After living in one space for five years, and then moving to another,
it can take some time to learn the new space. Seeing what familiar piece
can fit into a new space in a refreshed way, but still have that familiarity can be a challenge. Something else that can also be a
challenge is dealing with smaller space, especially an entry. For our entry
in our previous Florida town-home I was able to create seasonal vignettes to
welcome guests, set the tone for our home, and flow the dining room
space into our great room off the kitchen. But I can't do that here because our layout is different. I had to come up with another way to create an entrance - but in a small space.
One element we did have that I am able to reuse in a similar way were
the floating shelves stacked in the stairway. One the Florida floating
shelves I was able to create a rotating display of photos, decor, wall
art - even a Hitchcock inspired "Vertigo" Halloween hallway. Since we
don't have an open entry, but a narrow stairway, I utilized the floating
shelves concept for our entry. As we come down the stairs from the
living area, it's still open, with only two stacked mirrors reflecting
the shelving. The shelving was slim enough (same width as the handrail)
that it was able to work with the railing wall. I would have liked to
have had a table, but it would have interfered with our walking pattern,
especially bringing up groceries.
Using mirror helps open up a small space.
Shelf bracket repuposed for hanging.
Rope was I used to hang the lanterns was from Home Depot,
but you can also get it at Big Lots.
No space for a table in this narrow area.
Narrow shelves work great in a small space.
The
shelves, I set in May with a few summertime memories from Florida:
Photos I've captured in Key Largo, photos Jeff has snapped of us going
to Key West, a beach shot I captured in St. Augustine, and a few
starfish I also picked up on one of our travels. The newness in blending
what we had came from adding in a few rustic elements, like the squared
& galvanize lanterns (I got here at Homegoods for $16 ea.) I hung
from rope. The brackets are actually shelving brackets I spotted in Home
Depot (for only $6 each.) I love the look of a woven grass rug, but
since that is out of the budget right now (to do in the living room), I
opted for this oval grass rug in the entryway. It's texture not only
relates to the rope, but it picks up on the rope detail on the frames
(Habitat for Humanity ReStore - FL) and an oval mirror I scored here at
the Goodwill ReDesign Store up in Scottsdale (only $5). Since I collected a few baskets here to work into my summer decor elsewhere in the house, I also added one here to keep the flow (another Goodwill score for only $1.99!)
Photos I shot in Key Largo - edited to B&W - printed & framed.
Merging East Coast memories into the Southwest.
The
rustic lanterns & rope details will transition nicely into Fall, as
well as holiday - since I had added that type of detail to our holiday
decor. On the shelves, I'll be able to switch beach photos for Ansel
Adams cacti photos, or other AZ details I've shot on my travels. Do
you have a small entrance in your home, apartment, or rental? And you're at a loss of what to do with it to
create a welcoming entrance? Try stacked floating shelves. I think I had
gotten these online at West Elm back in 2006, but I'm sure other
sources are available. These shelves are 48" length x 4 1/2" width from
the wall x 1 1/2" thick. Just enough to lean frames or fit a few collectibles or even bottles.
Thank you to those who responded with feedback to my 10 questions I posted (just before this post). I greatly appreciate your input as well as enjoyed reading the comments.
Thanks for stopping by!
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