Closet turned mudroom/entryway

The long-awaited project has finished! The last update I gave you was here. Now look at our finished entryway in all it's glory:

Yes! That was once a closet! Pretty nifty, huh? Let's rewind and get you caught up.

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Corner bead, patching and tile in:

Closeup of tilework (In front of entryway)

Closeup of tilework (In front of garage and to the left of entryway)

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And now:

Ledge cut and stained and molding up
Paint (Shale Gray and Cozy Cottage both by Behr)

THE DETAILS

Antique leaded window = $40
(We installed 3 individual hooks)

Entryway bench = $75 Kohls
Wicker baskets = $20 ($10/basket) Pier One
Pillow = $12 HomeGoods
Rug = $15 HomeGoods
Letter "S" (pictured above) = $6 HomeGoods

Cast iron hook = $15 Elements (Local décor store)

Keyholder = $8 HomeGoods (This is on the wall next to the entryway)

The row of 3 closets is now 2!

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BEFORE - just a closet

NOW

For less than $300 we now have a very usable space in our home

I hope this inspires you that a simple change can really make a big impact in your home. I know that this project really has inspired me to take up more DIY projects in our home too. I can't wait to share more with you!

Fabric Sneak Peek for Living Room

I wanted to share something with you since you all have been so patient with my entryway project. It will finally be done for real this weekend. All we have to do is paint the chair rail, clean up our antique piece and I have to find the perfect throw pillow for the little nook. Speaking of pillows, I found this lovely fabric online - just the style I was looking for. This is Richloom's Invigorate "Sky" pattern. My mom and I will sew them just in time for Spencer's birthday party.

Our family Christmas present

Ta da! Spencer and I decided to give each other a new Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV and a new stand from Costco. It really looks awesome in our living room and we actually switched the living room around a bit. We're up to a lot of changes in Oxford and we can't wait to share them all with you.

For now, a little sneak peek!

Closet Turned Mudroom: Progress

We have a wall of 3 closets opposite our 1/2 bath on the first level of our home. It is great for storage, but we really don't need that many closets. This winter we struggled to find a place to put our coats, boots and especially a seated area for my pregnant butt to get them on at! I didn't want to drag the snow and dirt in the house with me....so this idea was born. We are turning the furthest closet (in the pic below) into a mudroom! Yes! A closet turned mudroom.

Our hall of closets

Here are some inspiration pics:

Here is what we've done so far in the pic below:

Drywall cut
Rewired and relocated switch lower

Here it is mid-stage below:

Drywall cutting complete
Molding taken down
Window cut and reinforced ledge

What's left to do:

Cornerbeading
Patching
Selecting new tile
Install tile and grout
Paint
Build bench
Decorate

This is going to be AWESOME when it's finished!

By this time tomorrow...

I will posting photos of Sophie's nursery! We still have one night ahead of us with finishing touches, but we are finally done painting. Also keep in mind when you view the photos tomorrow, that we don't have our bedding yet. Our shower is early March, so we will have to wait a bit to fully "finish" her room. We are also waiting on a decal that has yet to be shipped and I am sure that will make the room, so think of tomorrow's post as an update.

In the meanwhile I have been preparing for Spencer's birthday this weekend. He gets not one, not two, but three celebrations. That leaves me with preparing dinners and cleaning the house for a whole weekend. His father's side is coming over on Saturday and his mom and my side are coming over on Sunday. All in all I have about 30 people coming to see the house this weekend. My house needs to be CLEAN. Last weekend we put away the Christmas decor and have been seeing "holes" where we think things should be. Our tree, for instance, is by our front window. Now nothing is there...so I have been trying to convince Spence that we need an accent chair there. The window is too low for a table...you can see my past living room posts here. We have put the black and white brocade chair here in the past, but it doesn't match. I recently looked online for options, and came up with this beautiful find from Target:

Unfortuntely, Spence does not like the pattern. It's a GREAT price and would tie in every color in our living room! But, he does know we need something there so he is open to me browsing Marshalls (one of my favs) to find a unique piece just for that spot. Now I just have to make it over there....I hope I can find something before the party - that is my goal.

It's Christmastime!

This is our lovely tree, but it will get retired after this year as our "main" tree:

Our mantle with a nice roaring fire:

Close up of mantle decor:




Our stockings hung with care:




Our kitchen table decor:

Happy Almost Autumn!

I had the family over last weekend to help ring in the Fall season. We only moved in 2 weeks ago, but I was brave enough to cook a couple dishes from scratch and show the place off. Here is a few photos of our house decorated for Fall. Including the after photos of our living room!

Progress has been made!

Remember the living room before?

Icky walls, green crown molding...


Brass chandelier sconces from 1990....



New paint, new sconces, new couches! (I will have an updated photo for you soon - we painted the molding last night so it's not in this photo, plus a complete view of the whole room)