When Jen and Erik sent their toddler-friendly entryway makeover our way we had to share their genius transformation. Here’s their letter:
I just wanted to let you guys know how much we love your site. It’s funny because in a lot of ways you remind us of ourselves. People think we’re nuts doing all we do around the house. We thought once we had a baby we’d be done- but nope, our son just inspires us more, as is the case with our new mudroom. The space was once green, which wasn’t bad but looked crazy with all the colorful art we were trying to bring in. So we decided to lighten it up with Glidden’s Quiet Light. The saying above the door was inspired by our two year-old again (he says “have a good day!” to anyone leaving the house). Just seeing it makes us smile! Then there’s the case of the lockers I loved from Pottery Barn and begged Erik to make for us because I didn’t want to spend all that money. Boy, did he- and for a steal too – $250 total. The bench on the lockers doubles as a pet bed and a place to sit down when taking off shoes. The rug is from Flor.com. It was our one splurge at about $150, but the tiles come up and can be washed in the sink if there are spills. We used magnetic primer above the desk, covered with 2 coats of chalkboard paint to create the magnetic chalkboard to display Jack’s art. The bench cushion was made for $30 with fabric from JoAnn Fabrics and two coupons for 40% off from each of our parents’ Sunday papers. The canvas is recycled from the basement. I helped our son Jack paint it with tempra paint using his feet, the palms of his hands and even his nose at one point! The blinds are el cheapo Target blinds. We paid $41 for the pair and then hot glued fringe on them make them look more custom. Lastly lighting is a recycled pendant light with a $15 Walmart shade. Our son, Jack seems to really enjoy the room and so do we. Keep up the great job on the site! -Jen and Erik
Here’s the room before its two-year-old-inspired makeover:
And here’s the I-can’t-believe-that’s-the-same-space after:
Isn’t that a stunning little entryway makeover? We love how Jen and Erik were so inspired by little Jack (the quote above the door is so sweet, and we love the personal meaning behind it). What do you guys think? Isn’t this a great use for an old hallway that needs to step it up in the function department? And the fact that they made those lockers is beyond amazing. Thanks so much for sending your fab before and afters our way Jen and Erik! And be sure to give your little guy a high five for his awesome art work.
Psst- Don’t forget to check out Jen and Erik’s brand new blog right here for more amazing eye candy…
Lisa says
WOW. That’s all I can say. Jen and Erik did an amazing job. I wish my husband and I were that creative/capable, even though we only have a small Manhattan apartment!!
Alyzande says
My eye is drawn especially to the bench pad, which was home-made. The piping makes it look especially elegant. I’d like to know how it was made, so I can make something similar?
Sharon says
Amazing …love the lockers, the wall colour, and especially the desk area. If the rest of the house is the same, they need to blog. We want to see!!!!
Andie says
I love the Have a Good Day above the door! This looks really gorgeous!
Lindsay says
This is an amazing transformation! Way to go, Jen and Erik!!! I agree with Sharon – boy, would I love to see the remainder of their house!!
Erik Reis says
Thank you everyone for the warm comments and great feedback. The lockers were actually a fun project to do and really helps keep things organized. I made the lockers out of birch plywood purchased at a local home center and the face frames were birch too. I did this because birch has a similar grain pattern to cherry and is much cheaper. This is what I did to finish the lockers.
1. I sanded all parts to 180 grit, vacuumed up all the dust and applied General Finishes Brown Mahogany gel stain. This stuff is really easy to work with.
2. After the first coat was dry, I applied a second stain, General Finishes Java gel stain. The stain is almost black in color but works really well as a second stain. This is the trick. Much of the furniture at stores has a dark glaze applied for effect. This also works great as a primary stain if you want an ‘espresso’ finish.
3. After all the stain was dry, I applied 3 coats of Minwax satin wiping polyurethane. As long as you apply the coats within 24 hours of each other, there is no need to sand between the coats.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erik,
Thanks so much for dropping in with those details! We still can’t get over how amazing it all looks! Great job!
xo,
s (& j)
Erik Reis says
You are all very kind with your positive comments, thank you so much. Our floors that were commented on are prefinished brazilian cherry. The wood is very dense and good at resisting wear.
Teresa says
We have two of our own that are under two..they say the cutest things. Love the room and especially love how you incorporated Jack’s slogan. So heart-warming!
Kevin M says
Great job….truly a DIY gem. We’re going to do something similar to the lockers in our laundry room.
What type of Target shades are those, I can’t tell by the pics.
Megan says
Yummy! I would love for this in my home. I look at those lockers all of the time wishing that I could have them for m non coat closet and no entry way front room. I think it would be just devine. Love this!
Amanda says
I love this. What a talented couple! I wish I had that space for an entryway. I will probably be using your idea of the storage ottoman and coat rack in the little nook I do have, but this still offers great color and pillow ideas! One of the things I’ve been learning is that you can create “rooms” even if they’re not actually divided. Can’t wait to make my own “mudroom”!
Holly says
What an amazing transformation, I love it!
amyks says
That space looks awesome. The lockers look so great! The quote above the door is such a cute idea, I would leave my house wearing a smile everyday!
Jay says
Really – TMI
Jen says
First of all thank you so much for all of your kind comments! We appreciate it so much and thank you to Sherry and John for posting it. We love, love, love your blog! You guys inspire us every day!
Also I apologize for getting to your questions so late! As an elementary school teacher, the kids kept me running today. So now that Jack’s in bed and I can sit down and breathe, here are a few answers. :)
We did recently start a blog to keep in contact with family who lives out of state and wanted to be kept abreast of what we are doing, since the projects haven’t stopped! If you want to stop in, please do. It is still in it’s infancy and it’s at http://www.thisinspiredhome.com. Sherry, when we sent in the pictures there was no blog, but you and John have inspired us to keep track of our projects too!
Rebekah – I posted shot of the desk on http://www.thisinspiredhome.com. I hope that give you an idea of what it looks like. It’s kind of like organized chaos up there right now!
Natalie – the rug is from http://www.flor.com. It was a great choice for us because having a toddler and two small nephews, things get dirty a lot around here! The Flor tiles allow us to just lift the dirty tile and wash it off in the sink. We also have this kind of rug in our family room. If a stain won’t come out – such as coffee – oops – you can just order a new tile or put the offending tile on the part of the rug under the couch. (Which we did! LOL!)
Katherine V. – the color in the room next to it is Benjamin Moore’s Castleton Mist. We’re now in the middle of redecorating that room so it’s changed now too, but it is a really nice neutral-ish color.
Alyzande – the bench pad was made with padding I bought from JoAnn Fabrics. If you look on the back wall there’s usually a lot of padding that looks like giant green or white mattresses – that’s it and can be purchased by the yard. The one I chose was three inches thick and was cut to size with an electric knife once we got it home. I know that sounds funny, but really it worked like a charm! Then, I wrapped quilt batting around it so that it was smooth before stuffing it in the cover. I sewed the cover and learned how to sew on the piping using this You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ithCpmIFE . Gotta love You Tube! You can learn almost anything!
Kevin M. – the Target shades were bought in May. I searched Target.com for them tonight and couldn’t find them, but maybe that’s because they were purchased in the store. They are just basic woven ivory roman shades and were the cheapest ones they had.
To everyone that wanted to know about making the lockers – Erik promises he will post a simplified ‘how to’ very soon on our blog. On our blog he is currently posting how to make the bookshelf he is making for our son’s room. It’s the same in principal, just the dimensions are different.
Thank you again everyone for all of the kind words! This was such a nice surprise for us and really made our day! Thank you!
Jen and Erik
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Thanks so much for dropping in with even more info Jen! And we’re so excited to hear that you’ve recently started a blog. That’s definitely music to many readers’ ears and we hope they all drop in on you (check it out right here, everyone: http://thisinspiredhome.com/).
xo,
s
ALVN of WhisperWood Cottage & Junkologie says
Yes, it is completely stunning! Loving the color and the wood tones! Building the lockers yourselves…fabulous. The workspace…perfect. Definitely an addition to my inspiration file!
Amy
Manda J says
My husband has actually made me one of these out of the expedit series from Ikea. I was dying for the pottery barn one too. We made one side look like the lockers and then the other side to look like the cabinet with the charging station. I can e-mail anyone pictures if they want to see them, but I thought they were great until I saw these that Jen and Erik did. They are perfect! So if anyone wants to see the ikea version you can email me at mandaj(at)ymail(dot)com
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Manda! That’s such a generous offer and we’re certain that some people will take you up on it. It’s great to hear that it’s possible for people without heavy duty woodworking skills to take a little short cut with the Expedit series from Ikea!
xo,
s
Marcy Tate says
This entryway is exactly what I would do if I had the space. I think I will print it out and save it for inspiration in my little inspiration binder that I keep pf my really fav. stuff for whenever I purchase the home that I am going to settle in.Th desk area with all the photos is delightful.
G&D says
Wow, what a transformation! I LOVE the pendant light and the built-in desk. Very nice!
Bromeliad says
Very practical use of space.
Kathy says
Someone please tell me how to build these! I’m not a DIY person, don’t have a lot of money to spend, but need a cool entry way. Is there any where you can buy them?
Love, Love, Love!