Is It An Entryway or a Mudroom?
Do you call your door area an entryway or a mudroom? Or a foyer? Sometimes we even just call it “by the backdoor” 😝. For us, this is one of the most heavily used areas of our home. But it is ug-ly. Think 70’s dark faux wood paneling floor to ceiling. Yeah. So this area has been on my re-do-it radar since we moved. I hope to at least paint the paneling, if not possibly remove it all someday. There is even a little mudroom sink next to the closet. Handy if you are a farmer, but we aren’t farmers. So I plan to remove it and make the closet double it’s current width. The extra cost storage will be much appreciated. And here I’m thinking sliding barn door! But all of this is way ahead of where I’m at today. I just wanted some coat hooks. That’s it, simple request. They had 2. Two measly hooks. They were skinny, pokey, ugly little hooks, that weren’t even hung at the same height. Starting to envision just how ugly? So we made a coat rack. Bear with me, I know the paneling is still ugly! Have some vision, and try to focus on the coat rack!
Isn’t that pretty? Just the rack here. We found a stack of nice barn boards in the back barn (there are several outbuildings on this property, one cute little guy that even used to be a milk house for selling milk- think “she shed” in the future!) We cut the board to the right width and added a sealing wax. This darkened it and brought out the rustic-ness (totally a word) without making it shiny. Then I found some antique hooks hung all around the walls of a closet room (which I plan to be a second bathrom) upstairs. We heated the hooks up on the stove, in hopes of burning off any extra rust so that they wouldn’t run anything off onto the coats, but helped me avoid painting them a fresh black, which seemed to “new” for this project. We picked 5 hooks, one for each family member. You get 2 necessary items hung, ie one coat and one bag, or whatever. The rest goes into the closet. Mama hates clutter. And this is what we ended up with.
Someone (Jason) hung it without asking me, so it’s a bit higher than I planned. I wanted kids to be able 5o hang their own things up. But, we added Brantley’s little step stool to the wall, and viola, Jason’s off the hook.
Here’s what the whole half of the mudroom (or entryway?) Looks like.
Not exciting. Yet. I do think it will be much better in white with a pretty light fixture, a bit of color, maybe something other than brown. But the coat rack, what do you think of that mini project?
Where Have You Been, Girl?!
Hi all! Yes, yes. It’s been forever. BUT, I am back. And with lots to share.
One more kiddo and a new (to us) house have kept us very, very busy. But this new house has also given us a TON of new projects to show you while we go. So, I’m back and full of fun stuff to document.
The house. If you have been following along here for very long, you know I love me some old houses. And old projects. And old antiques. Everything with a story. Let me tell you, this house had lots of stories. Built in 1860, and sadly remodeled in the 70’s, we have our hands full, both with old stories and new ideas.
So, here she is. All potential and boring right now.
Pretty cool, right?! And a ton of work, a few headaches, blood, sweat, tears… and love. I’m excited to be getting all creative again. As the new little one allows, of course. 😂
As many of you know, this space was created years ago when I got my first house to document and share all of my remodeling and decorating ideas, trials, errors, and adventures. This is where a plan to keep most of my focus now that I am back with plenty to keep sharing. But, I also plan to share some family, kids, health, and even personal stuff. Let me know if there’s something you would like to see!
And finally, I haven’t shared about myself in a very long time. So, my name is Jessica. I am a social worker with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. I love to be outdoors, camp, and travel, decorate, refinish and repurpose furniture, and and hunt for bargains and hidden gems. I live in Iowa with my significant other, Jason, my 15 year old step-daughter, Jordin, my 5 year old son, Brantley, and my 4 month old son, Barrett. Oh, and our little growing crew of pets. Every farm needs chickens and goats, right? We not only love making our new old house a home, but we also love trying out new things along the way. I hope we can inspire you!
Glad you are here! It should be fun, and a little new, so stick around!
Make Mine Eclectic 