Hallway Make-over

I love redoing really small spaces that are little more than thoroughfares.  I think it gives them purpose and maybe even slows people down a bit to appreciate all of the parts of a house, not just the rooms themselves.

I'm still working on my hallway but I  really wanted to show you what I've done so far.

This is the front hallway that you enter into from the front porch.  I felt like it was pretty lacklustre.

 

I took out the two little stools, which really only my cats use to drive me crazy by scratching them and added a few new pieces of furniture.

I got this old shelving unit from the thrift store for about $15.  It was pretty ugly.

I was so excited to paint it I almost forgot to take a before shot.  In the pic below you can get a better view of the 'lovely' wood grain veneer.

So, I primed and then painted it the same colour as the wall behind it and added some gel stain to give it some character.

I just painted it on with a scrubby brush and wiped it off with paper towel to get the effect I wanted.

Then I just loaded it up with books and knick knacks.

I'm actually pretty surprised at how well it turned out.  It fits perfectly and it's a great place for me to put all of the crafty things I make.

I also gave this thrift store coat rack a few coats of peachy paint and stuck it in the corner to hold my many, many coats.

                 

  

And here's the thing that I think really makes it warm and cozy.  My mother thinks I'm a little weird for putting drapes somewhere other than on a window but I love the look of fabric around doorways.  (Remember Karen Blixen's house in Out of Africa?  She had curtains on every door, probably for more practical reasons, but I still love the look.)

Remember when I hung new drapes in living room and I gave the advice to never try to hang drapes on your own?  Well, here's another piece of advice...you should always follow your own advice!  I'm so glad these ended up looking so nice because it took me forever to hang the rod...by myself~


Another awesome thrift store find!

So that's my new hallway.  It's a work in progress but it's getting better with each piece I add.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Just ignore the lighting though, it's a little off in this small space.

Have a crafty week everyone!