When we started working on our entry not too long ago, we added a bunch of functionality. A bench, bin for shoes, hooks for jackets and a mirror.

Pretty quickly, we knew we needed to re-work the bench. We talked about that here. Not only did it not look the best for the very first thing you see when you walk in our house, but as soon as a bunch of jackets were hung on the hooks, it became nearly impossible to sit on. I was happy we finally didn’t have a bunch of shoes at the front door (although we have learned that 3 shoe bins is a bit overkill), but as more time went on the bench + jackets right when you walk in the front door started to wear on me. So many jackets! So, we took a step back and reevaluated what was working and what wasn’t.

The hooks are definitely great to have and we absolutely need a place to hang jackets–plus, gorgeous. We won’t get to our mudroom/laundry  until winter/spring so having somewhere to hang things now (and a permanent place for guests later) has been nice. But maybe we don’t need them front and center right when you walk in the door? No. No we don’t. We could put them on the back wall where the mirror is. And that’s when we had our A-ha moment, you could say. A bench, mirror and hooks can ALL fit on the back wall!

Another aspect that brought upon this re-redecorating is the fact that we have been adding to our art collection around here, finally–I can’t wait to show you!, and one major addition is this large 32″x48″ Edward Hopper oil painting I’ve loved since college.  Edward Hopper is a genius with a brush. We really wanted a prominent place in our home for it and that wall, right when you walk into our house (where the hooks are….were) is the perfect spot.

So, here’s the new entry plan. 2.0 if you will.

We ordered this fun wallpaper for the back wall to add a little interest. We’ve been wanting to add wallpaper somewhere around here and this felt like a good application for it. With the stark black and white, we ordered this warm wood mirror to hang and this blue upholstered bench for underneath the mirror. And, of course, the hooks are here to stay hanging to the right of the mirror and bench. As for an area rug, with our DIY bench out of the way, our space opened up a lot more and a standard runner size is probably too small. I know a few of you mentioned you thought it was too small to begin with, but now it really is. We need something like a 5×14 area rug, which is crazy. After poking around a little, it felt like a good application for FLOR tiles. We used them in my studio in our last house and loved them and really love the way their Suit Yourself line works with the other pieces I picked out. And lastly, Nighthawks for the win.

Everything is either here or en route, except the rug–we are still trying to decide on a color there–so hopefully this will be a pretty quick redo of a redo. As hard as these posts can be to write (it’s never fun to backtrack, especially when you’re doing it in front of thousands of people), we are hopeful this new entry will be better suited for the direction we’re headed around here. First things first–remove that doorbell box! Onward.