Week 2: The Entryway.

(I was with the daughter at Emergency last night for 3 1/2 hours only to be told they aren't testing for H1N1 unless the patient is having severe breathing problems or has "other" conditions as well. Fortunately she has neither. She'd been sick all day and we panicked when her fever spiked at 103.9 F at 1:00 am. She now has a free pass to drink ginger ale and watch TV for the rest of the week. Poor kid.)

The Hallway.

It is an "ell" shape, to the left. An upside down "L." It's just wide enough in both its legs to accept a piece of furniture and it's just narrow enough for that piece of furniture to make it feel crowded. I'd love to get rid of the cabinet in the first part of the hallway, but it is too useful.

Here's a tour.

This is the view of the hall as you come in the front door. The dining room/office is to the right and the living room to the left. The hall continues to the left behind it.



Standing at the stairs looking back to the door.



And this is as close a "close up" as you can get of the cabinet and wall arrangement I want to change.


I need dog resistant storage for boots and other consumables like hats, mittens and scarves. The basket in the cubby worked well until hubby made it "dog proof." Anything which replaces it also needs to store everything already there and be handy for the library books on their way out.

Turning the corner, we have two closets and a dresser and lots of doorways.


The closet you can see in this picture needs a serious cleaning out.

I took this shot in July, planning to do a thorough clean. I never got to it which is part of the reason why I'm doing the Cure, now.

The drawers of the dresser also need a serious cleaning out. I'd like to replace the dresser completely: the top is damaged, but it isn't in the budget. I can replace the art work, though, and that might help. This is the mail sorting center and an "overflow" grooming station from the bathroom behind it.



Also opposite the dresser (and beside the bathroom) is the coat closet. It's also the broom, mop, and vacuum closet as this is the only place to put them.



To Do List:

1a. Get new rug for front door.
1. Clean out cleaning closet
2. Clean out coat closet
3. Clean out dresser drawers
4. Clear off dresser top
5. Paint dresser top or replace dresser
6. Replace artwork in both parts of the hallway
7. Solve mitten/hat/scarf storage problem
8. Fix boot storage problem (if possible)
9. Paint up closet door trim
10. Clear stairs.

It'll be a challenge.