Skip to main content

Back Hallway Improvements

There's a dropzone next to the garage door and close to the kitchen that wasn't working for us. So it was time to fix it.  It was once a closet with doors, but there are two other closets in the same hallway so we pulled off the doors and moved in the dresser for storage and spot to drop keys.  


But the shoes just piled up around the dresser. And we no longer stored kids' socks next to the door. Or masks. And the top of the dresser wasn't large enough to drop off the mail, purse and keys that I need it for. See? No longer working. So I came up with a plan ... 


I tried to convince David to demo out the wall on the right, to add some extra breathing space with the garage door, but I couldn't get him to agree. Regardless, we need a longer countertop, some extra shelves, and a bunch of baskets for allllll the shoes in this house. So many shoes.  


Once I cleared everything out, I repainted and attached all the shelf bracing using some scrap wood I had in my garage. I decided on butcher block for the countertop, to match with the kitchen. I didn't have a circular saw large enough, so it took a combination of my too-small circular saw, Saws-All and jigsaw, plus a full day, to finally cut it down to the right size. But we got the heavy piece wedged in. I'm happy to say it's very solidly in place.  


I bought this beadboard for another project but never used it. And it's perfect for this "backsplash." It just adds to the leveled-up, intentional design. And it was pretty easy to install. A little calk around the edges and it's perfect! I just need to decide if I'm going to paint it. Hmm. 


Meanwhile, I installed a second shelf below but it's far too narrow, so I'll need to head back to Home Depot for a deeper shelf. In the meantime, it looks pretty good and leaves lots of space for the open baskets below. And they're FULL of shoes! 

Here's the view of the back hallway now. The extra countertop space is perfect -- plenty of space for mail, keys, my purse.


Next will be the flooring. This tile needs to be replaced but that's not in the budget. Instead, I'm going to paint it black to match the kitchen tile (I'm standing on it to take this photo). The paint is only $80 but it's going to be tricky to paint, since it can't be walked on for 24-hours. This is a high-traffic area.

For now, it's a far more useful space for daily use. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Behold! Everard Blue!

Here's the After picture of our master bedroom now that the walls are a dark and moody blue. Maybe the best part is I was at work while the painters were here, so I walked in and found -- as if by magic -- the room no longer minty green but a bold blue. That's pretty awesome. They also painted the trim an eye-popping white, which I just love against this blue. And the angle is a dark beige-y, tan color that I hope goes with the headboard. I spent the evening cleaning and re-hanging the drapes, and moving the furniture back into position. It will be a while before I dare hang anything in here. I'm too in love with the walls to put too many holes in them right now. So, just in case I'm looking for this information later: The walls are "Everard Blue" by Benjamin Moore . And the tray is "Curly Willow" by Behr . Now, does that furniture look too dark against the walls or is it just me? And wouldn't a lighter wood or white look fabulous agains...
Post a Comment
Keep reading »

France and the Third Baby

Odd fact of the day .... The French government pays for a mother’s tummy tuck after the birth of her third child (you do have to have at least 3 babies to qualify). Found on this blog about raising kids in Southern France. Yes, I'm day-dreaming again. Related posts: All the fancy quotes My love of France runs deep, people
Post a Comment
Keep reading »

So Long, Hanukkah Part Two

And just as quickly it started (in New Jersey, on the night of Thanksgiving, no less), Hanukkah is over.  Our eight nights were full of fun and squealing! And lighting many candles, of course. We missed one night because we were in a hotel room after spending the whole day driving home from New Jersey -- and I just didn't have the wherewithall to pull out the menorah.  Speaking of menorah, we've replaced our old, wax-filled menorah with this lovely silver beauty given to us by David's mother. It belonged to her mother and sat in the dining room for years. Isn't it pretty?! And, the wax cleans off it much easier, so we're sure to hang on to this one for many Hanukkahs to come. I'm a sucker for traditions.  Here's some photos of the last two nights: Leah Lighting the Candles - in an Eli Manning Jersey, No Less Alice Lighting in a Top She Calls her Genie Shirt David Constructing the Cardboard Pirate Ship The Last BIG Gift? A Pirate...
Post a Comment
Keep reading »