Entry Way Progress

Hey guys!  I just wanted to pop in and share the progress I've made in the entry way so far.  Let's start with a "before" photo so that you have an idea what the space looked like when I got my keys...

As you can see, the floors were in bad shape and there was a door (left) that led from the living room to my bedroom.  One of the first things I decided to do was to close up the doorway to create more wall space and really separate the bedrooms from the common living areas.

Now, this is a shot of my living room today...

My floors are now a dark walnut color and the walls are also a lighter grey instead of the yellowish-tan color they were before.

Here are a few more shots...

Baskets, baskets, and more baskets!  As I've mentioned before, I love using baskets everywhere and anywhere to keep things organized. The basket farthest to the left is my "recycling basket".  I use this basket to toss junk mail in and I usually empty it at the end of every week.  This way, I don't end up with a bunch of junk mail on my coffee table, dining table, desk, bedroom, kitchen, laundry area...you get the point!  The middle basket is the "treat basket".  I had to get a basket with a lid so that my 4 dogs couldn't get into the basket of treats when I wasn't home.  This way, I can give my dogs their daily treats before I leave for work and store the jars of treats in this basket instead of leaving them on top of the entryway table.  Lastly, the black and white basket holds clean blankets and linens that I like to use to snuggle up on the couch with.

Let's get a little more close and personal...

On my entryway table, I just have a bowl that holds a bunch of pens I use for work and headphones I use on my jogs/runs, a couple of pictures of my sisters, a candle (given to me by a co-worker), and a plant (given to me by another co-worker/friend).

So, my entryway doesn't look as sparse as it did they day I moved in, but I still feel like this part of my home needs a few tweaks for this space to be considered "finished".  For starters, I want to add a rug to break up the wood on wood action.

I was thinking about something like this?

via

or this?

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Also, I want to switch out the little blue chair I have with this...

via

BAM!  This chair screams Wendy!  I love it and can't wait to replace my current blue chair with this because it makes such a bold statement...just what I want for my entryway.

There you have it!  I wanted to give you guys a little tour of my entryway and the plans I have to finish it.  I hope you guys enjoyed!  Have a nice day!

I'm Floored by Flor

My living room has been rug-free for a few months now.  Why?

Yeah...My sweet pitbull-mix puppy didn't know the difference between the rug and his rope-toy and chewed off the corner.  So, I've been rug-free in the living room for a few months. Up until last night, that is!

I took advantage of a 25%-off sale Flor was having on their carpet tiles and decided to take the leap and try out their product.  Flor tiles are modular, low-pile carpet tiles that can easily be cleaned (rinsed) and each tile can be replaced without ruining the rest of the carpet.  This is the best solution for a house with 4-5 dogs where accidents rarely, but do, happen.

I picked the "Lasting Grateness" pattern in a teal color and I love it!  The teal really brightens up my living room and adds some pizzazz, which is a nice change from the bare floors I've had. I thought I would regret not getting the rug in a gray or navy color, but I think the bright rug is a perfect contrast to the dark sectional and light-gray walls.  I set my tiles in a parkay-like pattern and installed them all while watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy.  

My dogs love the rug too!

Since I've only had the rug for about 12 hours, I cannot speak about the longevity of the tiles.  If the rug is as durable as it already seems, I definitely want to get a black and white striped pattern for my office!  I'll be testing this baby out for a few months and I'll give you guys an update on how it's held up.  This rug was definitely an investment, but I would rather spend some $$ on a rug that I can easily clean than spend $100-200 to replace an entire rug each time my dogs tear it up.

The "before" picture is what my living room looked like they day I got my keys!

What do you guys think of carpet tiles?