealing with the dining room, which is why it’s taking me forrreeevveeerrrr (who loves The Sandlot? You can see previous dining room posts here and here), but you’re getting a sneak peek at the board and batten, what’s most likely going to be the paint color, and our new chandelier and wall sconces.
Here’s another shot of the pretty entryway, and its ugly stepsister, the dining room.
Basically, these are a great reminder to take blog photos with a grain of salt. You never know what’s just outside of the frame. 😉
Overall, I’m really happy to be finished with the space and not feel full of dread at the idea of someone unexpectedly stopping by… as long as I’m not in pjs, and they don’t look in the dining room or office. Okay, so I kind of still dread unexpected visitors, but oh well… I’ll get there.
Did you declutter your entryway this week? I’d love to see your before and after photos! Be sure to stop by the Declutterathon facebook page to share them.
I also just posted a poll on the facebook page asking which space you all would like to declutter next. The choices are: laundry room, office, kitchen, master bathroom/linen closet, or clothing closets. Please let me know either by voting on the Declutterathon page or by leaving a comment below. I love that we’re doing this together!
Update! See those ugly wires hanging down below my entryway table? I found a super simple and inexpensive way to hide those wires you’ll definitely want to check out.
What a beautiful entryway! Your floors are gorgeous. You have many bare walls, have you considered vinyl designs/word/expressions? Check out my website for ideas. Above your front door would be perfect for your Family name Established XXXX. 🙂
We really do! Almost all of our walls are bare. I can’t wait to get everything cleared out and start decorating. Thanks, Sarah 🙂
I vote to declutter my OFFICE next. It’s a beautiful office complete with a fabulous Indian art collection, but for some reason it has become a place to dump. I will be so happy to send “After” pictures to my sister, she came from Florida to help me hang this art collection and was not very happy with me or the condition of my office the last time she was here.
Office and laundry room seem to be neck and neck right now. If we don’t do it this week it will definitely be next.
Amazing, incredible, awesome(Big AWE!). Your amazing.
Thanks, Anita! That’s so sweet. “Fed up” is probably a little more accurate, but I’ll totally take awesome! 🙂
So beautiful! Your styling is just perfect and I love that table! Gorgeous 🙂
Thanks, Erica. I’m never very comfortable or confident in styling tables and bookcases so I appreciate it.
It looks lovely! Following you now & found you at Motivation Monday Linky Party #130
Great to “meet” you, Suzie.
I Love your entry!! The paint color is so warm and welcoming!!! I totally understand the ‘clutter’ while in the middle of a remodel. We are currently remodeling our entry-and our living room is a disaster!! Thank you so much for sharing at The Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop! You inspired me to keep plugging away so ours will be as welcoming!!
Thanks! Yes, it’s hard to stay oragnized when one area’s a complete wreck. I can’t wait for our dining room to be finished.Good luck with your entry remodel!
Your entryway looks lovely, you did a beautiful job with it! Everything looks beautifully balanced and I love the color palette.
Thanks, Maria! I’m loving it without a bunch of boxes and the wet dry vac! 🙂
Pretty! I love your colors, so relaxing.
This looks great! I just bought a bunch of stuff for our entryway too. It is in need of some serious love! Ours wasn’t so much cluttered as it was BARE. Looks great 🙂 Thanks for sharing at The Handmade Hangout Link up!
Most of our house is cluttered and bare. Not exactly my dream look. It’s so nice to finally have a put together area. Thanks for hosting and stopping by! 🙂
What a huge difference, you have a beautiful entry way! Despite my best efforts, I’m always fighting the clutter. grrr!
Thanks, Amanda! Me too. It seems to be a never-ending battle. I’m hoping its days are numbered now though with the Declutterathon. (fingers crossed)
First – it looks fabulous, what a great way to use the space it looks perfect and very welcoming. And two – I love what you said about blog photos – “take blog photos with a grain of salt. You never know what’s just outside of the frame.” #truth #goodreminder
Thanks, Morgan! It’s so nice to have the space finished. As for pictures, if I had a dime for every time there was complete and utter chaos around me while snapping blog pictures I could be Oprah’s neighbor! 🙂
Emily, that’s how I see the entry too– it sets the mood for how the entire house feels, and not just for the visitors, but for the family in the first place. Beautiful spaces are not just for looks, I think. They make you feel relaxed and welcome. You did such a nice job! Where did you buy your accessories?
Thanks, Mila. They actually came from all over. I’ll share a post later this week with the stores. It’s been on my “to post” list, but I keep forgetting. Mommybrain! lol
Could you share the source of the basket? I’ve been looking for one just like that!!
I’m excited to say… Target!
Your entry way looks beautiful. I love that table! Your dining room looks like it is amazing, and I am looking forward to seeing it! I would love if you would share this at Celebrate It! blog party. It is all about sharing how you celebrate the everyday!
http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2015/02/celebrate-it-blog-party-32.html
Thanks, Teri!
Isn’t it great to have an area to love! We are actually finishing up the entryway this week and the laundry room too! Enjoy- it looks beautiful!
Thanks, Sheri! Yes, it’s nice to have one area that’s not a complete disaster lol
I love the painting. The colors are perfect for my house. Can I ask where you found it?
Would you please share where the table came from? I have been looking for one like this for quite some time. Thank you !
I found it on One Kings Lane 🙂
Emily – thank you for keeping it real! I laughed and was encouraged by your “outside the frame” shot. The entryway is really lovely and what brought me to your blog from I Heart Organizing, but helping us remember that people are real and there is no such thing as perfection – or the need to beat ourselves up because we aren’t – made my day. Still giggling!
Erin 🙂
Thanks, Erin! 🙂
Where did you find the Paris print. It is beautiful!
Thank you! I think I found it at my local grocery store. Weird, right?! It was either there or Homegoods. I’ve had it for so long now I can’t remember.
This is encouraging and hysterical! Thank you for being real!! 🙂
Thanks, Jen!
Looking at your before pictures makes me feel a lot better about my house. I am a middle school teacher, and I have been on a serious decluttering mission this summer. I started with my office, then realized that I needed to get my bedroom and bedroom closet ready to paint before tackling that chore. So, I’ve been working on cleaning out the closet. Hubby will paint the ceiling and I will work on the walls while he is painting the ceiling in the other room. Your blog has been very inspirational, especially the pictures. I think we all tend to fall into that “My house must be the only one that looks like this!” trap.
Thanks, Mary! The only reason I share them is I was hoping others would see that they’re not alone in their clutter struggles. I’m so glad to hear they’ve helped. I wish you all the best in your decluttering this summer, and if I can help in any way please let me know.