Entryway Needs a Facelift

The entryway in our home has been ignored long enough, seeing as we've lived here for 7 months now, and the only thing I've done is had a new outlet put in (thanks to my father-in-law).  Decorating can be a challenge for me, because I never know exactly what I want in a space.  Well, I guess I should say I never know exactly what I want that I can afford.  If I could go out and buy whatever I liked, it would be no problem, but when you are working on a tight budget, collecting things over time, and trying to DIY as much as possible, it takes awhile.  My mom always used the phrase, 'delayed gratification', as we were growing up, and it's stuck with me, even in decorating my home.  If I can hold off, think through what I really like, find some good deals, then I can truly enjoy the end product.

Okay, so on to the topic at hand.  This:

I love that we actually have an entryway.  The first home we purchased, the front door opened right into the living room, which is fine, but it always felt a bit abrupt to me.  Now, we have a 2-story entryway that is just longing to be accessorized.

This desk was purchased on Craigslist and I love it!  It's solid wood, and I really wanted a desk in here for some added organizational space.  (You'll have to wait until I'm finished with it to understand what I'm talking about, sorry!).

Obviously it needs some work, but what DIY'er doesn't want a piece of furniture that needs work?!  I may even jump on the Chalk Paint bandwagon for this one!  BTW, if you haven't heard of Annie Sloan chalk paint, you need to!  It's the kind of paint that you use without having to pre-treat the surface you're going to paint.  No stripping, sanding, nothing!  I just have to choose the color I want to use; there are 22 to choose from, and you can read about them here.

The lamp I've had for ages, but I'd like to do something to it, and the mirror had a paint job at one time, but it will also be getting a makeover.  That coat rack is great, but it's broken twice in our past two moves, so it needs new hooks and I think it may also meet the chalk paint.

Some thoughts are going around in my head regarding what to do in here, so I'll just show you some inspiration photos I found on Pinterest so you can see where I'm heading.  Who knows when this project will be complete, but I'm hopeful to have something worth revealing in the next few weeks.

Source: mochatini.org via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: womansday.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Lauren on Pinterest