Cozy Modern Farmhouse Entryway | Update + Transformation

My general plan for this corner entryway was to use the space to the fullest (making it useful) while at the same time making it look cute, welcoming, and cozy.

I wanted a place where people could sit down to put on their shoes without any issues, where they could store their winter accessories and overall a space that felt useful and stylish.

But somehow I couldn’t figure out how I would go about it, so I went to the best place there is for inspiration: Pinterest.

And let me tell you after looking at dozens of entryways and consulting with my parents I finally had an idea of what I wanted and I still can’t believe it all came true!

It did take longer to finish than expected mainly because of lack of energy because I made three of the main important items and also because it was near impossible to find the cloth/rope basket. Took me forever to get but it was definitely worth it, without it the entryway wouldn’t look/feel the same way.

Keep on reading to find out how I made the storage bench, DIY’d the mounted coat, and made my own wooden sign. Three (fairly) cheap ways to transform a space without breaking the bank.

I’ve also included product widgets for those who would love to get the look without having to DIY it or breaking the bank.

Details

the storage bench

This past spring and summer were spent building and refurbishing furniture and had a bunch if left over wood, so it made sense that for my passion project I’d make my own bench!

As you can see from the before, there were some small storage boxes thing and while they worked great at storing little items they were also too low, too small and honestly ugly.

So I decided to make a simple bench with storage that would look good and would be useful at the same time (my main goal).

The design is quite simple and as most of the stuff going in was my dad’s, I did the painting & staining while he put it together.

The bench is quite simple on style but the dark brown staining made the whole thing pop! (or so I believe). And it great not having to practically sit on the floor to put on/remove one’s shoes as its the perfect height.

Plus the storage is perfect for storing winter toques, scarfs, and other winter gear!

related post: How To Refurbish Old Furniture

the coat hooks

The closet on the main floor is quite small and when a guest would come to visit (remember when we could have visitors over?) there wouldn’t be enough space for their coats so they would always end up on the stair banister or in a room. So when I started planning out the entryway, I knew for sure that a mounted coat rack was needed, because, again, I wanted the space to be useful and welcoming.

After looking at countless coat hook racks and realizing that 1) they were not the style/look I was looking for and 2) a bit out of my budget, I thought why not make my DIY my own?

At Canadian Tire, I found a set of three hooks for ~$10 that were the colour, texture, and size I wanted and used a leftover piece of faux wood home siding to DIY my own mounted coat hook rack. The siding was cut to size, painted white, pre-drilled holes in both the wall and the siding, then attached the hooks and tada!

This mounted coat rack is a perfect size, width and at the time is simple enough that it doesn’t overshadow the bench nor the sign.

related post: Crafts + DIYs To Do During Quarantine 

the sign

You’ve probably seen wooden signs everywhere, some are cute, some are funny others are heartwarming and I’m absolutely obsessed with all of them. So while designing this space, I realized that a wooden sign would bring the whole thing together, but after searching and searching I was not able to find one that the perfect phrase or the correct size.

And like the bench, I thought why not make my own wooden sign? And so after consulting the materials and techniques, I would need, I finally did.

After searching and searching the interwebs, I finally came across a simple and perfect saying “It’s So Good to Be Home” and so after playing around with how I wanted it to look it came out so much better than I expected! And cheaper, too about $13 total over the usual $40-60 signs.

The old-school technique I used to make the sign meant that it was easier than expected and didn’t need a Cricut!

Since it was so easy and affordable, I’ll be sharing a tutorial on how to make your own custom wood signs without needing a cutting machine. So keep your eyes peeled for that post! UPDATE: in this fall sign post I teach you how to make your own designs without a Cricut.

And thats how I transformed this weird space in to a cozy and useful entryway by DIYing most of the items. I hope that this post is an inspiration and a help to you.

For over two months this was my passion project as small as it may seem and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Have you ever transformed a space/room before? Would you like to see more of these types of posts?