Welcome in...

Welcome to our home! I've been encouraged to do a tour of our home, so naturally, I think we should start with the entry. As you may recall, this home previously belonged to my mother and father-in-law. It was originally built in 1914, and was likely a summer home...as is true of many of the old homes on Lake Stevens. My "in-laws" purchased the home in 1976 and did a fairly extensive remodel to the kitchen and several other rooms, adding this front entry in the process. 

The original entry door was located next to an exposed set of concrete stairs leading to the basement. My husband said they were a slippery, mossy, dilapidated mess! In adding this entry, they enclosed a new stair case and created an arctic entry to shield the door into the kitchen from the rain and wind. The flooring they installed was slate...and it has held up very well over all these years. My mother in law was a very practical person and she used the entry for her recycling bins and shelves filled with umbrellas, boots, and her gardening tools. 

As I mentioned in an earlier post on our front door, we recently replaced the worn out sliding glass doors for a fixed door. What a difference this made!  We also painted the interior walls of the entry, replaced a small overhead light fixture, and replaced the gold glass with opaque glass around the interior door. I would have loved to install a hanging light fixture but the swing of the basement door prohibited that option.

Before...photo from inside kitchen to show gold glass.

After...

Since this small entry is the first thing we see after the outer door is opened, I wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing as well as practical. We furnished our entry with two antique pieces that had been refinished by my mother in law years ago. She did excellent work! The old oak chest had been used by my husband as his toy chest when he was small. The chest now holds Oakley's dog treats, garden gloves and picks, and extra seasonal linens. I change the seat cushion and pillows out seasonally to mix it up a bit! The summer brings a more nautical theme, the fall and winter bring out wool plaid blankets and cozy pillows...can you tell I'm trying to entice you to stop by?! The mirror and hat rack came from the lumber mill that my husband's grandfather owned...Portage Creek Mill. It's fun to use these old pieces that have a family history. I love to use a mix of old and new in interior design, making a home unique to its' owner!

After....new trim for new door.

The details....new paint color on walls is China Doll by Sherwin Williams, new door came from Barmon Door in Lake Stevens, new light fixture and wood trim was from Lowe's, and the opaque check patterned glass came from Glass by Lund in Lake Stevens. Guess that's it for now! Stop on by for a fresh cup of coffee...welcome in!