I love how my home evolves over time. Its my canvas and I am constantly thinking of ways I can make it better. Ive said this before but I can also become bored easily and so I can only keep a room a certain way for so long before I have the urge to change it all around again. Its because my brain never stops thinking about what I can do to make my home better, its my little masterpiece. This is where I truly believe that a limited budget is working in my favor. I can only imagine what would be happening around here if I had the money to just start any project at any time. I think my family would be living in a home constantly under major reconstruction! I have a running to do list in my head at all times...I cant help it and to be honest, I enjoy it....a lot!
Something that I have recently changed up is our entry area. Since we moved in this space has had about, oh maybe like 10 different pieces of furniture in it. I had two different dressers, a bunch of various chairs, a large cabinet, a table, which I purchased specifically for this space but now is a visiting guest in the family room. My design is evolving and I am no longer thinking only of how pretty things will look in a space but how functional they will be. We need our home to work for our family and because our daily lives are always changing, so is what we need from our home. The one thing I noticed about having a table in this space was that it became a dumping ground for everything! Not just keys but toys, hair ties, change, receipts, etc! It drove me bonkers! I tried solving the problem by placing a pretty wooden box on top for all the junk but that didn't help because after a few days it was full and the junk was spilling out! Not good.
I had to come up with a better design. Thats when I started thinking about a bench here, which had me thinking of these two photos that I had pinned just awhile back.
This is from the blog Sara Swanson design. I love her aesthetic and how everything is so neutral. She rarely shows color in her home which makes it appear very serene and calm there. I saw this photo of her entryway with the tufted bench (restoration hardware) and the fiddle leaf tree...I so want one....and I couldn't get it out of my mind! I love being inspired by other bloggers homes.
This is my other favorite! This is the entryway of blogger Monika Hibbs last home. The entire house is pretty much amazing and I have found a ton of inspiration from her photos. Again, all this white makes my heart pitter patter, I love it all! Oh and that mirror! Please come live at my house..pretty please!
So with these two pictures on replay like a movie reel running through my brain, I was now on the hunt for a similar bench for my entryway.
My initial on line search resulted in these two benches below...
$749 Houzz
Blah, not happening! To rich for this chick!
$649 Ballard Design
Not much better on my poor wallet!
Gah, I wasn't happy with these being my only options and so I did what all smart money saving girls do....I went to Homegoods.
$129
Much better!
I also found this piece for above the bench. It holds all the incoming mail and a few other items that we need but it doesn't scream, "hey dump all your crap on me" like the table did. I am looking in to finally getting that Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree (its in my cart on Home Depot on line) but for now this little guy will do.
