A Practical Foyer with Vintage Style

A Garage Sale Find Table and Antique Hooks
make for a Warm Entryway

 

Added Bonus: They add areas to store things!

I have been trying to find the right items for this area in our house for quite a while now but I think this third time may be the charm. This is a little space after the official foyer, leading to the stairs that take you to the bedrooms in our house.

This area is where everyone dumped shoes and other belonging. That's realistic I guess, shoes have to go somewhere, especially in the winter (although they seem to have just as many pairs in the spring, summer, and fall too). We started off with just a rubber mat with boots which was practical but not very attractive; shoes can only be so pretty even if I do have some awesome Doc Martens with flowers and flames. The next option was a cute little rustic bench but it really didn't give us enough room underneath for shoes but it was a start in the right direction. To prevent people from using this as area to sit (the bench was very rickety) we put an antique milk bucket on the bench to avoid any potential to perch. Seriously, this bench would not support any real weight.

The new table gives us quite a bit more room. We found it at a garage sale a couple of months ago and it actually came with four matching chairs (old folding chairs that were painted with the same colors). I wasn't certain that it would fit in this space but it was a great deal and we took the chance, knowing it would work somewhere in our house or outside on the porch. The table actually has two drop down leaves and could actually expand for a bigger space but works perfectly like this. I actually prefer to have the leaves folded down because it obscures some of the shoes if you are casually glancing that way. The larger area also gives me the ability to place my purse here when I come in. A designated area for a purse is a good thing for me. I have been known to misplace it. Which leads to me to the ongoing key dilemma which is now solved.

 

Vintage Hooks. Awesome vintage hooks that my husband discovered recently at the local Farmer's Market. When he negotiated on the price, the seller mentioned that we could strip them and repaint them! Imagine that! We actually loved them just the way they are and that was part of the charm. We used the smallest screws we could to fasten them into the wood casing on the window. We now have key holders right inside the house in one designated area!

All in all I think that this area really looks much better now without living in denial that shoes and keys (and purses) will always be stowed away out of sight. It's never going to happen - people do live here and if I think about it, those shoes are reminders of the blessings we have every day. I will say that I do make kids take up a couple of pairs when they multiply beyond realistic numbers.