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We have lived in our house for almost 11 years now, and have literally had a bench in our entryway since we moved in. At first, I just placed one there because the long hallway looked so empty, and I wanted it to be a place for people to take on and off their shoes. Yes, I'm one of those people who get the heebie-jeebies when you walk into my home with shoes on. Then we started to have kids, I realized a need for shoe storage. I upgraded our little bench to a storage bench. This thing has worked amazing for the past few years. After 11 years of having a bench here, I bet this bench was used to sit on maybe a handful of times. Maybe. It did function well for shoe storage, but that was it.
Over the past few months, I realized I wanted a table in here instead. My kids throwing pillows off the bench every.single.time. to grab shoes was getting frustrating. I know...my own fault. I dealt with it. To ease my anxiety, I started brainstorming ideas for tables and shoe storage. I thought of a lot of ideas. I'll share them just to give you guys ideas on what you can do also :)
My first idea was building another table just like this one I did for my mom. I loved the size and the storage possibilities. But, I really wanted to use some old wood from my outdoor table. In order to do that, I would have to wait until warmer weather since it is currently soaked under a foot of snow. I wanted something now :)
Thinking about the storage idea, I was gravitating towards the idea of using cube storage from Ikea. I'm not a fan of the cube look, so I was going to add some legs to it and then make doors. Each kid would have 4 cubes, which would be so perfect! Great for backpacks, mittens and scarves, plus all of their shoes. It be something similar to this one I made for my kitchen but with the 8 cubes:
I played around with the idea of using a simple sofa table, and putting large baskets underneath for the shoes. I would top these off with blankets to make it look prettier. This would have been my cheapest option since I already had a table in storage. On that note, this was not that table or else I would have kept it :) I pulled this table from behind my sofa where I want it to stay.
So, I was on the way to Home Goods to get some large baskets. You know, totally going with the cheapest option. I then found this beauty. It was narrow, and had two shelves with a partition in the middle. I tried all I could to think why I shouldn't buy it, but then someone else was looking at it. And you know how that goes, my competitive spirit kicked in. ha! So, I snagged it. Totally planning on just bringing it home and hating it, then returning it. But, alas, I loved it and it works oh so well!
For the shoes, I have the baskets divided. Each side is for one child. The top baskets are for boots, the bottom for smaller shoes. I've had this for about 2 weeks, and seriously have no complaints. Getting the shoes is so much easier with them divided like this.
Plus! ...and of course most importantly. I have a new space to decorate! I've never really had an entryway table to decorate. I have the small one in my front living room, but that stay's the same for the most part and really acts more like a side table. So, this is new territory for me.
I put these arches up around Christmas, and am still not sick of them. I like the space they take up on this big wall.
As for the tabletop, I went with my staples. Books, candlesticks, beaded garland and a clock.
This table isn't as wide as I would have liked for the space, so I flanked it with this pretty little faux fiddle leaf fig.
And then kept my blanket ladder on the left side. Swagged it with some beaded garland and a wreath.
I love this view looking into my living room!
And here's the view of my whole staircase. I like how the arches kind of mirror the mirrors above with color. It ties the two areas
Pin for later:
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
We have lived in our house for almost 11 years now, and have literally had a bench in our entryway since we moved in. At first, I just placed one there because the long hallway looked so empty, and I wanted it to be a place for people to take on and off their shoes. Yes, I'm one of those people who get the heebie-jeebies when you walk into my home with shoes on. Then we started to have kids, I realized a need for shoe storage. I upgraded our little bench to a storage bench. This thing has worked amazing for the past few years. After 11 years of having a bench here, I bet this bench was used to sit on maybe a handful of times. Maybe. It did function well for shoe storage, but that was it.
Over the past few months, I realized I wanted a table in here instead. My kids throwing pillows off the bench every.single.time. to grab shoes was getting frustrating. I know...my own fault. I dealt with it. To ease my anxiety, I started brainstorming ideas for tables and shoe storage. I thought of a lot of ideas. I'll share them just to give you guys ideas on what you can do also :)
My first idea was building another table just like this one I did for my mom. I loved the size and the storage possibilities. But, I really wanted to use some old wood from my outdoor table. In order to do that, I would have to wait until warmer weather since it is currently soaked under a foot of snow. I wanted something now :)
I played around with the idea of using a simple sofa table, and putting large baskets underneath for the shoes. I would top these off with blankets to make it look prettier. This would have been my cheapest option since I already had a table in storage. On that note, this was not that table or else I would have kept it :) I pulled this table from behind my sofa where I want it to stay.
So, I was on the way to Home Goods to get some large baskets. You know, totally going with the cheapest option. I then found this beauty. It was narrow, and had two shelves with a partition in the middle. I tried all I could to think why I shouldn't buy it, but then someone else was looking at it. And you know how that goes, my competitive spirit kicked in. ha! So, I snagged it. Totally planning on just bringing it home and hating it, then returning it. But, alas, I loved it and it works oh so well!
For the shoes, I have the baskets divided. Each side is for one child. The top baskets are for boots, the bottom for smaller shoes. I've had this for about 2 weeks, and seriously have no complaints. Getting the shoes is so much easier with them divided like this.
Plus! ...and of course most importantly. I have a new space to decorate! I've never really had an entryway table to decorate. I have the small one in my front living room, but that stay's the same for the most part and really acts more like a side table. So, this is new territory for me.
I put these arches up around Christmas, and am still not sick of them. I like the space they take up on this big wall.
As for the tabletop, I went with my staples. Books, candlesticks, beaded garland and a clock.
This table isn't as wide as I would have liked for the space, so I flanked it with this pretty little faux fiddle leaf fig.
And then kept my blanket ladder on the left side. Swagged it with some beaded garland and a wreath.
Here's a closer look at the side of the table. I love this detail and the color.
Sources for everything:
Home Goods: Entryway table, top baskets
Hobby Lobby: Bottom baskets, candlesticks, clock, lamp, tray, wreath
Michaels: Aged terracotta pots
Ikea: Faux greenery
DecorSteals: Ladder, fiddle leaf fig
Beaded garland: Handmade or similar (link)
I did a lot of searching for a cute entryway table before I found this one, here are a few of my faves! (click on the picture for the link)
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Follow me on my social for sneak peaks, live videos, and fun new things that are going on!
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
