This is our teeny, tiny, "foyer" at the Love Shack...it measures 66" w x 46" D...OMG...that's only 5 1/2 feet wide by (almost) 4 feet deep! Really...can I even call it a "foyer" when it's simply an entryway...that serves three entrances by the way...1). the front door, 2). the bathroom and, 3). the living-room. Talk about a "high-traffic" area...
In the above photo, you can see just how much "smaller" this space becomes when you open the front door. The "clearance" between the wall and the door measures 13 inches...when the door is open...ha! Also note the other "obstacles" that I have to take into consideration when measuring for this wall...like 1.) the wall outlet, 2.) the door bell and 3.) the light switch plate...yikes!
When the front door is closed there is a small space behind the door that measures 19" wide x 17" deep. To complicate things even more...the Love Shack doesn't have a coat, a broom or even a linen closet...the only closet in the house is the bedroom closet! Which means that...every inch of space, especially vertical space, has to be considered for storing all those items that tend to collect in high-traffic areas in all our homes...items like, coats, hats, shoes and keys.
So with my measurements and "visual aides" in hand, off I went to my favorite stores for inspiration :}
First up was IKEA. because they have some really neat cabinets for hallways that are custom shoe organizers that I had spotted in their catalog but wanted to see them in person...I'm a very "hands-on" kind of person.
Hemnes Shoe Cabinet only $100.00
This cabinet I really liked because it looked more "traditional" than most of the modern items that IKEA tends to carry and, it is less than nine inches deep...which meets my 13" door clearance requirement :)
SKAR Shoe Cabinet w'3 Compartments
Only $90.00, measures 7 1/2" Deep and, it has a coordinating mirrored-door cabinet with inside storage.
Both of these cabinets are more modern with the flat, smooth edges and the silver legs, and all of these cabinets at IKEA are also available in a black finish...and you all know how much I love black furniture, but I really wanted to go with white to match the trim in the entry way...to keep the eye "flowing" in this small space. Another great feature of all these IKEA cabinets is that they only have "front legs" and no rear legs that interfere with your base/trim molding...SMART people at IKEA. However, with all these great features, after seeing these cabinets in the "flesh", I wasn't totally committed to actually purchasing them as yet. MAINLY because the shoe compartments limited the storage space to either shoes or perhaps magazines...THEN because some of the parts to these cabinets were actually "plastic"...and BOTH of the floor models that I viewed at IKEA were broken already :{ FINALLY because they had to be put together...and DH wasn't exactly happy about that idea...lol
BUT I was still inspired and off I went to our local home improvement store, LOWE's to see what they had to offer...and I was so pleasantly surprised :} Because while I was also shopping for my bathroom cabinets and medicine chest...I had a "light-bulb" moment...
Which was...at IKEA I really liked the SKAR shoe cabinet with the "open" cubby at the top...great place to throw your keys, IPOD, gloves, etc. I also liked the traditional look of the HEMNES cabinet and just LOVED the way all of these cabinets didn't mess with my base/trim molding...so when I started looking at all the bathroom cabinets in LOWE'S...I thought...why not hang one or two of these in my foyer? Don't you just love it when you have these "light-bulb"...crazy moments...I SURE DO!
These cabinets are the best...I bought five cabinets that day at LOWE's...all for $424.00 with tax! The best part was that they were composed of all wood (mostly, some particle-board) and they were ALL PUT TOGETHER...DH just loves me even more now :}
These cabinets hold so much...right now I'm using them to store my unmounted, rubber stamps that I store in CD/jewel cases...just love that I can see the stamps in these cases. Also, I'm going to store paperback novels here...but they would also hold my paints and adhesives if I have any room left, once I'm done unpacking. All you artists who are looking for affordable, storage for your studios...you need to check out the bath departments in your local home-improvement stores! There was one shelf that came with these cabinets, but I'm going to order some extras to maximize the storage here.
So then I added a couple of clear "3m" hooks onto the end of the cabinets to hang our key lanie-rs...out of sight...but not out of mind :}
For the area behind the door I found some great buys and inspiration, once again, from IKEA...
Billy Bookcase in White $40.00
This bookcase is available in the other finishes...but at a much higher price...$70.00...why I do not know, but since I wanted it in white, I wasn't going to waste much time/thought on the big difference in prices/finishes. Also, what IKEA calls "white"...I call "bone" or "ivory"...because all of the pieces that I purchased, this bookcase, the CD/DVD tower and even the coat hook/rack were an "off-white" finish. For some this might be a real "bone-to-pick"...but for me it was not a deal-breaker because, the great prices and, the storage benefits all of these pieces added to my foyer, were well worth the "bone"...
This bookcase measures 15 3/4-inches Wide, 11-inches Deep and 79 1/2-inches HIgh and was the perfect size for this corner. It has six shelves/cubbies and inside each of the six cubbies I've placed canvas, labeled "bins" to hold those everyday items that you need as you are going out the door.
My labels are...1.) hats, 2.) scarves, 3.) shoes, 4.) bags (as in paper/grocery bags), 5.) totes (as in leather/canvas etc.) and 6.) misc. (which right now holds gloves for the inclement/cold weather, flashlights. umbrellas, etc). These canvas bins keep everything neat and tidy and the labels make for easy access and retrieval.
Next to the "cubbies" corner is the bathroom door and we opted to place a coat hook/rack on this door, to hold our cold weather gear right now and, also, to hold guests' coats when they come by. This sturdy rack I purchased at IKEA for under $10.00...great buy...I've since then added a couple more of them on my bedroom doors...to hold our everyday clothes like PJ's etc. in lieu of hanging them on a chair or other pieces of furniture in the bedroom...one of my big OCD "pet peeves"...
Earlier in this post, I skipped over this great item...
IKEA's BENNO CD/DVD Tower $40.00
This little lovely is only 6 3/4-inches Deep, 8-inches Wide and 79 1/2-inches High...and originally I was going to place it next to the BILLY Bookcase in the corner...but once we put it together and set it next to the wall cabinets...it just felt right...brought the whole wall together with the "finished" edge of the CD/DVD tower from floor to ceiling...don't you think?
I already had the silver mirror and it went well with the knobs on the wall cabinets. btw...these bathroom cabinets were listed as "over-the-toilet" cabinets at LOWE's...and...the "cubbies are suppose to be at the "bottom" of the wall cabinet ALONG with the silver knobs! BUT for how I wanted to use them..once we turned the cabinets "upside-down"...the cubbies and the knobs worked out perfectly at the top here...it felt like "karma"...it was just meant to be!
All of these items fit with-in the wall measurements and the "obstacles" I mentioned earlier, the door bell, the light switch and wall outlet. As well as the fact that these wall cabinets "float" on the wall above the baseboard/trim molding...cool beans :}
So here is a final look at our "foyer" and how we turned this, "empty entryway" into a space that says..."Welcome Home". I hope that you all will find some inspiration when reading/viewing this post today and that you remember...that size, budget and any other "obstacles"...just require a little "creativity" in repurposing your space and your furnishings.
I'm really happy that you've made your own blog and have factually posted your thoughts. I admire your work and feel I can relate to what you've done. Many folks can't even imagine having such talent. I hope that you know how lucky you are. :) Good luck to you in ALL your aims. :)
Posted by: Bathroom | March 16, 2011 at 03:22 PM
Bonnie, Lots of Ikea's products can be ordered off of their website!
Posted by: Susanne Freeborn | February 18, 2011 at 11:09 PM
I was googling for measurements of the Hemnes shoe cabinet we have (why isn't it on the instructions!!!) and I found your post. Lovely job!
We are using some of the Ikea closet stuff and some other Ikea things to create a dressing room. We have the 50" tall Hemnes Shoe Cabinet and it is being built into the wall. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20169559
I am fitting the top with glass so I can use it to set makeup down while doing my face in an adjacent mirror. We are fitting the top drawer with jewelry cloth and beautiful fir wood dividers for jewelry.
We are using the Besta shelf unit rather than the Benno, but it's quite similar. The dimensions worked better for us. Tomorrow I am going to get some baskets & fittings for all the drawers at the Seattle Ikea. The storage that shallow spaces can provide so often gets overlooked, but not by you!
My husband has wired the wall for two beautiful scones that match the ones in our adjacent bath and an arched top hammered copper frame mirror from Mexico for makeup. Here's a link to a somewhat blurry photo of the wall we've broken through and the mirror & scones we are matching: http://powerreviews.s3.amazonaws.com/images_customers/08/23/21367938_157230_full.jpg
We are changing the knobs to hammered copper that match others and he's making another set of shelves to the side of a large open closet with drawers and short hanging space on the top. It's a small space, but it's going to make getting dressed a much nicer experience.
I wish I could show you a picture, since I can see from what you've done, you'd appreciate all the similar work we've done.
Great Blog!
Posted by: Susanne Freeborn | February 18, 2011 at 11:08 PM
what a great use of a small space...looks lovely!
Posted by: patti | February 28, 2010 at 01:07 PM
Genius! The entry looks amazing!
Posted by: Mary Green | February 18, 2010 at 12:41 PM
It's so unfair that we have no IKEA here! I went to one when I was in England last year...so fabulous. Love all the cabinets and that.. You've done a great job in such a small space!
Posted by: Bonnie | February 18, 2010 at 03:45 AM
that's so clever Roberta, i love the way you arrange things!=)
have a nice day!
Flory
Posted by: Flory Mariñas-Simbulan | February 17, 2010 at 10:03 PM